- Miniature is big: How Virtual Incision designed the small but mighty MIRA surgical robot — and then shrank it again for space
- Tandem Diabetes Care taps miniaturization and automation for its latest systems
- How Orthobond’s antimicrobial coating prevents contamination of medical devices
Medtech suppliers make it happen — on Earth and in space
Virtual Incision’s test of its surgical robotics system in space took some serious collaboration with third-party partners.
NASA and SpaceX got the device into orbit aboard the International Space Station. But it was work with Maxon on miniature motors that helped Virtual Incision achieve the compact design of its MIRA (Miniaturized In Vivo Robotic Assistant) Surgical System as well as the smaller SpaceMIRA version.
This issue of Medical Design & Outsourcing focuses on supplier innovations and devices enabled by those medtech partners. That includes our Virtual Incision cover story and our feature on Orthobond, the developer of a new antimicrobial coating that has won FDA de novo approvals for other device developers’ implants. We also highlight medtech suppliers with our new DeviceTalks Spotlight interviews, some of which we’ve excerpted in this issue.
You’ll notice the first appearance of our Nitinol department, this month featuring a thin-film contract manufacturer that’s partially owned by brain-computer-interface startup Synchron. With device developers and suppliers continuing to find new and innovative applications for nitinol, we’ll use this department to keep you up to date on the latest advances.
This issue includes design tips for connectivity from Eko Health co-founder and CEO Connor Landgraf. His startup has developed noninvasive, AI-powered medical devices that are FDA-cleared to help physicians detect heart conditions.
And this issue has more than suppliers and startups. Executive Editor Chris Newmarker interviews Abbott’s director of R&D for electrophysiology catheters to learn how his team developed the next-gen TactiFlex catheter for radiofrequency ablation.
Newmarker also compiled his annual ranking of the world’s largest orthopedic device companies ahead of the Medtech Big 100 ranking of all device companies that we’ll publish in September. (Speaking of our Medtech Big 100 list, make sure to get your applications in soon.)
Associate Editor Sean Whooley reports on how Tandem Diabetes Care’s latest device, the Mobi insulin pump, leans into two leading diabetes technology trends: miniaturization and automation.
But before you dive into this edition, I have a request. Please take a look at our MDO Tech Trends survey and answer as many or as few questions as you’d like. This survey will help us call attention to device developers, manufacturers, suppliers and other partners who are doing their part every day to bring new and improved products to physicians and patients. Feel free to share with your colleagues — we welcome multiple submissions for a single organization — as well as your external partners and anyone else in your network who you think would appreciate sharing the work they do.
As always, I hope you enjoy this edition of Medical Design & Outsourcing — and thanks for reading.
– Jim Hammerand, Managing Editor
Medical Design & Outsourcing
jhammerand@wtwhmedia.com
