The vantage point, published.
The full MEMS Journal archive — 40 articles across two decades of sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology.
MEMS microbots harness insect “know-how”
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Microbots based on MEMS have long been sought to collect environmental samples , to search for survivors in collapsed buildings and for other reconnaissance style missions that are ill-suited for people. Although decades in the making, one major…
MEMS restoring sight to the blind
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Over a decade has passed since hope was raised worldwide that MEMS could make blindness a curable condition . Now the long wait is finally over, with all the necessary tests and clinical trials clearing the final hurdles. Last month, the U.S. Food and…
MEMS for neuroscience research applications
by Paul Pyzowski , Guest Contributor Most articles on MEMS related topics tend to cover large markets in automotive and consumer electronics, not the treatment of debilitating illnesses of the nervous system . But even though the market for neurological applications today is small, MEMS and microfabrication…
Military enlists microfluidic hospital on-a-chip
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal The aim of a $1.6 million Office of Naval Research program is to create a microfluidic hospital on-a-chip by 2012 that can be deployed on the battlefield to monitor a soldier's injuries and administer medications. Today injured soldiers are left where…
MEMS based sensors enable protein analysis system
by John Williamson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Conventional immunoassay technologies such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA ) and western blot for life sciences and diagnostic applications are time consuming, requiring multiple manual steps in order to achieve assay results. To address…
MEMS device for in vivo diagnosis of cancer
by John Williamson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be more than 1.5 million new cancer cases diagnosed in 2010. A biopsy is a widely used method of identifying malignant tumors by studying surgically removed tissue under the microscope. It is a…
Self charging pacemakers to harvest heart's own energy
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Applications are years away yet, but Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have demonstrated that piezoelectric nanowires can harvest energy from repetitive motions inside the body -- even the beating of your heart. Future applications could…
Wireless MEMS sensor for monitoring pulmonary artery pressure
by John Williamson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal CardioMEMS, Inc. currently has its latest wireless MEMS device in clinical trials -- an implantable heart failure monitor designed to measure pulmonary artery pressure. High pulmonary artery pressure is associated with fluid build-up in the lungs that…
MEMS application for treating cardiac rhythm disorder
We recently spoke with Eric Le Royer , CEO of Geneva-based Endosense , about how his company applied MEMS technology to the development of a new catheter to improve the procedures for treating atrial fibrillation . According to Mr. Le Royer, atrial fibrillation is today’s most prevalent cardiac rhythm disorder and…
BioMEMS for heart repairs
According to Professor Pierre Dupont , there are currently two approaches to perform repairs inside the heart – open heart surgery and catheter interventions. Dupont, who recently was awarded a $5 million NIH grant to perform work in this area, believes there is a better way. Interestingly, he picked MEMS as the…
Stem cells and microfluidics
Aldagen, a venture funded startup with a set of technologies to identify and isolate stem and progenitor cells , has recently announced a partnership with IMT to develop a microfluidic device for clinical cell sorting. We recently spoke with the President and COO of the company, Ed Field , and discussed Aldagen’s…
Biomedical applications for MEMS and microfabrication
BioMEMS has been talked about as one of the most promising areas of microfabrication technologies. We recently spoke with Dr. Leslie Field and Neha Choksi of SmallTech Consulting about the current and future applications of BioMEMS as well as technologies which are now being commercialized by startups and Fortune…
Fidelica's MEMS based fingerprint sensors
Fidelica Microsystems is a start up company with MEMS based technology for fingerprint sensor applications . We recently spoke with Dr. S K Ganapathi , the founder and CEO of the company, about Fidelica's latest progress and market outlook for its fingerprint sensors.
Bourne Research launches bioMEMS report series
(Press Release) -- Bourne Research , the leading provider of market analysis on emerging technologies, today launched The Bourne Report – Medical Device Quarterly , a new report series dedicated to covering the use of MEMS and Nanotechnology in medicine. Geared toward physicians, life science researchers, medical…
How to launch a BioMEMS start up
CardioMEMS is an emerging company which has developed BioMEMS technology for treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) and Heart Failure (HF) disease. The company announced last month that it has completed its series C round of financing, raising $16 million of equity funding. Medtronic, a new investor, led the…
Bio MEMS and Microsystems for Stem Cell Research
There is currently much ongoing activity in stem cell and artificial tissue engineering research. For MEMS engineers, many opportunities exist in development of devices which allow biologists to easily run experiments that were not possible even a few years ago.