Two executives from Omnica Corp. recently talked to the Eastman Chemical Company about trends in the medical-device industry. Omnica designed the Inogen One and Helio oxygen devices. Rex Bare, president, and Earl Robinson, vice president of industrial design, have this to say:

About medical-device mobility:
Right now batteries are the limiting factor

Lab-on-a chip:
Still an exotic and unpredictable technology. But it will catch on.

And the trend toward smaller products:
Sometimes products have too many functions. "We’re big advocates of dumbing down medical devices."

They also discuss offshore outsourcing, venture funding, and fool-proofing devices.

Read the entire article and other Design Insights at Eastman’s Innovation Lab web site.

One area gaining popularity is the use of micro laser welders, such as those my company manufacturers (LaserStar Technologies), for use in welding the smallest of parts with laser diameter as small as 0.1mm. They are used for medical instrument repairs, manufacturing, design, and even medical devices such as brain stints. If you are interested in finding out more, post your questions or email me at afriedmann@laserstar.net and I'll answer them.

There is also the Microscopic Welding Organization (USMWA) at http://www.usmwa.com. A nice fellow named Lee is/was in charge.