Huge amounts of resources have been made available for healthcare. Expenditure on healthcare systems and insurance schemes by governments – practically insignificant before the 1930s - has taken a growing share of GDP. Figures for individual OECD countries, which were typically between 2% and 4% in 1960, had risen to 9.2% by 2022. Whether that is enough resource is an ongoing discussion.
Healthcare institutions are well aware that they must continually re-invent themselves. Meantime, innovators in technology, industry, and research contribute to new solutions on a daily basis; and healthcare institutions are keen to take advantage of them.
The pragmatic interaction between industry and healthcare has created numerous innovations that deliver a ‘better-tool-for-the task’.
This is particularly true when it comes to the integration of sensors for parameters like torque, force, pressure, acceleration, load, and inertia – many of which are essential for the delivery of these new technologies.
As a result of this collaboration between medicine and technology, sensors have made a few significant leaps forward.
Compact multi-sensor arrays
The integration of reliable, miniaturized sensors has been an essential part of this collaboration, revolutionizing patient monitoring and care.
For example, the introduction of compact multi-sensor arrays allows medical device OEMs to make their products light and wearable without compromising accuracy. These sensors are also designed to measure multiple parameters simultaneously, saving space inside the device and lowering power consumption without sacrificing accuracy.
This has driven the adoption of wearable tele-health devices that allow healthcare providers to monitor patient health remotely and identify medical concerns earlier. This allows patients to be treated earlier and faster while also reducing the need for in-person healthcare – a combination that serves overloaded healthcare facilities and patients alike.
These sensor arrays can also be used to make many medical devices more efficient and patient-friendly. For example, CT machines require the use of highly repeatable table positioning to support the precision movement of imaging devices. OEMs have been using HBK’s multi-axis strain-gauged subassemblies to achieve smoother, more consistent table movement while adjusting for patient weight distribution.
These enhancements are allowing OEMS to create more accurate diagnostic machinery with precise positioning accuracy.
Similarly, mammography machines have been improved with the use of dual and triaxial strain gauge force sensors. These sensors, mounted on the top and bottom clamps of the mammography machine, monitor the amount of force applied to the patient. As a result, this has improved positioning, patient comfort, and image resolution while preventing machine over-travel.
Rapid, reliable data acquisition and connectivity
Meanwhile, the adoption of robotic-assisted surgery, real-time AI-driven diagnostics, and remote patient monitoring has made real-time data acquisition and connectivity essential. In situations where a robot is completing a complex surgical procedure, or an inertial sensor is tracking a patient’s movements, lagging or missing data can be catastrophic. OEMs require the sensors in their devices to offer high-speed, real-time data processing with low latency.
This reliable, affordable connectivity has allowed healthcare technology to expand exponentially into the inter-connected Internet of Medical Things (IoMT).
Remote robotic surgical systems are the perfect showcase for the critical importance of real-time data acquisition. For orthopaedic surgeries performed remotely, HBK has designed multi-axis custom strain gauge sensor subassemblies that measure both depth of force and drill bit rotational force. These subassemblies have accuracy requirements that are precise down to the tens of thousandths of an inch.
By measuring compression and tension forces, surgeons can determine exactly how far to drill into bone on X-, Y-, and Z-axes while maintaining precise positioning. As a result, this technology enables the development of high-precision robotic surgical devices that offer greater accuracy and performance capabilities.
High-precision sensing
With the health and lives of patients at stake, utmost precision is essential in medical devices. As a result, healthcare device OEMs are increasingly seeking the latest technologies that improve the accuracy and granularity of their sensor data.
The latest piezoelectric sensors, for example, deliver unmatched accuracy in the highest temperatures, improving the performance of devices like ultrasound probes, drug delivery systems, and diagnostic sensors.
Technology like microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) – which combine measurement with control functions – can also be essential here. MEMS sensors are small and sensitive, making them ideal for use in medical technology like blood pressure sensors or drug delivery systems. Crucially, MEMS sensors can easily be produced on a large scale without sacrificing quality or accuracy, making them both efficient and reliable for use in healthcare contexts.
These innovations are reshaping care delivery models, making medicine more personalized, connected, and predictive.
The importance of high-precision sensing is demonstrated clearly through the use of medical pumps. HBK has developed subminiature strain gauge sensor assemblies for insulin pumps that can monitor and control fluid output with exceptional precision – even in the compact, high-vibration environment of wearable devices.
These sensors are positioned and strategically weakened to allow for both manual and automatic control of insulin delivery, making them an industry standard for leading insulin pump manufacturers.
Similarly, in medical infusion pumps, HBK’s 1.5 lbf strain gauge sensor assemblies – installed in blade-shaped configurations – enable uniform fluid delivery without making contact with the fluid itself. These sensors measure the weight of the fluid, but also detect increased fluid loss, empty bags, and potential flow interference – critical for intravenous anaesthesia, pain management, and blood transfusion equipment.
