In 2011, we reported that metamaterials, man-made materials with exotic properties, might be able to boost the resolution of ultrasound imaging by a factor of 50. On a related note, a team of international researchers, including Texas A&M Professor Vladislav Yakovlev pictured on the right, have developed a prototype of the metamaterial-containing transducer that could significantly improve the resolution of ultrasound imaging by converting ultrasound waves into optical rather than...

Purdue researchers have shown theoretically how to control or eliminate dendrite formation in lithium-ion batteries. Dendrites can cause an internal short circuit, resulting in battery failure and possible fire. (Image courtesy of Quinn Horn, Exponent)Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries caused quite a stir not long ago by catching fire on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. But because Li-ion batteries are also used widely in a range of medical devices, concerns go beyond the critical question of airline...

The era of conformal electronics may be approaching. Two pioneers in the space of flexible electronics have announced the development of a stretchable lithium-ion battery. The battery is compatible with the stretchable electronics they helped develop earlier, which could be worn like temporary tattoos to monitor vital signs as well in a variety of medical device applications. Known as the “Biostamp,” that technology is now being commercialized by MC10 (Cambridge, MA).In Nature Communications,...

A custom, flexible laser marking system marks medical devices, checks quality, and connects to front- and back-office production and inventory systems.Although laser marking may seem a straightforward task when compared, for instance, to developing wrist implants or artificial hips, poor marking systems can introduce pinch points in the manufacturing process or even stop the line entirely in the event of failure.When Wright Medical Technologies (Arlington, TN) went looking for a new production-...

The Q-Flo valve connector from Infusion Innovations Inc. is made using Bayer's Makrolon resin.Readers of MPMN’s Medtech Pulse may have noticed that bioresorbable materials took center stage at MD&M West. But there’s much more to the world of medical device materials than the admittedly crucial space occupied by bioresorbables and bioabsorbables. Here’s a small sampling of other types of medical device materials that were on display at the show.Medical-Grade Polycarbonate…and MoreBayer...

This image symbolically depicts the nanomanipulation of an artificial atom.A new imaging modality that is similar to MRI but offers a resolution roughly one million fold greater, enabling it to scan individual cells. Developed by scientists at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), the CSIC, and Macquarie University in Australia, the technique makes use of artificial atoms and doped diamond nanoparticles to detect extremely weak magnetic fields generated by certain biological molecules....

FutureMed executive director Daniel Kraft, MD giving a keynote at MD&M West. Medical device designers should keep a close eye on exponentially accelerating technologies, recommended FutureMed executive director Daniel Kraft, MD at a keynote address at MD&M West in Anaheim, CA. “Medical devices are starting to integrate many of these technologies as they get faster, cheaper and better and more applicable,” he said. These technologies are also shrinking and coming down in cost, enabling...

Sometimes a minor change can have a major impact. By simply adding an optional air-feed cutter bushing to its established Medline tubing puller/cutter, for example, Conair (Cranberry Township, PA) claims to have dramatically improved process efficiency, ultimately saving customers time and money."We try to feel our customers’ pain and come up with solutions," Bob Bessemer, Conair sales manager, medical extrusion, said yesterday at MD&M West. "[The optional bushing design] looks very simple...

As a company that develops medical products that typically comprise micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), our greatest engineering challenge is rooted in the sheer physical size of our devices. For example, our flagship product is a robotically steerable interventional guidewire with a diameter of 0.014 in. (0.36mm)—the IntelliWire. Equivalent to just two strands of human hair thick, the core of this device houses an array of electrical and mechanical components, which collectively make up a...