The contemporary way of life has given rise to numerous ailments, and medical science has discovered means to address these issues. Portable gadgets play a pivotal role in overseeing and handling healthcare for a diverse range of patients. A broad array of portable medical devices is already available in the market, while various next-generation devices are in the process of development. Primary challenges in terms of technology revolve around hardware, operating systems, and device interconnectivity.
Grandview Research reports that in 2018, wearable medical gadgets globally were valued at 10.3 billion USD. This market is projected to grow at a rate of 26.1% every year based on their study. The rising health and fitness consciousness, together with the latest technology breakthroughs, play a central role. It results in the invention and use of handheld health machines and distant patient tracking. The chart below, as presented by Grandview Research, illustrates the global distribution of the wearable medical device market based on application.
The demanding and stressful pace of life has contributed to a rise in various health disorders. In today’s rapid-paced environment, individuals prefer swift access to monitoring and diagnostic devices. Portable medical gadgets have transformed the manner in which people supervise and assess their health and well-being. These devices not only offer continuous and non-intrusive health parameter monitoring but, through connectivity, also furnish real-time updates to healthcare providers.
Here are a few instances of trending portable devices in this field:
Blood Pressure Monitors
Monitoring blood pressure has become customary for individuals prone to high/low blood pressure. Wireless BPMs are exceedingly movable, affixing to your upper arm and employing intelligent technology to record and track your blood pressure.
Glucose Monitoring Systems
Intelligent, portable glucose monitoring systems allow you to measure blood glucose levels on the go. The smart feature is that these compact devices can connect to your smartphone to monitor blood sugar levels over time and share them with a healthcare professional.
The advantage of remotely testing glucose levels is the ability to do so before and after activities like exercise, dining out, or in any situation requiring a remote check without the standard blood test.
Automated Insulin Pumps
People with type 1 diabetes have to keep topping up their insulin using loads of shots each day or tubes. But check this new tech! Modern automated insulin pumps are keeping a non-stop eye on blood sugar. They tweak insulin without needing the user to do much, or anything at all.
Portable EKG/ECG Monitors
Portable EKG/ECG monitors evaluate heart activity, as used in electrocardiogram tests. While traditional models displayed data as graphical lines on paper, the latest compact versions feature LCD screens and sensors, allowing real-time viewing of results by measuring pulse through fingers with an accompanying mobile application.
Crucial Considerations for Portable Medical Device Development
Hardware
After determining the problem statement and use case, the hardware architecture must be finalized. Product features and performance requirements define processor selection, ranging from an 8-bit microcontroller to feature-rich systems on chips (SoCs) with multi-cores or digital signal processors (DSPs).
Low-power ARM Cortex-M/A processors are ideal for smaller devices due to their small form factor and minimal power requirements. Complex portable devices requiring graphical user interfaces and wireless connectivity demand powerful processors like Qualcomm Snapdragon. Compact design is achieved by packing multiple components into a small space, but hardware design must also consider efficient heat dissipation.
Operating System (OS)
Android and Linux OS have been the preferred choices for most portable medical devices due to their high customizability and advanced features for computing, performance, and power. However, for power and memory optimization, the OS must be optimized with a small memory footprint. Most real-time operating systems provide some form of power management techniques tailored to device requirements.
Device Connectivity
Following current IoT trends, there’s a shift in how medical devices connect. Earlier, connectivity was expected to be intermittent wired or wireless. Now, global connectivity is possible—either directly to the Internet (the “Internet of Things”) or to a local intermediary device, such as a medical device paired with the user’s smartphone, eventually providing a path to the Internet.
The true future of wearable medical devices relies heavily on this wireless connectivity, ranging from Near Field Radio, Bluetooth/BLE, Wi-Fi, to mobile cellular networks. This is a domain where technology, protocols, and options are evolving rapidly.
eInfochips possesses hands-on engineering experience in FDA Class 2 and Class 3 medical devices for monitoring, diagnostics & imaging, wearable health, and telemedicine. Leveraging in-depth medical domain and process expertise (IEC 60601 – 1/2/6, IEC 62304, 510K, ISO 13485) alongside robust knowledge of compact, high-speed, and multi-processor hardware, eInfochips has developed numerous portable medical devices for diagnostics, home care, and remote monitoring based on the latest NXP i.MX, TI, and Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.
Some of other work includes:
- ISO-13485 compliant design multi-sensor portable health monitoring device
- Wearable heart rate monitoring device
- Class II telehealth device with 8MP camera; 2.4-inch touch screen
- Portable ultrasound imaging solution by Dr.Sono
If you’d like to learn more about eInfochips’ expertise in portable medical devices, please reach out to us.
