Keeping medical devices connected

Web content editor, Ian Bolland, examines how sensor technology has been affecting the consumer wearable market.

Following the desire for technology and devices to be designed to be smaller, so is the want to become more connected. Life sciences and medical technology is no exception.

Devices are becoming more and more connected – recently a multi-vital wearable sensor and Software Development Kit (SDK) in the form of a bandage sized patch from VivaLnk, a provider of connected healthcare solutions, received class II medical device classification, along with CE marking. Its size, lightweight and reusability all act as selling points, while the connectivity allows it various medical aspects of a user or patient.

On launching the product, VivaLnk’s CEO Jiang Li, said: "Our aim is to accelerate medical application development by providing the sensor platform so that the industry can rapidly innovate novel solutions while at the same time making it more accessible to patients around the world."

The wearables market itself grew 15.9% in 2019 according to the International Data Corporation (IDC), and it might not slow down any time soon, with suggestions it could grow year-on-year by 7.9% until the end of 2023 – while internet of things spending could grow to $1.1 trillion by 2023.

Aaron Johnson, vice president of marketing and customer strategy for injection moulding specialists, Accumold said: “From our perspective at Accumold miniaturisation has been a key contributor to the sensor market and in-turn, wearables. The technological timing for market adoption has finally allowed the desire or demand to be realised in a meaningful way. Sensors being the primary added value. Wearables as a category have been around for a time but never with the high degree of functionality that they have today. We see this trend only accelerating.”

Early last year in our sister title, Med-Tech Innovation News – we featured Purdue University’s call for collaboration on wearable sensors – as the US-based institution developed a sticker-based sensor technology – as the developments of new sensors and wearables are leading to more innovative non-invasive devices.

As a result, new designs are being taken into account – including how they are powered. Jenax is one company that specialises in flexible batteries which can accommodate future designs – either leading to device manufacturers to drive new designs or following the trends that are desired as companies respond to their consumers.

But with that comes the safety element, as Jenax’s gel-polymer batteries have tried to accommodate the increasingly small and sometimes complex designs that come with medical devices. When it’s cut or punctured, the battery doesn’t leak – an innovation that is seemingly ahead of the curve when it came to factoring in a growing wearable. In a recent webinar they reflected on how to power a wearable in the same way as the would a solid battery – including using the battery itself as a wearable as the core of the design.

After developing non-flammable liquid electrolytes for flexible batteries, the director of Jenax, EJ Shin, said: “Liquid is the best conductor for ionic movement, which means it delivers the best battery performance. But because liquid can also be a tremendous fire hazard, many manufacturers try to use solid state electrolyte instead. They sacrifice efficiency and - in the case of wearables - comfort and usability, for safety.

“With this non-flammable electrolyte, we’re taking both to the next level, providing the peace of mind manufacturers and consumers need with the high performance they deserve.”