MIT Talking Medical Device Collaboration at ESC

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has created its Medical Electronic Device Realization Center (MEDRC) to develop technologies for enabling affordable and accessible delivery of services to patients, according to its leaders.

MEDRC -- a collaboration between MIT and two industry entities, Analog Devices, Inc. and GE Global Research -- expects revolutionary improvements in multiple areas of the medical industry.

"A radical change is taking place in how medical care is being delivered, with delivery moving to 'point of care' rather than having patients travel to a doctor's office or hospital," said Charles Sodini, LeBel Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT and co-founder of MEDRC.

Sodini will deliver a keynote at ESC Boston. (See: Road to ESC Boston: Samsung Galaxy Tablet Teardown.)

"MEDRC will develop technologies for patient-monitoring devices, point-of-care instruments and the communication technology to connect patients to caregivers. These technologies will enable affordable and accessible delivery of services to patients across the globe."

The MEDRC will foster the creation of prototype devices and intellectual property, and will serve as a focal point, bringing together large business, venture-funded startups, and the medical community, according to Sodini.

The MEDRC is a multi-disciplined endeavor led by three MIT professors: Sodini, of MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories, Brian W. Anthony, director of the master of engineering in manufacturing program (Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity), and Joel Voldman, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science (Research Laboratory of Electronics).

"ADI is excited to work with MIT on researching new technology that furthers this movement and gives patients more control over their health and wellness," said Patrick O'Doherty, vice president, Healthcare Group, Analog Devices, Inc. in a statement.

ADI engineers and MEDRC scientists will research technologies such as novel sensors coupled with smart algorithms to process and reduce the data for communication with extremely low energy.

GE is interested in simplifying routine ultrasound measurements and improve the quality and diagnostic capabilities of ultrasound imaging.

MEDRC researchers will work with GE's ultrasound research team on probe and control algorithms designed to improve ultrasound imaging and diagnostic capabilities.

Sodini will discuss the expected medical electronics breakthroughs in a keynote at DesignMED on September 28 at 9:30 a.m. The conference is an ancillary conference to the Embedded Systems Conference held that week.

Sodini's research interests are focused on medical electronic systems for monitoring and imaging, which require state-of-the-art mixed signal ICs and systems with extremely low energy dissipation. Sodini is a Fellow of the IEEE.

If you'd like to find out about attending ESC Boston, click here. Here is a full list of all conference sessions.