Liquidmetal Shows Promise as Material for Medical Electronics
Liquidmetal generated a lot of buzz when word leaked that it might be featured in a new version of the iPhone, but the material has applications beyond consumer electronics. Stronger than titanium and lighter than steel, it's already being used in two medical electronics devices that have made it to market. Liquidmetal, an amorphous liquid metal alloy first discovered at the California Institute...
This Week in Electronics: AT&T Encourages Connected Healthcare Apps; A Microchip for Drug Delivery
AT&T leverages the cloud to encourage development of connected apps, a new asthma device will leverage Qualcomm's 2net hub, and a microchip for drug delivery will be put to the test in a clinical trial. AT&T Launches Cloud-Based Developer Center to Encourage Connected Healthcare Apps AT&T has launched a beta version of the AT&T Developer Center ForHealth, a cloud-based platform...
How the iPhone ECG Came to Be
David Albert, MD, dreamt of creating an electrocardiogram that could fit in physicians' pockets for 15 years, and in that time, he faced no shortage of challenges. He had to wait for technology to catch up to his vision. He was told no one would want such a thing and battled skepticism even from his own partner. But about a year ago, the former chief clinical scientist of cardiology at GE ...
Lab on an iPhone
Forget lab-on-a-chip. Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology are working to enable the detection of diseases by simply pressing a drop of fluid against the touch screen of a smartphone.   Read more on our sister site, IVD Technology.    
Design Inspriation: Be a Tweaker
No, I'm not advocating drug use. I just read this New Yorker story by Malcolm Gladwell, in which he makes the case that Steve Jobs' genius wasn't inventing—it was editing. Gladwell relates how many of the "inventions" attributed to Jobs were actually conceived by others. The Apple founder didn't invent the mobile phone, he writes. Instead, Jobs looked at what was...
Of iDevices and Heart Disease: Stanford Professor Considers Health IT's Likely Influence
At a recent talk at TCT2011, Stanford cardiology professor Peter J. Fitzgerald, MD, PhD explained how IT would be used to tackle some of the country's (and the world's) most-pressing healthcare problems. He began by explaining his perspective on those health issues. The United States must reduce hospital readmissions, he said. "26% of all Medicare patients in this country get readmitted...
This Week in Electronics: iPhone 4S Now in Stores; Legislation Intended to Speed Device Review
The iPhone 4S hits stores. Also, senators introduce legislation intended to speed medical device review. iPhone 4S Makes its Retail Debut (The Wall Street Journal) Klobuchar, Paulsen Continue to Stump for Industry on Capitol Hill (MD+DI) Designer of C Programming Language Dies (New York Times) Dr. Leslie Saxon on the Future of Telehealth (MD+DI) Smartphone-Based Ultrasound: The New Medical...
This Week in Electronics: Steve Jobs; Telehealth; Using Electronics to Detect Pain
This week, we mourn Steve Jobs and marvel at how he changed the course of healthcare. Also, a look at the effectiveness of telehealth and how medical electronics are helping to diagnose pain. Medical Electronics: Perfecting a Pain Detector (EBN) FDA, CMS to Jointly Review Medical Devices (DOTmed.com) How the iPhone Is Enabling a Revolution in Connected Medical Devices (Medical Electronic Device...
A Guide to Get Your Device on Apple Store Shelves
For medical device designers who dream of seeing their devices among the sleek gadgets on Apple Store shelves, MIT's Technology Review has put together a how-to guide to get them there. The first step, of course, is to obtain FDA clearance, but it doesn't stop there. Designers also have to apply to the company's MFi licensing program, submit a prototype, and sign a nondisclosure agreement....
FDA Regulation of Medical Apps Might Not Be So Bad
Anytime FDA starts proposing new regulations for medical devices, designers understandably get wary. But according to experts, the administration’s proposed regulations for medical mobile apps might result in more clarity than confusion.   According to the draft guidance issued last week, FDA is proposing to regulate apps that “are used as an accessory to a medical device already...
Are You in Touch with Your Users?
The best device is the one that’s easiest to operate. It doesn’t matter how many bells and whistles a design incorporates if the end user doesn’t know how to ring and toot them. Emily Allen, an interaction designer for Cook Medical, understands users. The 25-year-old took the grand prize in the DiabetesMine Design Challenge, a contest run by the Web site DiabetesMine.com to...
Guest Blog: Quality of Life Enabled by MEMS
Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)—tiny micro-machines that provide intelligent sensing and actuation—enable a high degree of interactivity with the environment. If you’re a fan of Nintendo Wii, Apple iPhone, iPad and i-everything else, you have MEMS to thank because it’s MEMS-enabled enhancements that make video games more engaging, smartphones and tablets more...
Accurate Stroke Diagnosis with an App
Following up yesterday's post about physicians' preference for Apple products, researchers at Canada's University of Calvary have determined that doctors can accurately diagnose stroke using an iPhone app. Using the app, Calgary Scientific Inc.’s ResolutionMD Mobile, doctors were able to achieve the same diagnosis accuracy as with a medical computer workstation. “This iPhone app...
Doctors Choose Apple Over Android
If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, you’d think physicians would be PCs, right? Wrong. According to a recent study by Manhattan Research, 75% of physicians in the U.S. own an Apple product, such as an iPhone, iPad, or iPod. Though a December MED article proclaimed Android the best operating system for many medical applications, when it comes to smartphones, doctors—more than four...