The technological innovation reach in Medicine continues to transform Healthcare

Technology developments in recent years have dramatically changed the way we interact and consume things. This technological progression continues transforming medical practices and the drug discovery arena. From 3D printed drugs to RFID implants for recreational purposes, groundbreaking innovations are persistently revolutionizing the way medicine and healthcare industry has performed so far. In order to make care delivery procedure smooth and better, medical device manufacturers are increasingly leveraging advanced technologies.

The proliferation of smartphones and the introduction to IoT devices are already started replacing conventional monitoring and recording systems to advanced ones. Additionally, people are now given the option of undergoing a full consultation in the privacy of their own homes.

While the impact of technology on modern healthcare is tremendous, here we have accumulated some technology innovations that are going to change medicine in the near future.

3D Printing Drugs

Research shows that a majority of people across the world have difficulties during pill intake, especially owing to the large sizes. But with no having apt technologies to personalize customers’ preferences, the conventional drug manufacturing process typically uses standard drug formulations. With the emergence of 3D printing, scientists and pharmaceutical researchers believe that the technology may answer most of the problems associated with drug intake. The prime concept behind the use of 3D printing in drug formulation is to design and develop medicines that are suited to an individual’s needs. The FDA, in August 2015, approved an epilepsy drug called Spritam which was made by 3D printers.

Brain Control Wristband

Have you ever imagined how it feels if your wristband will be controlled by your mind and will give you alerts of your every movement? Well, this is true now as CTRL-Labs introduces brain-machine interfaces, which are devices that translate mental activity into digital action. The New York City-based company built CTRL-kit that detects the electrical impulses that travel from the motor neurons in the human brain to the relevant parts of the body as soon as the thought enters people’s minds. The work of CTRL-Labs is built on a technology known as differential electromyography (EMG). The band’s inside is lined with electrodes and once they touch the human body, they measure electrical pulses along the neurons.

Medical Education Influenced by Mixed Reality

Immersive technology such as mixed reality, involving augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), has an enormous impact on medical education. The recent technological advances in haptics, display systems, and motion detection has further contributed to this impact as they enable users to have a realistic and interactive experience, making VR be an ideal asset for training in hands-on procedures. With rapidly growing medical information and innovations, physicians today require to master more information in a shorter period than their predecessors. Thus, embracing the capabilities of streaming media and immersive AR and VR technologies can drive fundamental changes to the way medical professionals access and engage with educational materials.

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Cancer Diagnosis

AI has already proven its capabilities across diverse industries and healthcare alike. The technology has entered diagnosing severe diseases like cancer. As diagnostic laboratories are in the midst of a transformation, increasing workloads and a rise in demand to enhance throughput and efficiency while maintaining or improving quality, particularly in clinical diagnostics, lead them to turn to AI-driven medical practices. It is likely that AI has the potential to improve cancer diagnosis and suggest better treatment options. As the death rate due to cancer is continues growing worldwide, researchers now have shown a keen interest in using AI to improve diagnosis, management, and better therapeutic options of various diseases, especially cancer.

Although this is not just an end, there are a lot of technological breakthroughs in medicine that have transformed and continue transforming the healthcare landscape. More innovations including Digital Tattoos, Bionic Eye, Contact Lenses to track glucose levels from tears, and Stem Cell Therapy, among others also set to revolutionize the future of medicine.