Is the Future of Phlebotomy Robotic?

The first use of robots in surgery took place in 1984, when a team at the University of British Columbia Hospital in Vancouver used the voice-operated “Arthrobot” to assist with positioning a patient’s leg for orthopedic surgery. Over the next year, robots assisted with 60 more surgeries at that hospital. Since then, the use of surgical robots, and the diversity of their tasks, have grown exponentially and with great success.

Relieving Cognitive Burdens

Optimizing tools and technology for the user's physical needs has long been a concern in the workplace. In addition to increasing safety and comfort, ergonomic design aims to increase efficiency and productivity and reduce error. As technology advances and the cognitive load of work increases, optimizing the workplace for users’ cognitive needs is increasingly important. This is especially true in the medical field, where the needs of service providers, recipients, and institutions must be considered and where avoidable error on any side can cost lives.

Creating System Harmony

As IoT and smart technologies continue to develop, cyber-physical systems, which integrate computational components with physical processes, are paving the way for unprecedented innovation in industries such as manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare, to name a few. These systems integrate sensing, actuation, computation, and communications capabilities to interact with the physical world, leveraging these to improve the overall performance, reliability, and safety of the physical systems.

Challenges exist, of course, including security, hardware lead times, and the necessity of changing corporate communication and structure. However, in terms of productivity, scalability, and efficiency, the investment is already bearing fruit.

A Changing Task Environment

A study from the University of Zurich reports that developers use an average of 16 tools in the course of their day, and spend their time switching between a wide variety of tasks. The resulting complexity can be exhausting for individuals and can result in inefficiency for the organization. Amanda Silver, general manager for Microsoft’s platform engineering team, believes that platform engineering can improve the developer experience and optimize the software development lifecycle.
 
Platform engineering is already becoming crucial to IT development. According to one report, more than 80 percent of developers spend less than 30 percent of their time writing code–and sometimes as little as 12.5 percent. It’s estimated that by 2026, 80 percent of software engineering companies could be using platform teams as internal contributors for tools for application technology, reusable services, components, and more.
 

Affordable, Long Lasting, and Accessible

According to Grand View Research, the market for lower-power medical devices is expected to experience a five percent annual compounded growth rate through 2026. Low power medical devices offer a wide range of benefits for medical practitioners and patients alike. There are, of course, some challenges to implementation. However, the success of these types of devices are already starting to show bodes well for a more efficient and accessible future.

Utilizing End-User Input In Product Development

According to a study by PWC, companies that apply customer engagement strategies that involve user-driven requirements are twice as likely to expect growth of 15 percent or even more over the next five years. One-third of companies in the study considered customers to be their most important innovation partner. Collecting user input, therefore, is vital. Yet a study by McKinsey & Company found that more than 40 percent of companies aren’t communicating with their end users during the development process. More than half of the companies in the survey said that they have no objective way to assess the output of their design teams or to set targets for them.

Making Medicine Human Again

The launch of Chat GPT in November 2022 brought artificial intelligence into the public conversation, provoking speculation about everything from revolutionary assistive technologies to the wholesale replacement of human labor. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle. When it comes to the medical field, many, like Dr. Eric J. Topol and endocrinologist Aaron B. Neinstein, see AI as a powerful tool that can help to make medicine even more human, empower patients to take charge of their own care, and free practitioners to be healers again.

The Medical Device Software Cybersecurity Standard

The world is growing more and more connected. In the field of medicine, this creates opportunities for better serving patients and achieving optimal health outcomes. However, it also creates risk: Improper data management can make patient data available to potentially malicious third parties, and it can lead to inaccurate data, which gives patients and their care providers inaccurate and potentially harmful misinformation. Tackling these potential downsides requires comprehensive regulation. For medical devices, network-connectable healthcare systems, and associated health IT system, the most important standard is UL 2900-2-1, and a range of other devices fall under the broader UL 2900-1 standard. Here are some of the ways UL 2900-2-1 and UL 2900-1 aim to help protect patients and medical entities.

AI Show Promise For Assistive Technologies

Artificial intelligence scanning a person’s thoughts and translating them into text might seem like the stuff of dystopian fiction, but the results of one study at the University of Texas are showing promise for different types of assistive technology.

About the Study

In the study, which was published in Nature Neuroscience, researchers at the University of Texas in Austin were able to record and decode study participants’ brain activity with a non-invasive decoder. The researchers then used an artificial intelligence algorithm similar to the one that underlies Chat GPT to translate that activity into text. 

