Events
become a practical problem. Miniaturisation can make that harder. Labels, buttons and connections all compete for less space, while manufacturers still have to maintain clarity and ease of use. Usability therefore reaches into component selection, labelling, packaging, materials and manufacturing tolerances rather than sitting solely with the final industrial design. Vascular access was another area covered in May. Failed first puncture attempts can mean repeat procedures, additional clinical resources and greater risk of injury or infection.
New devices are being developed to simplify peripheral intravenous catheter placement and address problems such as catheter kinking. They are relatively focused engineering changes, but they sit squarely within the type of component and device development COMPAMED is built around.
Robotics crosses another boundary Remote robotics sits at the more technologically complex end of the same spectrum. An endovascular robotic system presented at the May forum showed how catheter-based procedures can combine mechanical control with software, connectivity and remote operation. The system is designed to reproduce manual catheter advancement while allowing control from another location. Remote intervention could allow specialist expertise to be used beyond the hospital in which the operator is based. It also introduces familiar engineering challenges in a more demanding setting: precision mechanics, communications, software reliability, data handling and cybersecurity all have to work together. That mix of hardware and software is becoming commonplace in medical device development. Sensors, electronics and mechanical components may still form the physical product, but connected functions and software now determine a growing share of what many devices can do. Regulation and cybersecurity consequently sit much earlier in the development process than they once did.
Beyond components
The boundaries between individual parts of the medical technology supply chain are becoming less distinct. A connected medical device may combine specialist sensors and electronics, biocompatible materials, precision manufacturing, embedded software and secure communications, all within the same development programme.
Suppliers that once provided a discrete component may now be involved much earlier in product development, particularly where materials, electronics and software have to be designed around one another.
Emergency and intensive care also bring resilience into the discussion.
www.medicaldevice-developments.com
Staff shortages and pressure on clinical resources are driving interest in equipment that requires less preparation, supports remote monitoring or allows specialist skills to be used more efficiently. Some of the answers are highly visible, such as robotic systems or wearable monitors. Others lie much further down the supply chain. A different coating, connector, sensor or manufacturing process can affect device size, durability, manufacturability and ease of use. COMPAMED focuses as much on those underlying technologies as on the finished applications they enable.
Alongside MEDICA COMPAMED again takes place alongside MEDICA, giving visitors access to both the supplier and clinical sides of medical technology.
The two exhibitions have distinct roles. MEDICA is centred on healthcare applications, clinical technologies and their use, while COMPAMED concentrates on the components, manufacturing systems and development capabilities behind medical products.
Some crossover will occur between their programmes, particularly around subjects such as wearables, digitalisation and healthcare resilience. MEDICA 2026 divides its offering into five thematic areas: clinical diagnostics and therapeutic technologies; digital medicine, data and artificial intelligence; integrated care; healthcare infrastructure; and education and global health. The Wearable Technologies Conference Europe will also take place as part of MEDICA in Düsseldorf, alongside the existing Wearable Technologies Show. Its programme covers applications including prevention, chronic disease management and telemedical care. Those applications have a direct counterpart at COMPAMED, where the emphasis falls on the sensors, materials, electronics, manufacturing processes and other technologies needed to produce them at scale. ●
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There were 5,300 exhibiting companies across MEDICA and COMPAMED last year.
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