Can prosthetics be intelligent? Yes, they can.

“Intelligent prosthetics are prosthetics that perceive their surroundings via sensors. Based on these perceptions, they then adapt their functions appropriately to meet the patients’ needs,” explains Prof. Arndt Schilling, head of research and development at University Medical Center Göttingen’s Clinic for Trauma Surgery, Orthopedics and Plastic Surgery, and president of the German Academy for Osteology and Rheumatology Sciences.

Schilling is one of the more than 100 international speakers at the Medica Connected Healthcare Forum. With more than 5,000 exhibitors, Medica is the world’s leading medical trade fair held annually in Düsseldorf, Germany, November 12-15, 2018. The forum is an established part of Medica’s program and focuses on the latest findings, technologies, and solutions to ensure interconnected and mobile healthcare. Top trends and innovative products are the topic of lectures presented in the exhibition area of the Forum.

On November 12 and 13, the Medica Connected Healthcare Forum will focus on personalized medicine for the treatment of chronic diseases and appropriate health monitoring, among other topics. ResMed, for example, offers solutions for sleep apnea as well as non-invasive ventilators for home use (mechanical ventilation). Thanks to sleep onset detection, these devices deliver a low pressure until the user falls asleep and then increase the pressure to the prescribed value. At the same time, integrated radio technology sends the therapy data to the caregiver. Users can change the device’s settings, check that the device is working properly, and solve problems, helping ensure the therapy’s quality. Andreas Grimm from ResMed will focus on how innovative CPAP can improve the mobility of patients with sleep apnea.

Mild electrical impulses counter depression
Korean company Ybrain uses neurostimulation to treat depression. Applied transcranial direct-current stimulation is recognized by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Ybrain has developed the Mindd headband. The device emits mild electrical impulses to the frontal brain lobe – an area associated with depression – shocking the lobe out of its depressive inactivity. The system is connected to a smart phone app allowing users to evaluate the intensity of their depression on a scale, allowing doctors to monitor the treatment’s progress. On Nov. 12, Kiwon Lee, managing director of Ybrain, will explain these devices for non-invasive brain and nerve stimulation.

Measuring blood pressure without cuffs
Extensive monitoring makes sense in many areas, such as in healthcare, sport, when treating diseases, and rehabilitation. ViCardio states that it is the only wearable blood pressure monitor that can be worn across a long period of time using an optical biosensor measures, not the traditional inflatable cuff. ViCardio co-founder Dr. Sandeep Shah will portray the future of blood pressure monitoring.

Biovotion offers a mini-hospital on the upper arm – a medical device measuring parameters such as heart rate, oxygen in the blood, stress levels, or sleep rhythms. The values are recorded via the Everion armband – all day, every day – and are then analyzed. Anika Uhde from Biovotion will explain how this works.

Dynostics, a smart analyzing device with accompanying app, is a solution for spiroergometry (lung function) and metabolic analyses. It can assist in shaping medical training therapies or giving nutrition recommendations based on metabolic values that have been professionally determined. Manfred Günther from Dynostics will explain the significance of performance and metabolic diagnostics.

Medical technology moves to smart band aids and bandagesIntelligent patch solutions are currently conquering numerous medical application fields. Health Care Originals offers an advanced patch to support asthma patients. This wearable technology records symptoms such as coughing, breathing patterns, heartbeat, and more, and is an early warning system for asthmatic attacks. If values deviate from the norm, the wearer receives this information at an early stage to prevent the attack or lessen its intensity. There is also an option to notify someone and it records the use of the inhaler.

On November 13, everything at the Medica Connected Healthcare Forum will revolve around smart patches – band aids and bandages – in healthcare as a whole. They can be used in rehabilitation in endoprosthetics, like TracPatch. This allows patients’ progress to be tracked after the operation, for example when they do the necessary exercises at home. In this case, the smart patches record the joint’s agility and deflection angle, for example. Measuring body temperature can give an indication on inflammations, making this an ideal device to use for training purposes or in mobilization therapy after an operation.

At Karl Otto Braun, the band aid itself is smart and changes color according to body temperature, which is helpful when there are inflammations underneath it. Dr. Eng. Marcin Meyer (Karl Otto Braun) illustrates the role of smart textiles in wireless health monitoring at the Medica Connectect Healthcare Forum.

CyMedica’s forum presentation will support the fact that bandages are also becoming smart. They offer a post-op knee support that stimulates the muscle wirelessly and can be used after an operation – all controlled via an app that tracks therapy progress.

In contrast, the solutions and devices by Kinvent monitor muscle power. A muscle dynamometer and a handhold to measure hand strength can give doctors, physiotherapists, and rehabilitation centers an indication on whether patients are carrying out their exercises at home correctly and how to evaluate the therapy progress.  

However, wearing bandages constantly can hurt the skin. For this reason, the company Covestro addresses this subject at the Medica Connected Healthcare Forum. With the right choice of materials and manufacturing technology, they develop adhesives that adhere securely to the body, are skin-friendly, and equipped with fully functional sensors.