The Need for Humans Will Remain

Artificial intelligence is already revolutionizing health care, and changes are happening fast. Understandably, the disruption is causing questions and even concern. But the truth is, although the way medicine is practiced will necessarily change, the need for human practitioners isn’t going anywhere. 

What is the IoMT?

The Internet of Things continues to transform various industries. The medical field, in particular, is in the midst of a revolution in how patients receive their care and how medical providers offer their services. The rollout of Internet of Medical Things devices, including in hospitals and as convenient, wearable products, provides data resolution never before possible, and these changes are serving as powerful tools, particularly as telehealth continues to expand. Here are some of the reasons why the IoMT is poised to change how patients receive medical care and manage their medical needs.

Why Go Virtual?

Immersive technologies provide novel, cost effective solutions in healthcare, and applications are only expected to grow. Forbes Magazine reports that healthcare applications involving AR, VR, and MR are on track to reach nearly $10 billion dollars by 2027.

That’s a growth of 3.5 times over the current value of $2.7 billion. Given the many advantages, and the few predictable disadvantages, it wouldn’t be surprising to see even more explosive growth in the future.
 

Used in Medical Devices

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) refers to a subset of machine learning techniques that involve training models to generate new data that is similar to existing data. In the context of medical devices, generative AI models can be used to generate new images or designs for medical devices, simulate the performance of medical devices under different conditions, or generate new medical imaging scans with added or removed features.

Why Is It Taking Off?

Computer hardware has made incredible advances over the decades. However, by itself, hardware is inert; software is needed to make use of these powerful devices. Early computers required wiring components together to program, but the field quickly moved toward machine language and text-based approaches, which are still the dominant paradigms today. Over the years, efforts have been made to offer an alternative to writing traditional code. Today, no-code platforms are gaining a significant amount of interest. Here are some of the ways the no-code paradigm is affecting how people create with computers.

For Medical Devices

Assurance cases can reduce the time to market for products requiring regulatory oversight, for example, medical devices, while building a strong case for a product’s safety and effectiveness.

Assurance cases are a method for communicating the safety, effectiveness, and performance of a product by demonstrating how the submitted evidence supports the manufacturer’s claim.

Advantages Over Stand Alone Medical Devices

Mobile health technology is a booming field both at the consumer and professional levels. There are currently more than 100,000 personal health tracking apps available for smartphone users. These apps range from simple step trackers to diet analysis apps, sports performance tracking, and more. Professional uses for the smartphone are growing just as fast, from telemedicine to remote patient monitoring, to even replacing certain standalone medical devices.

Replacing? Yes. The smartphone has numerous advantages over standalone medical devices. Some are obvious. Others, however, are only starting to come into their own.

The Power Of Digital Twins and Digital Threads

“Digital Twins” and “Digital Threads” are recent terms, but the concepts they represent should be familiar. A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical product, much like a simulation or digital mockup (DMU). A digital thread, on the other hand, is a product lifecycle management tool.

The difference is that digital twins and digital threads address the additional needs created by interconnected devices and applications.

Changing How Medicine Is Practiced

Technology has influenced medicine in a major way. New types of artificial intelligence aid in diagnosing and treating conditions, and the rise of telehealth makes medical care more accessible and convenient. One less appreciated field, however, is having a major impact on how medicine is practiced today: Robotics. Here are some of the ways medical robots are improving how medicine is practiced today and how this field is expected to evolve over time.

Role of AI

Perhaps the biggest revolution in computing in recent years has been the move to the cloud. No longer are individuals and organizations tied to their specific hardware: With cloud computing, it’s easy to scale up or down with just a few clicks and, typically, at a low cost. However, many are unaware of just how intertwined artificial intelligence is with the cloud’s rise and its use both today and in the future. Here are some of the ways artificial intelligence makes the cloud an intelligent cloud.

For Consumers: IoT Devices and Software

In May of 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Presidential Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity (14028) as part of a greater effort to enhance software supply chain security. As part of the order, the National Institute of Science and Technology was tasked with issuing guidance for labeling consumer internet of things devices and software.

