1. Heraeus: A printable and flexible smart sensor
Heraeus (St. Paul, Minn.) is touting new printable and flexible smart sensor technology that has two major benefits: It is cost effective and medical device companies can easily add it to existing designs. In other words, there is no need to design around it.
“With this ground-breaking new sensing technology, we currently see great opportunities to add functionalities in a variety of applications such as catheters, health-monitoring wearables and robotics-assisted surgical procedures. Imagine a device with this new sensing technology providing a tactile feeling to a catheter or surgical robot,” said Stefan Schibli, sensor development program manager at Heraeus.
Heraeus officials say the sensor technology is so hassle-free because it can be put into any form and shape – and it is printable. Even better, the sensor and actually be printed or over-molded into the device – actually replacing part of its polymeric body. A manufacturer can use the same substrate as before and mix it with Heraeus’s sensor matrix to seamlessly integrate the sensor.
The smart sensor technology includes two main elements:
- An elastomer to provide the deforming function at mechanical impact, depending on the device’s application.
- Even more important is the microscopic carbon particle matrix that Heraeus developed, which provides the necessary electrical feedback for various smart-sensing functions, according to the company. A smart material with a unique pore-size distribution, the matrix’s can be purity, porosity, surface functionalization and microstructure can be adjusted by medical device designers and engineers to fine-tune its performance.
Plus, the materials used in the technology are biocompatible, so there is no need for encapsulation.
William K. says
Most of the innovations shown look like good advances. BUT the oxygen feed system shown in #7 is far more obvious than the devices available here for at least the past 20 years. So unless it offers a real benefit beyond what has existed for many years, what it provides is “not much.”
Now as to the places where innovation is done, what I have observed is that innovation happens where ever it is not discouraged very much. Some companies work diligently to prevent any innovation anywhere except in their R&D departments, while some, such as 3M and a few others, seek to reward and encourage all their employees to innovate. And some companies, while wanting and needing innovation, have embraced cultures that press deliberately at preventing everything that assists creativity.
Chris Newmarker says
Thanks for the insights William. It truly is amazing—the number of ways a company can kill innovation.
Chris Newmarker says
Also, anything else we should have included in this list?