Originally Published EMDM
October 2003
INDUSTRY NEWS
Turnkey System-on-Chip Service Targets Medical Device OEMs |
| Single-chip systems can contribute to the development of small, low-power diagnostic devices that can follow the patient from the hospital to the home. |
System-on-chip (SoC) technology can reduce a product’s size, weight, and cost, but few companies outside of the “electronics elite” have access to the required expertise.
Cambridge Consultants Ltd. (CCL; Cambridge, UK) has announced a turnkey service to benefit firms lacking the knowledge base to develop SoCs. The medical device industry is among the targeted sectors.
“We see SoCs enabling the transition of medical equipment from laboratory to hospital, from hospital to medical practice, and from medical practice to the consumer,” says Ian Halliday-Pegg, business development manager at CCL. Single chips can lead to smaller, low-power portable diagnostic devices that can be used in the hospital or home environment, he notes. “SoC can also enable the increased automation required to make products suitable for patient use,” says
Halliday-Pegg.
Typically, CCL will assign a multidisciplinary team to determine how SoC can benefit a product. In most cases, it can strip 30% from production costs while making products smaller, lighter, and more reliable, according to Halliday-Pegg. Product functions are often enhanced in the process. Perambulatory devices are one example. “They may require internal data logging, smart cards, or wireless capabilities,” says Halliday-Pegg. “All of this can be embedded in the chip at very low cost.”
When tackling a project, the CCL staff relies on established specification and design processes and proprietary emulation and test methods. This protocol achieves designs that are optimal the first time and derives the maximum yield from the chip. As a result, SoC technology can make sense for volumes as low as 20,000 units per year.
In the medical field, low-cost disposables are a target application. “Incorporating low-cost electronics in the disposable part of a device—an inhaler, for instance—can have significant advantages,” says Halliday-Pegg. “The electronics only need to last, say, 30 operations. You could use a small low-cost disposable battery, in the same way that disposable batteries are used in Polaroid film cassettes. And if the electronics fail or are damaged, only the disposable part has to be replaced.” CCL has put these principles into practice by developing the electronic and mechanical parts of blood glucose and fertility monitors. Other applications may include inhalers, injector pens, and surgical tools, adds Halliday-Pegg.
To learn more about the SoC service, contact Cambridge Consultants Ltd., Science Park, Milton Rd., Cambridge CB4 0DW, UK; phone: +44 1223 420024; fax: +44 1223 423373; Internet:
www.cambridgeconsultants.com.
Norbert Sparrow
Copyright ©2003 European Medical Device Manufacturer
