Electronics The power of


he use of electronics both in and outside of the body has been intrinsic to the management of many diseases. The most obvious examples are the range of cardiac implantable electronic devices designed to help control or monitor irregular heartbeats in people with certain heart rhythm disorders and heart failure. Advances in the field have also enabled a new generation of glucose monitors and insulin pumps that make the management of diabetes less of a day-to-day stress


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simulation


The possibilities that could be unlocked by flexible electronics are numerous, ranging from bio- integrated flexible sensors that can monitor the physiological signals of the heart and brain in real time, to an artificial retina implanted to help restore vision. The problem is the materials required to reach these heights don’t conform well to the surfaces of the human body. Nanshu Lu, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin, and Ying Li, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, seek to change that. The two researchers tell Peter Littlejohns how the use of computer modelling could accelerate the rate of development in flexible electronics.


for patients. As the ability to fabricate devices that fit more power and capability into a smaller surface area has progressed, so too have research hypotheses pertaining to how we might use electronic components to sense, stimulate, monitor and control biological systems. In order to make those ideas a reality, a number of challenges must be overcome: Finding non-toxic and bioavailable materials, fitting the components required into a small device, collecting and processing data from


Medical Device Developments / www.nsmedicaldevices.com


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