Up Front

The Ever Changing World of ECG Devices

From Functional to… Portable… Handheld… Wearable. I have witnessed Mobile Health in action. Many ECG devices are portable, but now I have started to see wearable ECG. Last year I saw one by Imec. This year at CES I saw another wearable ECG using clothing as a sensor. It is made by Cardiosport based in…

Your Tricorder Is Not My Holodeck

In a news item appearing elsewhere in this issue there is an announcement of a very interesting and intriguing competition—the design and construction of a real tricorder. A tricorder, for those below a certain age, is a device from the 1960’s science fiction TV show, “Star Trek.” The character Dr. Leonard, “Bones” McCoy would pass…
Interview with Mary Logan, President of the Association of Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)

Interview with Mary Logan, President of the Association of Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)

Many years ago, I attended a Microsoft conference. Some key questions were raised about mobile phone technology emergence such as, “What will the future phone look like? Is it a PDA (personal digital assistant such as the Palm Pilot…remember that?) with voice feature, or a regular cell phone showing data on a tiny screen?” The…

Editorial: Medical Instruments Meet the Embedded Systems Industry

Electronics and embedded computer intelligence are certainly not new to the medical device community. One need only think of MRI machines, PET scanners, monitors and the whole host of electronic equipment already in place. Still, there seems to be something new starting to take place and that is associated with the pace of development. Coming…
Editorial: Software and Connectivity: Two Holy Grails

Editorial: Software and Connectivity: Two Holy Grails

Advances in processor technology, in graphics processing and display, highly reliable and standardized networking electronics have given us platforms with the intelligence, low power consumption, small size and attractive pricing that will allow the development of a vast array of medical devices. The hardware component is in place in terms of sensors, processors, power supplies…
Interview with Chuck Parker, Executive Director of Continua Health Alliance

Interview with Chuck Parker, Executive Director of Continua Health Alliance

The medical electronic market is heating up. Device developers are racing to bring products to market in the shortest possible time, while still meeting the requirements of safety, quality and reliability. In addition to their innovation and creativity, developers need to be well informed of compliance requirements such as UL 60601, FDA 501K, ISO 13485…

Editorial: Welcome to MEDS

Welcome to Medical Electronic Device Solutions, a new and dynamic technical publication serving the medical device industry. We here at MEDS bring a unique perspective in that our familiarity with embedded computer systems is a natural fit into the world of medical devices—the fact that they all gather and process information. Medical devices are, of…

Publisher’s Letter: A New Era: MEDs Advance

The world of electronics has changed tremendously over the years. Much like computing technology, medical electronics have become more intelligent, compact, portable and wireless. Contrary to the high volume consumer electronic products that are driven by cost, application and style, medical electronics are less cost sensitive but demand quality, safety and reliability. What are the…