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Implants & Prosthetics

Learn more about the materials and properties of today's advanced implants and prosthetics. Examples include cardiac pacemakers, defibrillators, and orthopedics.

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R&D: Medical
Low-Cost Prosthetic Knee Mimics Walking Motion
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology designed a low-cost prosthetic knee that mimics normal walking motion. The MIT team's prototype generates a torque profile similar to that of able-bodied knees, using only simple mechanical elements like springs and dampers. The team is testing...
R&D: Medical
Sensing Device Separates Simultaneous Sounds
A new technology developed at Duke University uses metamaterials and compressive sensing to determine the direction of a sound and extract it from the surrounding background noise. Once miniaturized, the device could have applications in hearing aids, cochlear implants, and ultrasound medical sensors.
R&D: Medical
Implantable Device Improves Optogenetics Methods
An implant built by Stanford University engineers produces light to stimulate nerves of the brain, spinal cord, or limbs in mice. The technology is powered wirelessly, using the mouse's own body to transfer energy. Scientists will use the new optogenetic nerve stimulation methods to investigate a...
INSIDER: Medical
Cancer Patient Receives 3D-Printed Titanium Rib Implants
In a collaboration between the Melbourne-based medical device company Anatomics and Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), a cancer patient diagnosed with a chest wall sarcoma received a 3D-printed titanium sternum and rib implants.
INSIDER: Medical
Stretchable Conductor Supports Implantable Medical Devices
Researchers at the University of Houston have discovered a transparent conductor that can be folded or stretched and released, resulting in a large curvature or a significant strain, at least 10,000 times without showing signs of fatigue. The technology pairs gold nanomesh with a...
INSIDER: Medical
Paralyzed Man 'Feels' Physical Sensations Through Prosthetic Hand
A 28-year-old who has been paralyzed for more than a decade has become the first person to be able to “feel” physical sensations through a prosthetic hand directly connected to his brain, and even identify which mechanical finger is being gently touched.
INSIDER: Medical
Robotic Exoskeleton Helps Paralyzed Voluntarily Control Movements
A “robotic exoskeleton” device developed by UCLA scientists allowed a paralyzed man to voluntarily control his leg muscles and take thousands of steps. In addition to the robotic device, the man was aided by a novel noninvasive spinal stimulation technique that does not require...
R&D: Medical
Researchers Mold Silicon into Intricate Shapes
A mold developed by Cornell University researchers can shape liquid silicon out of organic polymer materials. The self-assembling organic polymers create a template dotted with precisely sized and shaped nanopores. The development could lead to exact single-crystal silicon nanostructures.
R&D: Medical
Stacking Approach Creates New 2D Materials
Researchers from Penn State University have worked with University of Texas at Dallas engineers to induce different two-dimensional materials to form directly on top of one another. The stacking approach achieves clean interfaces between layers — an important factor for novel nanoelectronic circuits.
INSIDER: Medical
Nerve-Like Polymer Network Supports New Prosthetic Interfaces
By "crowdsurfing" motor proteins and using a succession of biological mechanisms, Sandia National Laboratories researchers have created linkages of polymer nanotubes that resemble the structure of a nerve, with many out-thrust filaments poised to gather or send electrical impulses. The...
INSIDER: Medical
Prototype Sensor Separates Simultaneous Sounds
A new technology developed at Duke University uses metamaterials and compressive sensing to determine the direction of a sound and extract it from the surrounding background noise. Once miniaturized, the device could have applications in hearing aids, cochlear implants, and ultrasound medical sensors.
INSIDER: Medical
Engineers Control Metal Deformation
Researchers at Purdue University discovered a simple way to control a type of metal deformation known as sinuous flow. Supressing the deformation could reduce the energy required to process metals and lead to more efficient machining.
INSIDER: Medical
Engineers Develop Better Brain-Controlled Prostheses
An interdisciplinary team led by Stanford electrical engineer Krishna Shenoy has developed a technique to make brain-controlled prostheses more precise. The prostheses analyze the neuron sample and instantly make dozens of corrective adjustments to the estimate of the brain's electrical pattern.
R&D: Medical
Engineers Put New Spin on Spider Silk
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have produced samples of strong, resilient spider silk. The spun samples could lead to a variety of biomedical materials, including sutures and scaffolding for organ replacements.
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
Device Maintains Donor Liver Health Outside Body
A sterile medical device preserved the health of a deceased donor liver and allowed the organ to repair itself. The liver was then successfully transplanted to a 43-year-old patient in Ontario. The device, which mimics human physiological functions, is part of a Phase 1 clinical trial at UHN's...
