Chuck, It will be interesting to the cost for some of these devices. Disposable versus refurbishing always seems good to me. But unless the unit cost can really be reduced by greater production quantities, the problem becomes the yearly cost of this kind of device. Thanks for the article.
Yes, Al, disposability is important. Today's Holter monitors, for example, are not disposable and require refurbishing after every use. The refurbishing can be costly. So if electronics manfacturers can make low-cost systems that can be disposed of, and therefore don't require refurbishing, the uptake of the technology will be greater.
Mrdon, thanks for the details and link. There is no doubt that within a couple of years, wearable devices becomes common especially in connection with medical/healthcare domain.
Mydesign, MIT has a research group called Little Devices. Their mission statement is:
"The Little Devices group at MIT develops empowerment technologies for health. We believe that innovation and design happens at the frontline of healthcare where providers and patients can invent everyday technologies to improve outcomes."
They employ the use of everyday products ranging from toys to items found in an ordinary home's junk box to develop low cost medical devices for third world countries. The technologies mentioned in this article could easily be integrated within Little Devices research to create enhanced medical tools. The uC's that have an analog front end like Analog Devices ADUC7601 precision analog microcontrollers are key to the development of low power, and efficient health monitoring wearable medical devices. Very interested article Charles! Below are links to MIT's Little Devices Group and Analog Devices ADUC 7601 precision analog microcontroller.
Charles, you are right. Now lots of developments are happening in medical electronics and many old manual equipments are becomes most soficated devices due to the advancement of technology. There is no doubt that within a couple of years, embedding self monitory and communicating chips in human body may become popular.
Chuck, Is it your understanding that most of these new wearable medical devices are also disposable to some extent? Meaning that they are aiming at low price points and volume applications?
Nancy, I completely hear what you are saying, but I can sort of see both sides. On one hand I, too, think reuseable is the way to go to eliminate unnecessary waste, since there is already plenty of that. But I can also see how it would be nice to have fresh, clean patches or devices to use if it's something for the long term. At the same time, if it's meant to be used long-term, you're right, it should be made to last.
Since it’s medical, none of the wearable devices will be cheap. Innovation is apparently there, but can we seriously say it will not come at an arm&leg price? In the latest State of the Union speech (2/13/2013), President Obama essentially said he will plead with pharmaceutical companies to get medical prices down. I’m sure they will humor him.
C
Thanks for the explanation, Charles - I was envisioning a much more expensive product. It certainly makes sense with low price points. I also would prefer a "new" product rather than a "refurbished" one when it comes to medical equipment. Really nice to see these products being developed - it will really help folks stay active which will only increase the health benefit.
A new book by Thomas Edison's great-grandniece takes on the notion that he was a lone-wolf inventor and replaces it with an image of a man who ascribed great value to the ideas of colleagues.
In response to rising interest in autonomous vehicles, the federal government has called upon states not to authorize operation of self-driving cars, except for the purpose of testing.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
Using almost 200 light-emitting diodes in the front and back of the new 2014 CTS, Cadillac designers are showing how LEDs can change the character of a vehicle.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
23 
