Semiconductors are at the heart of many innovative electronic devices used every day. This is especially true in healthcare technology, which combines advanced low-power (or even power-free) sensors and connectivity solutions. Combining these technologies with the convenience and ubiquity of the Internet of Things (IoT) has contributed to a rapidly rising trend in the medical market segment.
The market estimates that medical applications will grow by nearly 10% over the next five years, driven in part by demand for medical imaging and hospital equipment. But the fastest-growing segment is portable devices, including wearable technology and over-the-counter solutions such as 'hearables'. The convenience of being able to monitor health at home and at work is driving increasing demand in the context of an aging, mobile, and more health-conscious population.
Medical Market Drivers and Applications
As medicine advances, new tests are developed, often supported or even facilitated by new equipment. Equipment such as ultrasound and CAT scanners enable non-invasive assessment of patients, reducing risk and cost. Where access to a patient is necessary, there is a new generation of implantable devices, including defibrillators and pacemakers, as well as injectable monitors and even ingestible electronics that can transmit data or images wirelessly.
At the "over-the-counter" end of the market, wearable fitness trackers allow users to become more aware of their basic functions and activity levels, and to adopt better lifestyles. Wearable devices that measure and communicate clinical data, rather than activity data, are emerging in the market to support the monitoring and treatment of various common diseases. At the same time, devices called "hearing aids" are entering the online or brick-and-mortar retail market where they are directly accessible, bringing unprecedented levels of functionality.
There are many factors driving the healthcare market, and in most regions, people are generally living longer and, as a result, the overall population is aging. This is just one factor contributing to the rising incidence, and chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and asthma require regular monitoring of patients. Monitoring tends to take place outside of hospitals and doctors' offices, in part because our busy modern lives require the necessary monitoring to be built into our work and travel schedules. This is also driven by cost; patients can monitor themselves at home using innovative electronic devices, which is much cheaper than paying a medical professional to monitor in the hospital.
Technology-driven medical solutions
Especially in the new, faster-growing field of portable healthcare, including wearables and hearing aids, successful solutions depend on a combination of functionality, portability, and low-power operation. The ability to communicate wirelessly is another key feature, given the small size of these ultra-small devices without the power resources to add tactile interfaces or displays. Short-range communication technologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy enable medical devices to interface and receive data using the screens of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and provide vital connectivity to the wider world through IoT.
Recent advances in device technology, especially semiconductors, have reflected these trends, with increased functionality, reduced size, and lower power consumption being important and common themes. While it is controversial to say that the healthcare industry is driving these changes, it is true that these changes are driving the healthcare industry. The latest innovations in device and semiconductor technology have enabled the development of the medical devices that modern consumers demand and enable consumers to reap the enormous benefits from them. In fact, to a large extent, the pace of semiconductor innovation is driving the pace of medical device innovation.
Although wearables and hearing aids are small, they are still complete systems, combining processing power, memory, peripherals, sensors and communications with the discrete components necessary to make the system function properly. These small, often overlooked devices also often provide circuit protection and, in many ways, are just as important as more delicate devices.
ON Semiconductor is a model focusing on devices and technologies for portable medical devices, providing a wide range of products and support services, such as development environments and tools specifically for this market, including extremely compact system-on-a-chip (SB) systems that provide highly integrated, energy-efficient solutions. chip (SoC).
Such as ON Semiconductor's Bluetooth 5 certified radio RSL10 series. The RSL10 provides an ultra-low power interconnect, consuming only 7 mW in receive and a negligible 62.5 nW in sleep mode.
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These figures mean longer intervals between charges, even when using very small batteries.
RSL 10 only needs about 10 external components to support a complete solution, and occupies only 5.50mm2, which is easy to incorporate into the smallest medical equipment such as hearing aids.
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For easier design-in, the RSL10 is available as a complete, system-in-package (SiP) solution that integrates the antenna, RSL10 radio SoC, and all passive components in a tiny solution.
With devices such as smartphones and tablets connected to the Internet, applications can be used to configure ultra-small devices such as hearing aids, as well as provide cloud-based management and clinical support for these devices. It also provides access to critical firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) updates to add additional features and functionality to devices already in use.
If it is important to ensure that miniature medical devices are energy efficient and connected, it is critical to ensure that they are not damaged by external electrical interference, especially for applications such as electrocardiograms (ECGs), automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and pacemakers and other equipment. In portable/wearable devices, the risk of failure due to electrical interference is heightened as they may be used in unknown and changing public environments. Here, devices such as multi-channel transient surge suppressors (TSS) play an important role.
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These tiny devices are installed on the input signal lines of medical equipment and provide up to 10 channels of electrical protection to ensure that the equipment performs its intended function most reliably.
Summarize
As the population ages, living many years or even decades longer than previous generations, innovative connected portable or wearable healthcare products become even more important. Medical monitoring for on-the-go, mobile modern lifestyles can provide more functionality in an extremely small package while consuming only milliwatts or even nanowatts of power.
These modern devices need to be able to measure, process and communicate, challenging designers to deliver fully integrated systems within a PCB footprint of just a few square millimeters. It is critical that these devices not only be reliable, but also provide the functionality and longevity consumers demand. Recent innovations in device technology, particularly in advanced miniaturized and highly integrated semiconductors, are driving the pace of this rapidly evolving market segment. In short, technological advancements are turning the devices patients need into the devices they want.
