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4Moms Seems to Know How to Design Products

October 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I stumbled across this video the other day for 4Moms Origami stroller:

My jaw dropped. What a wonderful product! Granted, my kids are long past the stroller stage. But the design of the product is elegant. And their solution solves a real issue parents and grandparents have: collapsing / opening a stroller easily.

I decided to check out the 4Moms website to see what other products they have designed and came across the Breeze pack-n-play product:

Yes, the pack-n-play is another child care product that is not easy to set up. Again, 4Moms seems to have solved this too.

When I come across good product design solutions, it makes me smile.

I wonder if the 4Moms team has any interest in medical product design?

Filed Under: All, Misc Tagged With: , , ,

Check Out Upcoming Medical Device Events

October 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The rest of the year is jam packed with a variety of events from medical device investing, to 510(k) workshops, to events focusing on innovation.

Check out the Events Page for a complete listing.

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General Tagged With: , , , , ,

Make Sure There Is “Pain”

August 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A couple months ago, I got connected to an inventor who has an idea for a new medical device. His inspiration came from literal pain and suffering from a procedure he had to endure as a patient.

Last night, my best friend told me about an idea she has for a new software application. Her inspiration came from figurative pain entering data into her computer.

Both ideas have merit. Both ideas are novel. Most importantly, both ideas were inspired by “pain”.

And I think this is VERY important for any product development endeavor. Your idea maybe the coolest thing ever. But if it does not solve a real problem and reduce / eliminate pain of some kind, then you are probably wasting your time.

Filed Under: All, Catalyst, Product Development - General, start-up, Strategy vs. Tactics Tagged With: , ,

Innovator Personality Types

July 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mover & Shaker?

Experimenter?

Star Pupil?

Controller?

Hanger-On?

Read the full descriptions of each type in The Five Personalities of Innovators from Forbes.com.

I think I’m a combination of mover & shaker and experimenter.

 

Filed Under: All, Misc Tagged With: ,

Contest for Healthcare Entrepreneurs

June 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Health insurer Independence Blue Cross is hosting an innovation challenge called IBX Game Changers Challenge to develop devices, health IT solutions, and education programs to promote healthy behavior. Ideas can be submitted until July 10, 2012. Winners are supposed to be announced by the end of July. The winners will get a $50,000 grant to help develop their idea.

While it looks like this contest might be limited to the Philadelphia / Independence Blue Cross coverage area, the concept is still interesting enough to share. Maybe other health insurance providers will embrace this concept too. Maybe the prize should be free health care for life. :)

Filed Under: All, Funding, Medical Device - General, start-up Tagged With: , , , , ,

Ways Startups Can Stretch Dollars

May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It may seem impossible to get investors interested in your medtech startup when the trend seems to be that venture capitalists prefer later stage medical device companies, overseas ventures, or Web-based or digital media companies.  Not to mention that the current economic climate is not exactly conducive to anyone who is trying to secure money for their projects.

Charlie Chi, PhD, suggests using a capital-efficient business model and to accomplish as much as you can with as little cash as possible.  She offers some great tips for medical device startups:

  1. The Right Team- Getting the right team in place is one of the main pillars of a capital-efficient business model because doing so can save both time and money.
  2. Time is of the Essence-The goal of any emerging medical device company should be to out-innovate larger competitors, as well as get one’s product to market before other start-up companies can do so.
  3. Choosing a Sound Regulatory Strategy-Start-up companies need to determine the various regulatory options and develop capital and time efficient business strategies that include both the United States and other countries.
  4. Growing Carefully Through Strategic Marketing-  Start-ups following this model should not ramp up sales and marketing teams or launch their products nationally too far in advance of revenues and market validation. In contrast, it will be more important for them to focus on local or regional markets initially to validate their products.
  5. Outsourcing Non-Critical Business Functions- Emerging medical device companies should focus on their core technology, such as research, design and innovation, and outsource non-critical business functions, such as payroll, accounting, HR, and IT.
  6. Compensation for Sales Team-For start-ups operating with limited cash and resources, hiring and supporting a permanent sales team is extremely expensive; paying commissions is much more cost-effective.

