Electronics have become an important part of established and commonly used medical innovations around the world. From patient monitors to diagnostic imaging systems and infusion devices, the use of electronics is widely spread.
Microelectronics come with the ability to scale down the components inside the devices, which further proves beneficial because manufacturers strive to meet the demands of technology users. This generally requires them to be comfortable and simple while carrying out various functions.
In this blog, we will try to look at five of the popular medical innovations that depend on the latest electronic and electrical components to successfully improve patient lives.
Wearables: The most widely known modern innovation in which electronics are playing a fundamental role is wearables. This includes glasses, smart watches, rings, and even clothing items with promising patient monitoring capabilities.
The development of novel biosensors for measuring things such as heart rate, body temperature, and sleeping habits is the focus of wearables. Other than the basic functionality that they offer, there are also many other factors for manufacturers to consider when it comes to choosing the electronic components for a wearable.
The innovations are said to be comfortable, discreet, energy-efficient, robust, lightweight, etc. Other than allowing people to measure their vitals on the go, wearables drive the uptake of telemedicine, which has improved social distancing protocols during the pandemic.
Many smart technologies are enabling doctors to monitor patients remotely. From continuous glucose monitors and actigraphy watches to many more invasive examples such as ECG devices, there are many other devices.
Brain Stimulation Devices: Brain stimulation is used for treating mental health problems and is a method that dates as far back as the 1700s. The devices used for delivering a low-level pulse of electricity to the brain and stimulating neural activity become more advanced as developers strive to improve the safety and performance of technologies.
A lightweight and better-powered headset has been developed to administer direct current stimulation for redressing imbalances in the brain thought to cause mental health conditions such as depression.
Many products claim to improve the cognitive performance, sleep quality, and general mood of the user using concepts such as neurostimulation. These products are clinically proven medical devices that have a CE mark and accreditation.
Hearing Aids: Hearing aids are yet another example of a medical technology that continues to be developed and is also subject to consistent innovation. Microelectronics play an important role in the rise of discreet and near-invisible earpieces, scaling down further than ever before.
Some other capabilities being introduced are reduced power consumption, masking features, connecting to a smartphone, and even adding features such as answering phone calls and streamlining audio from TVs.
Regardless of whether it is with an onboard deep neural network or the addition of a microphone, hearing aid products continue to push the boundaries of what is likely to occur by improving the user’s hearing experience.
Robotics: Robotics play many different roles in the healthcare sector, and electronics are required for each one of the functions. Robotic surgery allows many operations to be carried out with precision, control, and flexibility. This gives rise to a wealth of minimally invasive procedures that reduce recovery time and also mitigate many of the risks associated with open surgeries.
AI-powered robots are also making their way into hospitals to help doctors and nurses with everyday activities. However, the area where more advanced electronics are likely to play an important role is in prosthetics and, further into the future, in exoskeletons.
Passive prosthetic body parts such as hands and feet with limited real-life functionality are beginning to give way to myoelectric and bionic limbs that are driven by external and electric power sources, responding to the user’s muscle movement and carrying out many tasks.
The modernization of these assistive technologies is also more than likely to involve mind-controlled prosthetics and exoskeletons, many of which have shown great scope.
Stretchable Electronics: Stretchable electronics combine computer circuits with many flexible substrates made from materials such as silicon and polyurethane. They also open up a completely new frontier for computer circuits to move into and can be distorted without impacting the functionality of circuitry while generating electrical energy.
In the medical field, potential applications include making artificial skin, creating biosensors that can be placed directly on the skin for measuring heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature, and developing patches implanted in the body for collecting more readings.
In the future, stretchable electronics might also build on present developments in clothing and garments with monitoring capabilities by making sensors in wearables a lot more seamless.
Also, read: Best Future Jobs for Electronic Engineering
Conclusion
Medical electronics have started playing a crucial role in the healthcare industry. These electronics are also contributing to the development of the medical industry. In the future, we can very well see the use and prominence of these devices rising tremendously.
