The rapid development of wireless Internet of Things (IoT) technology is bringing revolutionary changes to the healthcare industry. Smart medical devices, characterized by miniaturized designs and wireless connectivity, enable remote patient monitoring, precise diagnosis, and personalized treatment. Supported by IoT, medical devices can transmit data in real-time, helping doctors to make timely decisions and improve treatment outcomes. This trend is poised to shape the future development of the medical field, providing more efficient, smarter, and safer healthcare solutions. This article will present design examples of smart healthcare devices and explain how companies like Silicon Labs, Arrow Electronics, and eInfochips are assisting customers in developing related healthcare devices.
Smart healthcare devices enhance the quality and efficiency of medical services
The rapid development of smart healthcare devices is driven by the combination of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), sensor technology, and data analytics. These products aim to enhance the quality and efficiency of medical services, providing more accurate and convenient solutions for the healthcare industry.
The development of smart healthcare devices is primarily attributed to IoT technology. IoT empowers smart medical devices to monitor and collect patients’ physiological data in real-time, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose levels. Utilizing wireless communication technology, these devices can transmit data to the cloud or a doctor's terminal, facilitating remote monitoring and data analysis.
In addition, advanced sensors have been widely applied in smart medical devices to facilitate more accurate health monitoring. For example, wearable devices use biosensors to monitor electrocardiograms (ECG), blood glucose levels, blood oxygen saturation, and physical activity, aiding in the prediction of health issues.
On the other hand, by integrating AI and big data analytics, AI can analyze large amounts of health data, enabling more accurate diagnoses and personalized treatment recommendations. Machine learning algorithms can detect abnormal data patterns, identify potential diseases, and issue warnings before problems arise. Furthermore, with advancements in communication technology, telemedicine has rapidly developed. Mobile health applications and telemedicine devices enable patients to communicate with doctors anytime, anywhere, especially in remote areas, reducing the inconvenience of seeking medical care.
With the support of these technological advancements, the market for smart medical devices continues to grow. It is estimated that by 2030, the smart medical device market will surpass hundreds of billions of dollars. The main product areas currently include wearable health devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers which monitor data such as heart rate, sleep, and blood pressure. In addition, implantable devices such as smart pacemakers and blood glucose monitors can continuously monitor patients' health conditions. There are also remote medical devices, including video conferencing diagnostic tools, smart blood pressure monitors, and pulse oximeters, which help doctors remotely diagnose and monitor patients.
The key market drivers for smart medical devices are largely attributed to population aging. The global issue of aging populations and comorbidity are driving the demand for remote monitoring and smart health management. In addition, the demand for personalized healthcare is rising, as patients seek more precise and personalized medical services, accelerating the adoption of smart healthcare technologies. Furthermore, several countries have introduced digital health-related policies, encouraging the development and application of telemedicine and digital medical devices.
As technology continues to advance and market demand increases, the application of smart healthcare devices will become more widespread. In the future, these products will play an even more significant role in improving patients' quality of life, reducing the burden on healthcare systems, and promoting precision medicine.
Multifunctional Bluetooth SoC aids development of patch insulin pumps
The surge in demand for safe, reliable, and wireless continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices has driven a revolution in the field of diabetes management, where these devices can seamlessly integrate into patients' lives, advancing the technology of patch insulin pumps.
For example, Silicon Labs provides the BG22 compact Bluetooth SoC to CareMedi, an innovative Korean medical IoT company, to help develop a new generation of patch insulin pumps, significantly enhancing the application value of smart medical care devices. Compared to traditional patch pumps, it has 1.5 times the medication capacity, is only 11mm thick, weighs 20 grams, is comfortable to wear, and features an IP48-rated waterproof design, supporting comfortable daily activities as well as various outdoor activities.
CareMedi's CareLevo is a revolutionary wearable device controlled through a user-friendly smartphone application. It is the world's first patch insulin pump developed using CareMedi's original PEOP electroosmotic pump technology, an ultra-small, low-power electroosmotic pump with a 3mL drug reservoir and an injection accuracy within ±5%. The electroosmotic pump is driven by applying voltage across a porous membrane. By prioritizing precise insulin infusion, extending usage cycles, and improving cost-efficiency and ease of use, this groundbreaking technology can significantly improve the quality of life for diabetes patients.
CareMedi integrated Silicon Labs' multi-functional BG22 Bluetooth SoC into its CareLevo device, making it the lightest and thinnest wireless control metering pump system on the market. The BG22 significantly enhances CareLevo's battery performance by 30%. This lightweight and thin wearable pump system uses low-power technology to deliver 3mL (300 units) of medication with power consumption within 3 mA·h.
Smart, compact, and safe ECG system reference design
Electrocardiography (ECG) is a medical test that records the electrical activity of the heart. For decades, ECG has been widely used to diagnose and monitor a range of cardiac conditions. However, with the integration of modern technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), wireless communication, and low-power integrated circuits (ICs) in smaller form factors, ECGs have the potential to revolutionize the field of cardiac care.
