Medical & Healthcare Robotics Summit

The Medical & Healthcare Robotics Summit, presented by Medical Design Briefs returns for its second year to explore the continued integration of robotics in healthcare and medicine.

Microrobots Navigate Complex Biological Environments

Fabricated with a gel side for carrying drugs and a magnetic side for steering, researchers have developed microrobots that can navigate complex biological environments like intestines....

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on the “Robot Eyes” project; one on how researchers have found an unusual ally in the quest to make cancer diagnosis faster, more accurate, and more accessible worldwide: the Morpho butterfly; one on advances in AI and biocomputational models aiming to revolutionize the drug development process; and more.

The Evolving Role of Robotics in Healthcare

Listen to these podcasts to learn how the role of robotics in healthcare has evolved and will continue to evolve.

Soft Robot Modules for New Haptic Interactions

EPFL researchers have developed a customizable soft robotic system that uses compressed air to produce shape changes, vibrations, and other haptic, or tactile, feedback in a variety of configurations. The device holds significant promise for applications in virtual reality, physical therapy, and rehabilitation. Read on to learn more.

Robotics in Rehabilitation: Enhancing Recovery and Patient Independence

Robotics in rehabilitation enhance recovery and enable patient independence.

Creating Emotionally Intelligent Healthcare Robots

Advances in autonomous surgical robotic systems.

Socially Assistive AI-Driven Robots for Rehabilitation

Socially assistive robotics are playing an increasingly powerful role in eldercare and patient rehabilitation.

Advances in Autonomous Surgical Robotic Systems

A look at transformative advancement in surgical robotics, where robots can perform with both mechanical precision and human-like adaptability and understanding.

Precision in Motion: The Future of Robotics and Automation in Medical Device Manufacturing

As regulatory demands intensify and product complexity grows, automation and robotics provide medtech engineers with a powerful set of tools. From high-speed motion control to cleanroom-certified cobots and predictive maintenance, the technologies now available can transform the entire device manufacturing life cycle. Read on to learn more.

Key Trends Drive the Future of Medical Device Manufacturing

Medical device contract manufacturing is poised for robust and sustained growth, with the global market projected to surpass $150 billion by 2030. This expansion is being driven by technological innovations, shifting healthcare demands, and increasing reliance on outsourcing to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Read on to learn more.

Video Spotlight on Products and Services

See where the video spotlight is this month: on CNC machining; micro linear actuators; a lab tube cutting machine; the 601 series Air Turbine Spindle® mills at 90,000 RPM; MD® multipurpose adhesives; and much more.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on 3D printing complex, more durable robots from a variety of high-quality materials in one go; one on a fully digital design-to-manufacturing process that has the potential to revolutionize lower limb socket production; one on commercial and open-source electronic circuit boards that can be embedded into soft robots; and one on scalable methods of developing battery- and solar-powered fibers, making it theoretically possible for electrical energy to be harvested from, and stored in the clothing.

Researchers Explore the Future of Wearable Multisensory Haptics

While early haptic devices focused on single-sensory cues like vibration-based notifications, modern advancements have paved the way for multisensory haptic devices that...

A Bionic Hand that Can Grip Like a Human

Johns Hopkins University engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds.

Fine-Tuned Brain-Computer Interface Makes Prosthetic Limbs Feel More Real

A team recently published papers in Nature Biomedical Engineering and Science documenting major progress on direct, carefully timed electrical stimulation of the brain that can recreate tactile feedback to give nuanced feeling to prosthetic hands. Read on to learn more.

Prosthetic Hand Adjusts Its Grasp

Engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds. Read on to learn more.

Minuscule Robots Provides Targeted Drug Delivery

In the future, delivering therapeutic drugs exactly where they are needed within the body could be the task of miniature robots.

Multifunctional Biomedical Robot for Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment

Researchers have successfully developed what they believe is the world’s smallest multifunctional biomedical robots. Capable of imaging, high-precision motion, and multifunctional operations like sampling, drug delivery, and laser ablation, the robot offers competitive imaging performance and a tenfold improvement in obstacle detection. Read on to learn more.

Sensitive Ceramics for Robotics, Prosthetics

Researchers are developing soft sensor materials based on ceramics. Such sensors can feel temperature, strain, pressure, or humidity, for instance, which makes them interesting for use in medicine, but also in the field of soft robotics. Read on to learn more.

A Tabletop Robot May Revolutionize Physical Therapy Delivery

Mohammad Habibur (Habib) Rahman, Director of the BioRobotics Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and his team have been developing a portable, assistive robotic arm that therapists can use to assess and treat patients whether or not they are not in the same location.

New Products and Services

See the new products and services, including an IEC connector from Schurter; Raltron's series of electromagnetic buzzers; Midwest Interventional Systems' extrusion ordering system; SGS' expanded spray drug-delivery testing capabilities; Prima Power's latest addition to its 2D laser technology portfolio; ANCA's peel grinding platform designed to reduce cycle time; and more.

Toroidal Micro Robot Swims Autonomously

Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in soft robotics. Their study introduces the first toroidal, light-driven microrobot that can move autonomously in viscous liquids, such as mucus. Read on to learn more.

Precision Robotics Offers Hope for Heart Disease Treatment

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death among young adults. Sans treatment, a heart transplant remains the only curative option for those living with the inherited condition. Now, a research team has developed a robotic technology that allows scientists to test numerous potential therapeutics, simultaneously, in this condition for the first time.

Biohybrid Robotic Hand Research Platform

Researchers have developed a novel biohybrid neuroprosthetic research platform comprised of a dexterous artificial hand electrically interfaced with biological neural networks. Read on to learn more.

Miniature Robots Can Navigate Through 3D Matrix

Scientists have developed a way to deploy magnetic miniature robots through a 3D matrix resembling a network of blood vessels. This new method could one day enable the simultaneous treatment...

Medical Podcasts

Listen to our medical podcasts, including one on 3D printing in healthcare; one on robotics and cobots in medical device production; one on the challenges of achieving biocompatibility, meeting medical-grade standards, and navigating the regulatory landscape for 3D printed devices; and one taking a look at how printed health is transforming medicine.

Finger Pouch Actuator Improves Rehab Gloves

Researchers have succeeded in adding finger straightening or extension to soft rehabilitation gloves through a novel foldable pouch actuator (FPA) without compromising the already existing functionality of finger bending or flexion. Read on to learn more about it.