The German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW) will host EMO Hannover Sept. 16-21, 2019, on behalf of the European Association of the Machine Tool Industries (Cecimo).

Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, executive director of the VDW, gave details at an IMTS 2018 press conference.

EMO Hannover 2019 will present technologies for the intelligent factory with the aim of raising productivity, improving quality, and increasing flexibility. The focus will be on Big Data, data analysis and data management, industrial security and industrial cloud services, process monitoring and predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

A separate Internet of Things (IoT) in Production exhibition area will showcase companies in control technology, software, and automation. A forum on the latest Industry 4.0 trends will run throughout EMO Hannover 2019.

A year ago, VDW launched the Connectivity for Industry 4.0 project with eight well-known German machine tool manufacturers and major control suppliers. The aim is to develop an internationally recognized interface standard – a common language for Industry 4.0 in the machine tool industry – to ensure neutral and open access. The project is to present its recommendations at EMO Hannover 2019.

The trade show also will present start-up companies with good business ideas to potential investors, sponsors, and cooperation partners.

The Club of Metalworking is the VDW’s latest initiative; launched at the end of May to provide an exclusive service to potential trade fair visitors. Membership is free, yet offers benefits including free tickets to EMO Hannover, free local public transport to visit the show, club lounge, and exclusive newsletter. Conferences are being planned as well. Register at www.clubofmetalworking.com.

EMO Hannover showcases the largest range of technologies for industrial production in the world. More than 2,200 exhibitors from 44 countries presented their machines, solutions, and services at the last EMO Hannover in 2017, with 72% of the exhibitors presenting products specially developed for the show.

In 2017, 64% of exhibitors and 48% of visitors were from outside Germany, coming from around 160 countries.

The EMO Hannover 2019 Early Bird offer to exhibitors is available until Oct. 15, 2018.

Junkosha has launched its Thin Wall FEP, enabling the efficient delivery of guidewires when used for interventional therapies. Junkosha’s Thin Wall FEP HST technology is asolution for interventional therapies using guidewires where leveraging the low coefficient of friction of the FEP surface is a necessity. With a shrink ratio of 1.25:1, and recovered wall thickness down to 0.0025”, Junkosha’s Thin Wall FEP HST provides guide wire manufacturers with a thin, rugged, consistent solution that delivers a compelling alternative to coatings or other surface treatments. The thin recovered wall ensures that the characteristics of the underlying material is not compromised.

Joe Rowan, president and CEO of USA and Europe for Junkosha, says: “We have a deep heritage in materials science and fluoropolymers, which means our solutions are at the leading edge of what is possible. With our Thin Wall FEP HST product, we have created a heat shrink tubing solution that meets the exacting needs of manufacturers when designing guide wires which require lubricious, durable surfaces.

“Our overarching aim is to answer customers’ unmet needs through technology innovation. As a part of this, we are being asked for solutions that take small and thin to the next level. As medical professionals push the boundaries of what they require for interventional techniques, we have taken the lead in designing solutions leveraging our core materials technology that are not readily replicated by our competitors.”

The medical technology sector is advancing at a rapid rate, which is challenging device engineers to produce longer guide wires with low friction surfaces for clinicians to snake through the vascularate to reach previously inaccessible target areas. In the future, it is anticipated that the use of these types of miniaturized, thinner guide wire solutions will become increasingly adopted as manufacturers are asked for solutions that can redefine what is possible through this technique.

Somerset, Wisconsin – Preco Inc. and HSG Laser have announced the formation of a U.S.-focused partnership where Preco will demonstrate, sell, install, service, and provide technical services for HSG built industrial laser metal cutting machine tools for metal sheet and tube cutting applications.

The new Preco offerings includes fiber laser cutting machines that leverage the competitive capabilities of high power fiber lasers integrated with high speed machine tools and material handling. The systems are menu-driven for easy programming and operation, meet all U.S. CDRH safety standards, and are installed, warranted, and supported by the Preco team.

The Preco/HSG fiber laser cutting machines will only be offered in the U.S. market.

Machines for sheet and tube processing will be demonstrated in Booth A2313 at FABTECH 2018 in November. Preco’s show room and demonstration area will be located in Somerset, Wisconsin, and opens after the Fabtech Show.

“Over the past few years, the metals equipment side of our business has focused on the integration of lasers and automation for welding, cladding, additive manufacturing and heat treat applications. With the addition of a standard line of metal cutting machine tools, Preco's enhanced product offerings will address a wider range of the manufacturing market.  We know that metals material processing continues to be one of the largest single segments by application. With increased access to competitively priced, high performance laser equipment by manufacturers and contract service providers, we expect significant growth in laser technology and its use in previously underserved segments of the market. This puts Preco in a great position to support our U.S.-based manufacturing companies,” states David Plourde, executive vice president.