If all else fails, take heart in the fact that not all venture capitalists are only interested in late stage development companies. Mike Carusi, general partner at California venture capital company Advanced Technology Ventures, is a firm believer that you can strike gold by investing in early stage companies.  He goes so far as to say, “Many of these late-stage deals are  crap,” to an audience gathered at the Medtech Investing Conference in Minneapolis. His confidence stems from the fact that Advanced Technology Ventures’ philosophy of investing in younger companies helped it see pay day in two major deals.  He believes that investors focused on late-stage companies are missing out on these types of deals.  ”The reason they are late-stage companies is because no one was interested in them.”  Take that, all you naysayers out there…

 

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General, start-up Tagged With: , , , , ,

Is the Color of Your Medical Device Important?

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Did you ever stop to consider the color of your medical device and how it may appeal to your consumer?  I know it sounds a bit crazy, but perhaps it is worth considering.

CMF, or color, materials and forecasting design, is a design expertise which is becoming more and more prevalent. As products and markets become more complex the need for specific knowledge about color, materials, surface finish and trends has increased.

Medical devices can be given a personal and sophisticated competitive edge when we work with color pallets beyond navy blue, black and silver and with high quality manufacturing techniques and sophisticated finishes.  Thoughtful and careful color, materials and surface design create more accepted, appreciated devices which are a natural part of users’ daily lives.

I actually pulled up a website of a company called Fairings that makes specialized coverings that surround an existing prosthetic leg. The site states:

Fairings infuse the individual’s lifestyle and taste into the design from the start. But to make this an even more personal part of the prosthetic leg, Fairings can be enhanced with patterns, graphics, and materials—including leather, ballistic nylon fabric, chrome plating, and even tattoos. By creating a unique custom form that presents the individual, Bespoke Innovations hopes to change the way the world thinks of prostheses.

Am I suggesting that you take your already stretched budget to go out and hire expensive designers to investigate the recent hip trends and somehow transform your product into the new “it” device? I really don’t think anyone wants leopard print surgical tubing, pastel circuit boards, or even leather prosthetic legs for that matter, but CMF certainly is something to keep in mind if you want your product to stand out in today’s market.

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General, Product Development - General Tagged With: , , ,

Bloomington- Who Knew?

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Bloomington, Indiana, has one of the most significant clusters of medical-device and life-science companies in the nation. Bloomington is home to industry giants such as Cook Medical, the world’s largest privately held medical device maker, which specializes in minimally invasive surgical devices that allow doctors to operate on patients who are too high-risk for major surgery.

Also in Bloomington is the startup Morris Innovative, which has designed an FDA-approved medical device that uses a futuristic new bio-tissue (created by Cook Biotech) to help patients heal faster.

Other examples of innovation abound: Indiana University pediatric surgeon Mark Rodefeld has invented a tiny pump that keeps a newborn’s blood oxygenated while surgeons repair the heart of a child born with a single ventricle. Aeon Imaging has developed a laser-scanning digital camera that uses near infrared light to see past cataracts and detect underlying eye diseases.

 I live only 20 minutes from Bloomington, and have lived here for most of my life, and I am ashamed to admit, I had no idea.

Filed Under: All, Indiana Life Sciences Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

A New Way to Fund Your Medtech Startup

April 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I came across an article entitled “Is crowdfunding a viable option for medical technology startups?” I had no idea what crowdfunding was,  but I thought it sounded interesting.  I actually had to look up the definition of crowdfunding on Wikipedia.  For those of you who are as out of the loop as I am, crowdfunding  describes the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money and other resources together, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations.

According to Brandon Glenn, for some medtech startups, particularly those with simple medical devices that have already done some research and developed a prototype, crowdfunding could represent a realistic option.  A provision of the JOBS Act enables startups to raise as much as $1 million through crowdfunding and award equity to nonaccredited investors, which is likely to make crowdfunding more attractive to medical technology companies.

Is it worth it to have the hassle of having to deal with hundreds or even thousands of investors? “Crowdfunding will be more successful for biomedical companies if they look to raise a fairly small amount of money to help with technology validation or testing after an early prototype has been created. Before looking to crowdfunding, an entrepreneur should first invest in early development and seek grant funding,” Solomon Nabatiyan, a Northwestern University researcher who co-founded recently launched crowdfunding site TechMoola, said.