Arrow Electronics helps customers develop connected ECG devices that incorporate artificial intelligence, wireless communication, and other advanced features by aggregating and integrating different technologies and services. The ECG system reference design introduced by Arrow Electronics consists of three main modules: the analog front end, processing interface, and power management unit. The analog front-end module is responsible for acquiring, filtering, and conditioning the ECG signals from the patient's body. The processing interface block performs digital signal processing and analysis on the acquired signals to extract relevant diagnostic information. Lastly, the power management unit regulates the power supply to the ECG system and ensures safe operation.
This ECG system reference design uses advanced digital signal adapters and algorithms that significantly improve signal quality and accuracy. By leveraging these technologies, the ECG machine can reduce the number of physical components required, making the device more compact and portable. The reduction in physical components also helps lower the overall cost of the device, making it more accessible to a broader range of healthcare facilities and professionals.
The reference design uses an analog front end (AFE) to eliminate noise, simplify the task of acquisition, and ensure high-quality ECG signals. Through AI models running directly on the MCU, the edge device can make intelligent decisions without needing to send data to the cloud or to a remote server for processing. In addition, low-power Bluetooth (BLE) is used as the wireless communication protocol on the ECG device, providing a low-power, secure, and reliable wireless connection. Combined with the widely adopted BLE wireless communication standard, it allows patients to connect to the ECG device using smartphones or tablets and view ECG data in real time.
In addition, the reference design incorporates efficient power management, utilizing USB-C for power and data communication. It includes a battery that provides backup power during outages, eliminating power fluctuations and reducing the strain on the PMIC, thus enhancing overall system stability. Furthermore, it features a fuel gauge that accurately measures the battery's state of charge and provides information to the system about the remaining battery life.
Providing design services for comprehensive medical devices
eInfochips, a subsidiary of Arrow Electronics, provides comprehensive medical device design services. eInfochips specializes in medical device design services, encompassing various subsystems and components, including enclosures, harnesses/cables, and electrodes in mechanical systems; sensors/transducers/mixed-signal/analog design, motor drives/actuators and optics/vision-based technologies in hardware/electrical systems; and power management, real-time operating systems/firmware, DSP/algorithms/software in embedded software/firmware systems. Additionally, in digital/standalone software, they focus on user interface/display systems, cloud/data analytics, mobile/web applications, etc. eInfochips possesses strong design capabilities across all these fields.
The medical product development lifecycle (PDLC) differs from that of other consumer products, with medical PDLC placing a stronger emphasis on patient safety, leading to the categorization of medical devices. eInfochips ensures that client project engagement adheres to these stringent requirements and provides design, development, prototyping, and documentation services for medical device hardware and software within typical regulatory frameworks for medical devices.
eInfochips' medical device design services target various product engineering services, such as concept product design (electrical, mechanical, and software/firmware) in device engineering, usability engineering, detailed product design (system/subsystem design and integration, BOM, form factor), sustaining engineering, human factors, product compliance testing and certification, and cybersecurity product development.
In the field of digital health engineering, eInfochips offers a comprehensive range of services, including healthcare application modernization, lifecycle management, and maintenance for web, mobile, cloud, and desktop applications. Their expertise extends to data insights and analytics through the integration, creation, and optimization of AI/ML models. Additionally, eInfochips provides both cloud-based and on-premise healthcare services, ensuring compliance with cybersecurity standards, as well as HIPAA and GDPR regulations. Their offerings also encompass digital lab services, connected health and IoT platforms, user interface and user experience design, interoperability with connected health systems, electronic health records (EHR) and electronic medical records (EMR) in clinical settings, imaging and diagnostic applications, and much more.
Furthermore, eInfochips provides high-quality systems and services in clinical, regulatory, and compliance areas. They support country- and region-specific regulatory affairs, including Design History File (DHF) submissions to notified bodies and coordination of submission processes. Their offerings also encompass compliance with the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) through gap analysis, DHF, RMF, DMR creation, and resubmission. Additionally, eInfochips ensures compliance with the EU In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR), conducts clinical trials and validation studies, and offers post-market surveillance (PMS) services. They also specialize in writing Clinical Evaluation Reports (CER) and product remediation.
In the fields of testing and intelligent automation, eInfochips offers a comprehensive range of services, including system and software testing, verification and validation testing (both informal and formal), test automation and framework development, product functional testing, regression testing, and vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT), among others. In the manufacturing sector, eInfochips provides services such as electronics manufacturing, mechanical manufacturing, packaging and labeling, and additive manufacturing.
Conclusion
Wireless IoT technology is driving the innovation and development of smart healthcare devices at an unprecedented speed. Through miniaturization, intelligence, and enhanced security, these products not only improve the medical experience for patients but also significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis and treatment. In the future, as technology continues to mature and become more widespread, smart medical devices will play an important role in improving patients' quality of life, optimizing the utilization of medical resources, and advancing health management, bringing continuous and profound impacts to the healthcare industry. The solutions introduced by Arrow Electronics and its partners will accelerate the development of clients' smart healthcare devices. For more information, please contact Arrow Electronics.