News: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Addressing Challenges in Manufacturing Technologies
There’s no doubt that additive manufacturing (AM), including emerging 3D printing technologies, is booming. Despite its promise though, AM still has far to go to in understanding the impact of subtle differences in manufacturing methods on the properties and capabilities of resulting materials....
INSIDER: Medical
Researchers Reveal How Neurons Control Muscle Movement
New research from Stanford University sheds light on how neurons control muscle movement. The findings could be applied to create better brain-controlled prosthetic devices, such as robotic arms.
INSIDER: Medical
Graphene Production Breakthrough Supports Artificial Skin Development
Using high-quality, low-cost graphene, researchers from the University of Exeter have created a transparent, flexible touch-sensor that could enable the development of artificial skin.
R&D: Medical
Larger Implantable Devices Avoid Immune-System Rejection
By using larger spherical components, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have found a way to reduce the immune system from rejecting biomedical implant devices. The bigger spheres are better able to maintain their function and avoid scar-tissue buildup.
R&D: Medical
Device Enables Sensations in Prosthetic Hands
A Washington University team developed a novel device that may allow individuals to feel hot and cold temperatures through a prosthetic technology. If the invention works as planned, upper-limb amputees who use motorized devices would be able to feel various sensations through the prosthetic, which...
R&D: Medical
3D Microbattery Offers On-Chip Integration
By combining 3D holographic lithography and 2D photolithography, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated a 3D microbattery suitable for large-scale on-chip integration with microelectronic devices. Applications for the holographically patterned battery include...
INSIDER: Medical
Students' Designs Give New Look to Prosthetics
A new technique developed by Kansas State University students allows individuals to personalize their prosthetic with new "skins." The covers are made from flexible resins and plastics.
INSIDER: Medical
Researchers Print Three-Dimensional Cellulose Objects
Using a 3D bioprinter, a group of engineers at Chalmers University of Technology have created objects made entirely by cellulose. The additive manufacturing process could be used to build patient-specific implants, new sensors, and wound dressings that communicate with healthcare workers.
INSIDER: Medical
New Foam Could Improve Prosthetic Comfort
Changchun "Chad" Zeng from Florida State University's High Performance Materials Institute (HPMI) has developed a new auxetic foam. Prosthetic socks made from the foam will help amputees adjust prosthetic devices to their specific limb shape and volume.
INSIDER: Materials
Heart-Powered Electronics
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created thin, flexible electronic devices that efficiently harvest the mechanical energy from natural motions of the human body. In addition to advances in materials processing to enable fabrication of these thin film devices, accurate analytical models...
INSIDER: Medical
Soft Robotic Glove Improves Patients' Grasping Ability
A robotic glove built by a team of engineers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) could assist patients suffering from loss of hand motor control.
INSIDER: Medical
Electronic Devices Self-Destruct When Heated
University of Illinois engineers have created heat-activated self-destructing electronic devices. A radio-controlled trigger remotely prompts the process on demand.
INSIDER: Medical
Researchers Create Single-Molecule Diode
Columbia Engineering researchers have designed a new technique to build a single-molecule diode. Their results achieved rectification ratios as high as 250, fifty times higher than earlier designs.
INSIDER: Medical
Neuroprosthetic Device Enables Intuitive Control of Robotic Arm
Through a clinical collaboration between Caltech, Keck Medicine of USC, and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, a man paralyzed from the neck down can use a robotic arm to perform a fluid hand-shaking gesture, drink a beverage, and even play "rock, paper, scissors." The...

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John Chandler on Achieving Quality Motion Control
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FAULHABER MICROMO brings together the highest quality motion technologies and value-added services, together with global engineering, sourcing, and manufacturing, to deliver top quality micro motion solutions. With 34 years’ experience, John Chandler injects a key engineering perspective into all new projects and enjoys working closely with OEM customers to bring exciting new technologies to market.

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Eurofins Medical Device Testing (MDT) provides a full scope of testing services. In this interview, Eurofins’ experts, Sunny Modi, PhD, Director of Package Testing; and Elizabeth Sydnor, Director of Microbiology; answer common questions on medical device packaging and sterilization.

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