A Top Priority

Technological developments in recent decades have been a driving force in improvements in medicine. Today’s medical devices give doctors and others in the field far greater ability to see details that would previously have been missed, and the dropping cost of medical technology makes these devices more accessible. However, these advantages come with some downsides. In particular, poor security can put patient data at risk, and certain types of malware can render devices inaccurate or even unusable. Cybersecurity now must be a top priority for practices of all sizes.

Will it Impact How Medicine is Practiced?

The medical field is notoriously reluctant to adopt new technologies, as the high stakes of changing how medicine is practiced means new technologies have to be thoroughly vetted before being implemented. However, the promise of blockchain technologies means a growing number of medical entities are taking a close look at using it as a foundational technology across a range of areas, and this momentum is only expected to accelerate in the coming years. Here are some of the reasons why blockchain technology is poised to have a major impact on how medicine is practiced worldwide.

Revolutionizing IoT

The term “LTE” is certainly familiar to anyone following mobile connectivity over the years. For those operating in the embedded space, however, a technology called LTE-M is revolutionizing how Internet of Things and other connected devices can operate across a wide range of industries. Here are a few facts about this burgeoning technology and its present and future impact on the embedded environment.

Accelerating AI

Despite how complex modern computers seem, their basic architecture hasn’t changed much since they started implementing what’s known as Von Neumann architecture. The real “brains” of computers lie in the CPU and the RAM, the latter of which stores program code and data. While modern RAM is amply fast for a wide range of tasks, the connection between the RAM and CPU can function as a bottleneck for certain tasks; in particular, many artificial intelligence implementations are restrained by how quickly the processor can access data stored in RAM. Recent developments, however, aim to mitigate this limitation, potentially leading to far more capable AI implementations and allowing developers to craft new means of harnessing the potential of AI.

How They Interact

Artificial intelligence, and machine learning in particular, is transforming various fields in a profound manner. Although the medical field has a reputation for being slow to adopt various technologies, AI and ML are currently changing how medical devices are being designed, potentially leading to better outcomes for patients. The FDA is taking an active role, helping to provide guidance for medical device designers and manufacturers. However, the fundamental nature of AI and ML presents challenges for regulation, and the FDA is in the process of developing regulations that both allow potentially useful devices to come to market while ensuring patients and doctors can expect devices to be safe and beneficial.

Is It Finally Coming?

Medical devices must meet strict scrutiny. In order to be sold in nearly any market, a device needs to be rigorously shown to be effective and safe. However, medical device designers and manufacturers have long had to deal with competing regulations, most notably the FDA Quality System Regulation, which sets the rules for devices sold in the United States, and the ISO 13485, an international standard used in the European Union, Japan, Canada, and other nations. In order to ease the process of bringing products to the market, the FDA has a goal of harmonizing its requirements with those of ISO 13485, but various factors have delayed this transition and even raised questions over how and whether it can be implemented in a timely manner.

US Task Force Plans to Share Government Data with Academia and Private Sector

On June 10th, 2021, the White House administration launched an effort to provide additional government data to artificial intelligence researchers. The move, which aims to ensure the United States remains at the forefront of AI research, will provide invaluable data to academia and the private sector for developing new tools.

In addition to offering access to data, the initiative may also provide access to government-run computing power, which can be especially useful for cutting-edge academic research.

The initiative seeks to provide a broad range of data, including information about health, driving habits, and demographics.

The Matter Standard

Although Google, Apple, and Amazon are often fierce competitors, there are areas where collaboration between these tech giants can prove beneficial for all. When it comes to the use of Internet of Things devices in residential and commercial environments, adoption has been slow. An initiative formerly known as Project CHIP was recently renamed Matter, and its wide support is poised to provide benefits to tech giants and startups alike.

Helping Medical Device Innovation

While advances in the scientific process, imaging, and other factors have played a major role in the advancement of medicine, medical devices have been one of the primary linchpins driving advances that extend and improve peoples’ lives. Ensuring these devices are safe and effective, however, is a critical task: Poor regulation can lead to a market marred by ineffective and, even worse, dangerous products. In the United States, the FDA is at the forefront of this task.

Two Linked Technologies

The concept of cloud computing has matured over the years, and its benefits are clear. Serving as the connection between end devices and the cloud, the edge’s role has transitioned from a necessary compromise to the cloud paradigm to a valuable tool to improve operations. With the rollout of 5G technology, edge computing is set to undergo a bit of a revolution. Here are some of the ways these technologies will interact in the coming years.