There are few fields that spawn as many new technologies as the medical
field. Every day, it seems, some company or research lab announces a new
development in the fight against cancer, AIDS, heart disease, arthritis,
deafness, blindness, or any of a number of other tragic and debilitating
conditions.
No wonder. The very names of those diseases send disturbing shudders up the spine. Most people will pay anything to find a cure and prolong their life or that of a loved one. That human concern alone has fired many careers in medical technology--and produced some remarkable breakthroughs.
Underlying all the work that leads to breakthroughs is a concern for details--in this case, small components whose design and reliability make medical machines work. This special issue contains several stories on those components. Here are three additional reports on new medical devices under development:
Optical Sensors, Inc. has developed a new device for measuring blood gases. Called the SensiCath® measurement system, it attaches to the patient and works on demand, producing results within 60 seconds. There's no exposure to potentially infectuous blood for the care giver, and no blood loss for the patient, since blood recirculates to the artery after measurement.
Aspect Medical Systems, Inc. has developed a one-piece sensor that measures the effects of anesthetics on the brain. The company says the system assists in the detection of patient awareness, giving early warning that the patient may be sedated but still experiencing pain during surgery.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary are developing tiny computer chips that might provide hope for the blind. Implanted in the eye, the chips would stimulate the ganglion cells in the retina that are connected to the brain, initiating visual information that can pass to the brain.
Wondrous things, these new developments, and they all depend on tiny details hidden from the patients' view. All of them hold the promise of giving us a better quality of life.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plasti 2012 aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds.
The rare earth element market has become steadily more rational, and new sources coming online will continue to reduce costs. Still, it is unlikely that prices will drop to their former lows.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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