I checked out TechMoola, which focuses on technology projects.  It works like this: People sign up for a TechMoola account, put money in their account, look for projects that they like on the site, and then use money out of their account to fund the projects (starting with as little as $5).  I did find a medtech company posted.  Cervia Diagnostic Innovations has their cervical cancer test listed.  According to the stats, it had a total of $548 pledged so far.  From a business owner’s standpoint, it seems to me like trying to fill a gallon jug using a medicine dropper, but I suppose every little bit helps.

 

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General Tagged With: , , , , ,

iPhone ECG- From Humans to Horses

April 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It makes me think of the riddles we used to tell in elementary school.  “I can be carried with you everywhere, used to communicate with others, used on humans and horses, and I diagnose serious cardiac problems.  What am I?”

A recent study utilizing 54 patients reveiwed the AliveCor iPhone ECG.  The iPhone ECG can be used for everything from consumer use, clinical diagnostics, to veterinary applications.

In the study, the participants were provided with a case and an app to use with their iPhone. Without receiving instructions on how to use the product, the participants were told to go and to record their ECG at least once per day.  Over the course of eight weeks, about 1500 ECGs were recorded and transmitted—about 90% of which were clinically useful.

When asked about the veterinary applications, David Albert, MD, inventor of the device and chief medical officer of AliveCor says, “I can absolutely tell you that our product from the top of the veterinary cardiology, they find it extremely useful on dogs, cats, and even horses. The iPhone ECG is going to be used by veterninarians, by electrophysiologists, cardiologists, internists, family medicine doctors, ER doctors, EMTs, paramaedics, home health nurses, medics, and then by patients themselves,” Albert adds.

Perhaps the above riddle won’t stick with someone for 35 years like my personal favorite, “What’s black and white and red all over?” (a newspaper),  but it certainly has more practical application in the real world.

 

 

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General Tagged With: , ,

Perhaps I’m Wrong About the FDA

April 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I have blogged in the past about the fact that perhaps the FDA is taking too long to approve much needed life saving medical apparatuses, especially devices that are simply advancements of devices that are already in use.  Well, it seems that most consumers don’t agree with me.  In fact, according to a recent Consumer Reports Poll, more than 8 in 10 people surveyed allocated more importance to avoiding safety problems in devices, as opposed to encouraging innovation or to getting them to market faster.

Other highlights from the report include:

  • 91 percent said each implant should be safety tested before being sold even when similar implants were in use.
  • 71 percent said that a new device should not be allowed to be sold based on its similarity to an existing implant that has a safety problem or has been recalled.
  • 94 percent indicated that medical device makers should be required to do long-term monitoring of implants if there are safety concerns or problems with a particular device.
  • 95 percent said that effective consumer protections for medical implants should include a nationwide system for tracking medical implants so patients can be notified about safety problems or recalls. No such system currently exists in the U.S. even though it was required by Congress’ previous reauthorization of the law.
  • 66 percent indicated a high level of concern about safety decisions or recommendations made by expert committees that included doctors who had current financial relationships with medical device makers.

Frankly, I’m torn.  I still believe that a lengthy and tedious FDA approval process can lead to lives being lost as people await life saving devices, some of which are actually already in use in other countries.  I also understand the consumer’s concern for the highest safety standards possible on any kind of mechanism that could make the difference between life and death for its recipient.

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General, Product Development - General Tagged With: , , , , ,

Any Room Can Be an OR

March 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A new product called Arc Sterile from IMEX brings purified, surgical quality air to just about any environment.  The portable system can be easily wheeled and quickly setup over a surgical table, turning any room into an OR.  It features HEPA filters to clean the air and fans that sweep the environment free of unwanted particles.

I’ve talked before about my favorite medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy.  In the show, there always seems to be a shortage of operating rooms. This leaves the doctors having to wait until a room opens up, every minute that passes putting their patient in grave danger of not making it, and thus adding to the drama.  If real life hospital situations are anything like this show, an Arc Sterile would come in handy as doctors trapped in a stuck elevator attempt to bravely save their dying patient by doing a heart surgery with nothing to work with but their bare hands and a couple of tools that the other doctors are able to slip through a small crack between the elevator doors which they have managed to pry open. (That is, provided someone had the foresight to strategically store an Arc Sterile in a secret compartment in the elevator ahead of time.)  OK- well hopefully reality would be a bit more realistic.  Nonetheless, it is still a valuable idea.

