Design & Testing

Markets

What are the major medical device markets? Find out here. Our news and videos focus on essential sectors, including prosthetics, drug delivery, and rehabilitation.

Stories

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Features: Medical
SwipeSense Yuri Malina and Mert Iseri Evanston, Illinois According to the Centers for Disease Control, the best way to prevent the two million annual cases of hospital-acquired infections is by increasing hand hygiene among...
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Applications: Medical
When engineers at a Swiss medical device company began designing an implantable low-flow pump to treat the condition known as ascites, or peritoneal cavity fluid, they knew they were on the...
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Features: Medical
The 10th annual “Create the Future” Design Contest, attracted more than 950 innovative product ideas from engineers and students in 65 countries. The Medical category itself received 92 outstanding entries from...
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Features: Materials
The medical area has long required specialized materials be utilized to treat patients, and the processes of drug delivery and fluid handling are no exception. Hospitals across the...
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Applications: Photonics/Optics
Global population aging is unprecedented: the global population of children under age five is expected to fall by 49 million by midcentury, while the number of people over...
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Features: Medical
Prosthetic Leg Connector Dave King Kelowna, BC, Canada The Medical winner was simply named Prosthetic Leg Connector. Its simplistic name belies the amount of thought and care that went into the creation of a device to...
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Global Innovations: Photonics/Optics
Bionic Vision Australia http://www.bionicvision.org.au The main cause of inherited blindness is retinitis pigmentosa, which affects 1.5 million people worldwide and is characterized by the progressive loss of vision. To combat...
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Global Innovations: Medical
University of Glasgow http://www.gla.ac.uk/ Researchers at the University of Glasgow’s Colleges of Science and Engineering and Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences in Scotland are working to...
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INSIDER: Medical
Using Lean Manufacturing to Save Stroke Victims
Using “lean” manufacturing principles to speed up treatment times for stroke victims may improve the effectiveness of a clot-busting protein used to treat to treat and reduce brain injury after embolic or thrombotic strokes, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal...
INSIDER: Medical
Developing an Artificial Implantable Cornea
Disease and damage to the cornea can cause blindness. While corneal transplants could save sight, donor corneas may be hard to come by, and may not be tolerated. A safe artificial cornea could be a solution to saving the vision of those affected. In cooperation with the Aachen Centre of Technology...
INSIDER: Medical
NASA Robotic Exoskeleton Could Aid Those on Earth
A technology derived from NASA’s Robonaut 2 project could help astronauts stay fit in space and may someday aid paraplegics in walking on Earth. Working with the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Pensacola, FL, and engineers from Oceaneering Space Systems of Houston, NASA...
Features: Medical
Authors, filmmakers, and television programs have given us visions of robots serving humanity for most of the past 100 years. Some of the most iconic fictional ones include the...
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Applications: Medical
The school of thought surrounding most orthopedic implant coatings is that the more porous and “rough” the surface is, the better the implant (hip, knee, etc.) will grip to, and connect...
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Features: Materials
Every day, a healthy human heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels. Given this demanding workload, it’s not surprising that people can suffer heart...
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Tapping into the human brain to understand its functions in daily life — as well as its malfunctions in illness — has long been a challenge for researchers. Mapping brain activity requires...
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INSIDER: Medical
Dissolvable Electronic Implants
Researchers at the University of Illinois (UI), Champaign, in collaboration with Tufts and Northwestern universities, have created a new class of electronic devices: biocompatible and biodegradable electronics for medical implants that can dissolve completely in water or in body fluids. “We refer to this type of...
Global Innovations: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Brain-computer interfaces are at the forefront of treating neurological and psychological disorders, in cluding Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and depression. Among the most promising...
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Method and Apparatus for Automated Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Small Cell Samples
RNA isolation is a ubiquitous need, driven by current emphasis on microarrays and miniaturization. With commercial systems requiring 100,000 to 1,000,000 cells for successful isolation, there is a growing need for a small-footprint, easy-to-use device that can...
Features: Medical
Among medical devices, there is a range of fluid management needs, each with its own unique needs and functions. The field of fluidics may broadly be divided into macro- and micro-applications. The former...
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INSIDER: Medical
Larger Thigh Size Can Cause Hip Implant Failure
Biomechanical engineers at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, determined that thigh size in obese people is a reason their hip implants are more likely to fail. In a study, the team simulated hip dislocations as they occur in humans and determined that increased thigh girth creates hip instability in...
INSIDER: Medical
Taking the Ouch Out of Injections
Millions of injections are given annually, from annual flu shots to childhood immunizations. However, while hypodermic needles deliver controlled, precise injections, the pain they deliver continues to make them unpopular among recipients, especially children. Now, a new laser-based system, being developed by...
INSIDER: Medical
Mini Wirelessly Powered Cardiac Implant
A team of engineers at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, has demonstrated that a tiny, implantable cardiac device can get its power from radio waves transmitted from a small power device on the surface of the body. The implanted device could fit on the head of pin. In their paper, published in the journal...
INSIDER: Medical
Smart Sutures Can Detect Infections
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has created coated sutures with sensors that could monitor wounds and speed up healing. The electronic sutures, which contain ultra-thin silicon sensors integrated on polymer or silk strips, can be threaded through needles and, in animal tests,...
INSIDER: Medical
Stem Cell Powered Othopedic Implant
Scientists at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, have found a way to use the regenerative power of stem cells to improve orthopedic implant surgery. They are collaborating with surgeons at Glasgow’s Southern General Hospital to develop a new type of orthopedic implant that could be stronger and more...
INSIDER: Medical
Heat-Extraction Glove Improves Performance
Biologists at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, pursuing a model for studying heat dissipation, have created a glove that can rapidly cool down athletes’ core temperatures and dramatically improve exercise recovery and performance. A version of the heat-extraction glove is currently nearing...
Applications: Medical
Morgan Technical Ceramics (MTC) (Cleveland, OH) worked with the UK-based University of Hull to develop a new valve used to restore vocal function for patients with throat cancer. The new...
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Mission Accomplished: Medical
In between the vertebrae of the human spine are 23 Oreo™ cookie-sized, cartilage-filled discs that hold the vertebrae together and allow for spine movement.
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Briefs: Medical
Bioengineers have developed a new silk-based microneedle system able to deliver precise amounts of drugs over time and without need for refrigeration. The tiny needles can be...
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Briefs: Medical
Portable Intravenous Fluid Production Device for Ground Use
There are several medical conditions that require intravenous (IV) fluids. Limitations of mass, volume, storage space, shelf-life, transportation, and local resources can restrict the availability of such important fluids. These limitations are expected in long-duration space exploration...

Ask the Expert

Ralph Bright on the Power of Power Cords
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Understanding power system components and how to connect them correctly is critical to meeting regulatory requirements and designing successful electrical products for worldwide markets. Interpower’s Ralph Bright defines these requirements and explains how to know which cord to select for your application.

Inside Story

Inside Story: Trends in Packaging and Sterilization
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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.

Videos