What will user interfaces for medical devices look like in the (near) future? What functions will they have? At the MEDICA, steute Meditec will be providing answers to these questions: ideas, proposals and innovations for the controls of tomorrow.
Medical device manufacturers have many options when they collaborate with experts from steute Meditec to define their perfect user interface. The company has over 25 years of experience in this field – and looks far into the future concerning new challenges and the development of new technologies.
Clear trend towards customised controls
From the perspective of medical device manufacturers, one of the current challenges is how to perfectly match a user interface to the device in question and its operational functions. For this reason, manufacturers increasingly opt for customised controls – and approach steute Meditec with their ideas.
User interfaces then evolve which are perfectly suited to the applications in question regarding ergonomic comfort, function and design, and which from the perspective of the operators leave nothing to be desired (Fig. 1). steute Meditec will be showing some examples at the MEDICA – from completely different disciplines such as high-frequency surgery, medical imaging, ophthalmology, surgical microscopy, as well as laser applications and dental technology.
Customised user interfaces also simplify the inclusion of new technologies and integrations of sensors – here to measure moisture levels inside enclosures
Mechatronics and sensor technology all inclusive
At the MEDICA, steute Meditec will also be demonstrating how user interfaces can become „mechatronic integrated devices“ (MID) and monitor their own functionality automatically. This is facilitated by innovative sensor technology which detects any moisture penetrating the enclosure and then sends a warning notification. The steute developers have tried and tested multiple procedures and selected one for serial production.
Future scenario: the interopeable OR
Well prepared for the interoperable OR
In the near future, surgeons will control multiple medical devices with a central user interface (and a screen for visualisation) – considerable progress regarding ergonomic comfort and intuitive, foolproof operation (Fig. 3). steute Meditec has been working towards this goal for years, also in research initiatives such as OR.NET. At the MEDICA, we will be showing state-of-the-art user interfaces for the interoperable OR which of course fulfil the „Service-oriented Device Connectivity“ (SDC) standards.
Development project: real-time SDC
The state of the art also encompasses further development of the SDC standard to include real-time capability. This feature is required in, for example, surgery and X-ray applications. When surgeons use a medical device or switch off the power, a time delay is unacceptable.
Real-time capability can also be necessary for communication between devices, e.g. in closed loops. Find out more about our proposals for solving RT-SDC at the MEDICA.
Invitation to partake
With the innovations and new developments described briefly here, the steute Meditec experts will be providing an insight into the development pipeline and the current range of available user interfaces. At the same time, the exhibits and demonstrated use cases are also intended as an invitation to the manufacturers of medical devices to partake in the discussion and exchange their ideas – with the goal of working together in the future to develop the user interfaces of tomorrow.
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steute Meditec at the MEDICA 2023: Hall 10, Booth E 39
Credits: steute Technologies GmbH & Co. KG