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General Tagged With: , , ,

Medical Devices from Toys

March 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If your house is like mine, and you have lots of toys laying around that your kids no longer play with, perhaps there is another option besides sending them off to Goodwill.

Jose Gomez-Marquez, director of the Director of the IIH (Innovations in International Health) Lab at MIT, is heading up MIT’s Little Devices group, dedicated to design, invention, and policy toward DIY health technologies.  Created with the healthcare needs of the developing world in mind, the MEDIKit (Medical Education Design and Invention Kit) allows medical professionals to design their own medical devices using easy-to-assemble modular components. The MEDIKit allows users to customize and quickly assemble medical devices that address the challenges of work environments in many developing nations.

MEDIKits are designed to demonstrate that such high cost equipment may be more of a luxury than a necessity by teaching medical staff to adopt other, potentially cheaper technologies to accomplish the same purpose. LEGOs can be used as breadboards to create wet lab circuits, a bicycle pump can be adapted into a nebulizer for asthmatic patients, Gomez-Marquez and his team really believe the possibilities are limited only by users’ ingenuity.

What could you design out of your children’s toys?  All it takes is a little creativity.  Look at it this way, you can either do something inventive to help humanity, or plan a garage sale, which I know I certainly don’t have the patience for.

 

 

 

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General Tagged With: , ,

A New Type of Vision

March 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There have recently been a couple of interesting apps developed for the visually impaired.

Mario Romero, postdoctoral fellow at Georgia Tech, came up with the idea to develop BrailleTouch, an app that allows folks to type on the touchscreen without seeing it at all. The application works by putting the 6 dots of a braille character on the screen in landscape mode with 3 on each side. Three fingers from each hand then press in the appropriate patterns to create the desired characters. There is audio feedback to confirm the correct input and the screen flips regardless of orientation so a user does not have to worry about the phone being “upside-down.”

Studying math while blind is a difficult proposition because many concepts are visually represented using charts, graphs, and other methods. To help address this problem, Engineers at Vanderbilt University have developed an Android app for touchscreen tablets that essentially turns visual objects into tactile ones. When the user touches a line or other object on the screen, the program activates the built-in vibrator so that the object can be felt.

I am always impressed when people can step outside of their own world and anticipate the needs of someone else.  I am ashamed to say, it has never even occurred to me to think that touchscreens would be difficult for blind people to use.  I can’t help but imagine what other technology could be developed if we all got our heads out of the sand and took more interest in what was happening around us.  Ironically, that would probably involve getting out of our self-imposed electronic worlds of texting, facebooking, and chatting online and actually observing the things that are going on in real life.

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General Tagged With: ,

Descend Into an Online World of Myth, Magic, and Limitless Adventure While at the Same Time Boosting Your Cognitive Functioning

March 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Worried you’re going to retire and have nothing to do?  Perhaps you can pull yourself up to the computer and whittle away the hours…

Researchers from North Carolina State University’s Gains Through Gaming laboratory have found that playing the massive multiplayer online video game World of Warcraft (WoW) appeared to boost cognitive functioning in older adults. The researchers hypothesized that playing a cognitively complex game such as WoW, which requires multitasking and extensive use of a number of cognitive skills such as map reading, planning and tracking of multiple status indicators, could boost the cognitive performance of the elderly.

My mom spent the last six years of her life in assisted living facilities and nursing homes.  It seems that the inhabitants, including my mom, spent most of their time sitting around and staring into space or sleeping.  It makes sense that it would be more productive and beneficial for them to be engaging in an activity in which they have think and plan.  Although, I am left to ponder, do I really want grandma to be “witnessing zeppelins flying over smoldering battlefields, facing the mighty Dragon of Blackrock Spire, and cleansing the undead from the looming ziggurats of Stratholme?”

 

Filed Under: All, Medical Device - General Tagged With: , , , ,
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