Globally, healthcare is one of the most critical and the fastest growing segments, a space that attracts significant investments from both the private and government sector. Companies are constantly in a race to develop cures for existing diseases and new challenges like the Covid 19. According to MarketsandMarkets, the value-added medical devices and products market in India is estimated to touch USD 23.69 billion in 2024.
Technology is playing a huge role in helping experts tackle diseases and conditions enabling scientists and engineers to build better equipment for diagnostics, treatment and assistance, helping mankind cure previously incurable illnesses and conditions. Here’s a snapshot of the future of medical electronics, powered by new tech.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - AI is transforming several industries including healthcare, which is a key beneficiary. For starters, AI is enabling customised medication, where medicines are developed specifically to the patient’s conditions and genetic disposition. Machine Learning (ML), a part of AI, is poised to transform the healthcare sector. ML is helping doctors in analysing CT scans to identify and treat the effects of Covid. AI is also improving cancer diagnostics. Increasingly, digital scans of a particular region are helping doctors in diagnosing cell mutations, transforming the current technique of initiating a biopsy to detect the disease. WSI (Whole-slide Imaging) is helping pathologists look at significantly bigger portions of the human body at one time.
Data Integration and Predictive Analysis - When synced with AI, data integration and predictive analysis can help doctors gather relevant insights about the condition of a patient. Medical staff can better infer a patient’s medical record to arrive at a more accurate diagnosis based on the patient’s history to recommend medication that suits his body type.
Wearables - With IoT gaining ground and more devices getting internet enabled, wearable technology is fast becoming a huge influence on healthcare. Beginning with external devices, to chips being implanted in a patient’s body to monitor specific vitals to devices being tattooed on the skin, the possibilities are exciting. Smart watches help in checking a patient’s condition providing information on heart rate, blood oxygen and other vitals. Other than this, biopatches can offer better insights into a person’s vitals and AI enabled hearing aids help in noise isolation enabling clearer hearing.
Remote Patient Monitoring - The medical industry uses the term Internet of Medical Things, which includes technology like sensors, 5G-enabled devices, and remote patient monitoring, a rapidly growing area. Another futuristic technology is a smart pill that gives doctors information from inside of their patient’s bodies (Internet of Bodies). Smart Pills are ingestible sensors that record various physiological measurements.
Also primary care facilities can now act as remote hospitals by conducting basic examinations such as ultrasound, on pregnant women and the data can be shared remotely for further investigation and treatments.
Digital Therapeutics - Certain patients need constant monitoring and care with doctors having to alter medicines, order investigations and monitor symptoms. This can be achieved through apps and smartphones. Also, remote bedside monitoring devices can be used to monitor the conditions of their patients electronically.
Organ Care Technology & Bioprinting - 3D printing, which is one of the most popular technologies in recent times is also powering the concept of bioprinting. This is also demonstrating potential in challenging open-heart procedures and transplants.
Going forward, scientists envision organs being printed that would revolutionise patient care. Bioprinting is being tested in clinical environments to print body parts such as ears, corneas, and skin.
Augmented & Virtual Reality - There is great promise for augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) in healthcare. For example, cancer can be detected through image recognition. VR can be used in therapy to cure phobias and mental trauma. Doctors can use AR glasses that overlay CAT scans and scan data to observe bodies of patients. It is also expected to assist doctors in surgeries in the future.
Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering (DSCE), a part of Dayananda Sagar Group of Institutions (DSI), offers a 4 year, fulltime, engineering degree and a Ph.D program in Medical Electronics. The department is recognised as among the best in the university and imparts quality education backed by excellent infrastructure and experienced faculty. Students are exposed to an actual healthcare environment since the well renowned Sagar Hospitals is part of the same group. Successful students are placed in some of the leading companies in medical electronics.
The Department of Medical Electronics Engineering has played a vital role in producing technologists of leading talents ever since it was established in 1996. It has applied engineering principles to address medical and biological problems. The Department is located next to the multi-specialty Sagar Hospital, Bengaluru. The hospital offers a centralised venue for engineers and clinicians to collaborate and share knowledge of Medical Electronics in health care.
Medical Electronics Engineering is the only branch which integrates both the major fields viz. Engineering and Medicine. The uniqueness of the Medical Electronics Engineering Department at DSCE is its existence in an integrated campus with a solid inter-disciplinary program like Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Dental Sciences, Nursing, and Physiotherapy, apart from other engineering branches and the group’s health care facility at Sagar Hospital. Medical Electronics Engineering graduates have diverse career prospects in roles such as Application Engineer, Marketing Analyst, Business Development Associate, Biomedical Engineer, and Medical Device Service Engineer.