Olivia Friett, editor of Medical Plastics News, looks into the past, present and future of digital health - in particular, AI.
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With the rise of digital technology, not just in the medical industry, but in every industry, it’s hard not to think about the advancements in smart manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI). While AI might not be directly relevant to medical plastics manufacturing, we can’t ignore the fact that it has changed the industry.
What exactly is AI? According to the BBC, artificial intelligence is technology that enables a computer to think or act in a more ‘human’ way. It can take in the information from its surroundings and decide its response based on what it learns or senses.
So how can it benefit medical device manufacturers? For manufacturers, AI can be a game changer. The National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) states that AI can bring greater efficiencies, lower costs, improved quality and reduced downtime, as well as countless other benefits.
AI isn’t just for large manufacturers, AI can be cost-effective and still high-quality, meaning smaller manufacturers can enjoy the benefits of the technology. BioMavericks, a life sciences start-up, was the wildcard winner at the Discovery Spark programme with a prize of six months of free lab space at Discovery Park. The start-up company is focused on developing an in vitro diagnostic urine test for pancreatic cancer using AI-driven biotechnology.
In the past year alone, we’ve had AI generated diagnostic devices from companies such as femtech start-up Matrix Health and Care. Matrix is a digitally enabled, AI-supported pelvic assessment and diagnosis device, designed for holistic and data-driven gynaecological applications. You can hear more about the device from my interview with Stiliyana Minkovska, the founder and CEO of Matrix on the FemTech Series on the MedTalk Podcast.
Other examples include when SyBridge showcased its AI-driven platform that puts manufacturing intelligence at every designer’s fingertips and AND Technology Research launched their TENTO+ AI compliance platform at Med-Tech Innovation Expo 2023.
It’s not just manufacturing medical devices, but the entire healthcare industry that needs these advancements. In the UK, for example, the strain on the NHS is excessive and the layout as it is cannot keep up with the demand. AI advancements can assist with the work of diagnostics, triage and diagnosis help, care delivery and many more examples – and this will only become more accurate and reliable as AI technology advances.
What is the future of AI in healthcare and life sciences? This is just the beginning for AI; AI’s full potential has not yet been explored – in fact, we’ve barely scratched the surface.