MedGadget reports on a surgical instrument developed by engineers at Vanderbilt University that is introduced into the body via a single incision and is controlled by a series of magnets. I believe this represents one of the first proofs of […]
Medical Device Design: Patches, Stickers, and Electronic Tattoos 02/26/2015
Medical device design, within the next five years, is going to focus on adhesive patches, smart stickers, electronic tattoos, and other devices that are applied directly to the body. This past year has seen a number of advances in flexible […]
A Lump of Technology 02/18/2015
Medical device designers are very passionate about what they do. We tend to get caught up in the object we are designing. How to make it beautiful, effortlessly usable, the greatest thing ever. As well we should. To most everyone […]
The Next Big Thing 02/12/2015
I have been writing quite often recently about how medical research is focusing more and more on the brain. There is yet another story that highlights this trend. But there is another, more intriguing aspect to the story that portends […]
Imaging Single Neurons 02/04/2015
I believe that research into how the brain works is going to be a major focus in medicine. Validating that belief are a number of recent news reports on research advances. One of those comes from the UNC School […]
Advanced Materials, the Brain and Optogenetics 01/29/2015
“New fibers can deliver many simultaneous stimuli. Implanted into the brain or spinal column, they can transmit drugs, light, and electrical signals.” MIT scientists have developed a process by which they can produce flexible, multi-channeled polymer fibers that could simultaneously deliver […]
Medical Product Design: Uncovering Unmet User Needs 01/23/2015
When doing product user research, a lot of designers make the mistake of assuming the problem to be the first thing their users articulate. Henry Ford is purported to have said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they […]
What Will Drive the 21st Century? 01/14/2015
I have written on a number of occasions about Optogenetics and its promise for medicine. Here is another story, via Medgadget, that reports on advances in the field. In summary, scientists were able to use optogenetic techniques – which allows light to […]
The Patient Experience 01/07/2015
I recently experienced today’s health care system first-hand from the patient’s perspective. One of the things that struck me was the amount of improvisation that took place in order to devise solutions for which a dedicated product wasn’t available. For […]
Designing the Experience in Medical Devices 12/02/2014
“Experience Design” has been a methodological approach used in the consumer products industry for some time. Apple pioneered the practice, deliberately designing not only the product itself, but every aspect of the user’s interaction with it, from opening the package […]
