Rick Valencia, the founder and general manager of Qualcomm Life, will speak on how advanced wireless technology continues to transform the healthcare industry at MD&M East on June 17 in Philadelphia. The wireless industry is helping drive a convergence between medical devices and consumer technology through functionality such as streaming of patients’ biometric data, in-body drug delivery systems, wireless pills, and remote diagnostics and monitoring systems.

And you thought 4G was fast. Samsung has announced it is working on a 5G wireless standard that is potentially hundreds of times faster than current 4G networks. Slated to debut in 2020, the wireless standard could be used in medical devices that enable physicians to see high-resolution images remotely, Samsung explained in a statement.

The size of a AAA battery, a pacemaker from Nanostim (Milpitas, CA) could represent a considerable advance in the field of heart-rhythm devices. Now being tested in clinical trials, the Nanostim doesn’t use leads that are used in conventional pacemakers and ICDs. Leads can fracture, become dislodged, and cause other problems like infection.

Robert Torgerson, Founder/President of RxFiber, LLC

Robert Torgerson, Founder/President of RxFiber, LLC

Venaxis has developed a CE-Marked test to assist in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The APPY1 test provides an alternative to CT scans for diagnosis appendicitis. The APPY1 is now being subjected to clinical trials in the United States.

Inventions that were discovered inadvertently often make for good stories. For instance, consider how a Raytheon engineer named Percy Spencer became known as the inventor of the microwave oven. While working on a radar research project after World War II, he stood in front of microwave-emitting vacuum tubes known as magnetrons. He reported feeling a tingling sensation and later noticed that the Mr. Goodbar candy bar he had in his pocket had melted.

Last year, Abbott announced that its Absorb drug-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold was available across Europe and parts of Asia Pacific and Latin America. The device is made from polylactide, which gradually dissolves in the body.