After the era of digital transformation and artificial intelligence, the medical industry is now being revolutionised by progressive new automation trends. Manual handling is a universal challenge in any healthcare setting, but it’s especially challenging for medical practices. Every minute spent waiting in a check-up room can be a second of lost revenue or patient frustration. Even small changes to the workflow can have a big impact on how efficiently and productively staff works.
Fortunately, new technologies are making manual handling easier than ever before. What was previously a time-consuming process that required manual labor, such as hand stitching or suturing multiple layers of skin, can now be performed by a wide variety of automated machinery.
According to a survey conducted in 2020, 90 percent of large healthcare organisations surveyed that they have an AI and automation strategy, this was an increase in comparison to only 53 percent in 2019.
Today, Ti2 is a Technical Solutions and Medical Technology Development Company. Ti2 Automation is our traditional business, taking the knowledge from years of work in flexible, J-I-T production, with newer products from World Class suppliers like Softing in Germany, to provide robust, competitive industrial automation solutions, helping companies like Cochlear & Nanosonics in emerging industries.
In the other hand, Ti2 Medical has two senior medical researchers contributing to unique insights, combined with our traditional automation people, to provide a platform for extending industrial research & ideas to resolving practical medical issues.
According to McKinsey, automation may boost global productivity growth by 0.8-1.4 % every year. In order to cut operational expenses, 24% of businesses would use job automation. Task switching costs 40% of productivity, which may be decreased by automating most processes.
“To Lower Overall Costs, Standardise on Technologies, not Product Brands”, is Ti2’s belief. Through implementing genuine open standards and technologies, end-users are presented with flexible and cost-effective solutions. You control your destiny, not your automation or information supplier.
Before you plan your upcoming shifts, we’ll share 5 needle-moving automation trends in the medical industry you need to know about from autonomous caregivers to electronic medical record solutions and artificial intelligence.
Autonomous Caregivers
Autonomous robots can now perform a wide variety of simple functions in the medical industry, from delivering medications to dressing wounds. While medical robots have been available for a few years, the recent availability of high-quality sensors and deep learning algorithms has made it easier for manufacturers to incorporate autonomous features into their products. These revolutionised robots can now autonomously navigate through complex situations such as stitching wounds. Autonomous endoscopes are also being used to perform minimally invasive procedures, while arm bots can now grab and transfer medications, instruments, and other objects. Autonomous health care robots have been used in several isolated departments in hospitals where not many human interactions are existing.
Countries like Australia, and the US now offer a range of autonomous healthcare robots designed to improve human health. Home users can purchase a robot to manage health conditions like diabetes or hypertension, or they can use the bot to help manage chronic conditions like arthritis and back pain.
Ti2 have conducted the monitoring of muscle recovery, both for medical, and sports applications through research and development with Australian-owned IEC 61131-3 Industrial Programming environment and solutions for Control & Data Collection, originally developed in Germany.
The development of technology for monitoring wound recovery is currently undergoing Clinical Trials in Western Australia.
Electronic Medical Record Solutions
Numerous research studies have shown that medical records are a critical source for evidence-based medicine. Unfortunately, most healthcare systems use paper-based records that are difficult to access, share, and search. In response to these challenges, many healthcare organisations have begun to implement electronic health records. Electronic health records (EHRs) are computerised systems designed to store records of patient health information. While EHRs have received significant attention in recent years, they remain a relatively early-stage technology. The implementation of EHR software is often delayed by implementation challenges such as lack of interoperability and a lack of clear business value. Furthermore, many EHR systems are not fully connected to key clinical applications.
Artificial Intelligence-Based Automation
Along with the rise of autonomous machines, artificial intelligence has become a crucial component of many innovative automation trends in the medical industry. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a subset of machine learning that our computers use to identify patterns in data and make inferences. In the healthcare industry, AI is used to help computers identify patterns in medical data such as scan images, health records, X-rays, and lab results. AI is also being used to detect patterns in text data such as prescriptions, lab results, and discharge summaries. Intelligent computer systems are now being used to analyse these patterns to detect potential risks or hazards. For example, AI can detect patterns in scan data to identify potential complications such as an infection or tumor. AI can also be used to detect changes in a patient’s condition such as deterioration in a patient’s lung health.
Robotic Medical Assistants
One of the key challenges in healthcare is to reduce the burden of human effort while maintaining or improving patient outcomes. The introduction of intelligent robotic devices and automation can provide a solution to this challenge. For example, surgical robots have been used to reduce the surgical effort required to perform certain procedures. Robotic medical assistants (RMA) are intelligent mobile devices that can provide assistance to human health care providers. RMA devices can perform many of the tasks staffers complete manually but with significantly fewer errors. RMA devices can perform a wide range of different tasks such as reminding patients to take medications, monitoring vital signs, scheduling follow-up appointments, and handling administrative tasks. RMA devices can also provide assistance to patients such as reminding patients to take their medications or manage their diabetes or hypertension. RMA devices are also ideally suited for use in home settings where people may have limited mobility.
Ti2 produced an ‘artificial heart’ device with Ventracor. Their vision is to become the world’s major supplier of cardiac assist systems and to improve the quality of life for people suffering congestive heart failure. So when Ventracor approached Ti2 with a new project, it came as no surprise that it would be more than a simple project. After all, several Ventracor’s engineers had worked with Ti2 before on unique solutions at other Healthcare companies.
The task was to create a pump rotor magnetising and measuring system, which included the following directives:
- Follow strict clean room requirements
- Track every operator action, including operator ID, data and time of each magnetising and measuring operation, result of each action
- Automatically create reports on the entire rotor magnetising history
- Understanding the importance of open technologies, Ventracor also requested that the system conformed to certain standards, including IEC61131-3 programming and OPC connectivity.
The purpose of collecting the data is three-fold:
- To securely store a complete production history to satisfy FDA and other health regulations
- Provide data to analyse historical quality of rotors supplied to the process
- Use the historical data to improve automation algorithms, and improve the efficiency of the process
The final solution makes use of 4 Control strengths
- Multiple programs targets PC and EC
- Communication to a number of devices, including bar code scanners and flux meters
- Operator interface
- Database connectivity
Contact Ti2 to learn more about their case study.
VR And AR For Displays
Virtual reality and augmented reality, two forms of computer-generated imagery, are becoming more popular among healthcare providers and patients. VR headsets are used to create complete immersive environments that simulate real-life settings. VR can be used to treat phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other anxiety-related disorders. AR, on the other hand, is a type of computer-generated imagery that augments real-world settings with digital imagery. This environment can be used to help patients manage their health conditions and make timely medical decisions. AR can also be used to help providers track and manage patients’ health conditions.
Conclusion
Needle-moving automation trends have made the process of moving medical needles significantly more efficient and safe. Autonomous robots are now capable of moving needles through complex medical procedures, such as stitching wounds. Electronic medical records and artificial intelligence-based automation can now be used to provide greater insight into patient conditions and make better treatment decisions. New VR and AR technologies are making it easier for patients to access healthcare services. The result of these automation trends is improved patient outcomes and reduced risks to healthcare providers.
To learn more about what we do and how we can help your medical automation requirements, please click projects, products & services.
Ti2 is currently very focused on working with its global partners to secure stock and avoid long delay times in delivering products to their customers. Together with our trusted partners, we are here to provide solutions.
Please click here to email us your inquiry, we would like to hear from you.
