This technology has high potential to save lives, but in reading the article, I did not see any mention of encryption for the wireless signal. I would think that confidentiality of patient records would be at the forefront of the technology.
Medical miniaturization is clearly a new frontier in product design. The components and electronics capabilities are there. So the challenge now largely resides on the packaging and assembly side, including sophisticated, multilayer packages with adhesives etc. Software is also a key component. We've covered this numerous times this year; see for example "Small Device Brings Big Comfort to Post-Surgical Patients.
Medical miniaturization is clearly a new frontier in product design. The components and electronics capabilities are there. So the challenge now largely resides on the packaging and assembly side, including sophisticated, multilayer packages with adhesives etc. Software is also a key component. We've covered this numerous times this year; see for example "Small Device Brings Big Comfort to Post-Surgical Patients.
I'm glad to know that WiFi is not the wireless network used here, since it's so eminently hackable.
That said, I'm not familiar with the ANT wireless transmission standard used within the hospital before the data goes to TCP/IP. How hackable is it? How secure is it?
Between this post and the post last week on a device used to monitor vitals more for wellness purposes, we're getting a great picture of how smaller electronics, wireless technologies, and novel packaging are coalescing to deliver a new generation of wireless devices that can really raise the bar on patient care.
The software angle here is particularly interesting. Am I understanding correctly that the algorithms parse through the continuous data streams to highlight just essential data? Seems like it's akin to what's being called "big data" analytics" in the business world to uncover patterns and intelligence in everything from social media streams to data pouring off of wireless sensors. Pretty cool stuff.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
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.
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