UK-based battery manufacturer Accutronics‘ latest white paper tackles the issues facing battery design, development, and use in the medical and healthcare field. The company reports that this white paper is intended to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) better understand the possibilities and limitations of rechargeable battery technology in designing products for the medical sector.
The paper, which is free to download, covers three main topics in recent battery design. The first topic addressed is a phenomenon that has been dubbed “the Apple expectation.” A discussion of this phenomenon explores the convergence of consumer and professional medical devices and how fitness and health monitoring apps designed by large consumer electronics companies, such as Apple and Samsung, are impacting the professional medical industry.
The second topic addressed is an examination of digital radiography (DR) and the increasing challenge to design batteries for modern DR applications that still use analog equipment. The paper looks at the latest innovations in digital film processing, the essential features of smart batteries, and the regulatory and compliance issues of designing, manufacturing, and testing medical devices for worldwide distribution.
Finally, the paper discusses the eHealth revolution, a trend that has resulted in an explosion in the use of smartphones, fitness bands, and other wearable technology to monitor acute healthcare conditions in an aging population. This third area of discussion also examines high-profile hospital trials of health apps to monitor patient health, as well as the cost savings the National Health Service can make from earlier cancer diagnosis.
“We have seen an increasing trend towards smaller, more portable battery solutions in all industries and especially in the medical field,” said Michele Windsor, marketing manager at Accutronics. “With this shift, there has been increased concern about solutions for practitioners in hospitals and other areas where the need for reliable and long-lasting batteries is essential.”
Windsor explained that Accutronics wants to help alleviate concerns about battery solutions and ensure that OEMs are informed about the choices they can make so they will not have to rely on inferior, consumer-grade batteries.
The white paper is available for complimentary download on the Accutronics website.
