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Feature

Innovations for Intelligent Healthcare

In response to the increasing worldwide demands of “Intelligent Healthcare”, ITRI has developed a number of innovations by applying intelligent technologies to the fields of biomedicine and medical devices, hoping to enhance the quality of medical service. Several were demonstrated at COMPUTEX 2017. Below are two examples.

Skin Care Meter

ITRI’s Skin Care Meter, a next-generation skin analyzer, provides a total view of skin health, which is helpful for consumers to select appropriate skin care products. The breakthrough technological design for Skin Care Meter combines near-infrared light with optical interference image processing to generate 3D deep-layer images. The analysis algorithm design is based on medical evaluations that can accurately measure thickness of the epidermis and dermis, assess hair follicle structure, and calculate the distribution of collagen. With a push of a button, users can obtain complete and useful skin information in just seconds.

AM as a Service

ITRI and Mackay Memorial Hospital have jointly developed the “AM (Additive Manufacturing) as a Service” healthcare model, integrating ITRI’s 3D scanning & modeling, and structural analysis & AM process simulation technologies with patient diagnosis and treatment expertise to develop customized 3D-printed hand and wrist orthoses for people suffering from stenosing tenosynovitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. The 3D-printed orthoses are alternatives to traditional braces and/or orthoses that usually wrap around and cover the affected and extra surrounding area fully and tightly. The newly developed assistive devices fit a patient’s hand snugly, but are extremely lightweight and air-breathing due to the porosity and gradient material designs in the orthoses, which also make them much more comfortable to wear.

The AM as a Service platform employs ITRI’s 3D scanning system, which is able to complete scanning of a 40-centimeter-long limb within 10 seconds. With rapid 3D modeling technology, an accurate and ergonomic 3D-designed model for a hand orthosis can be established. Next, topology optimization technology creates innovative structural design, enabling the orthosis to be lightweight and strong at the same time. Pre-build manufacturing process simulation ensures print quality and reduces design and evaluation iterations. Equipped with ITRI-developed 3D printing materials, 3D scanning & modeling, structural optimization and process & equipment technology, the platform provides a total digital solution for the design and production of customized 3D-printed assistive medical devices.

In the future, the ITRI solution platform will become a cloud-based service platform, offering a secure, efficient and real-time co-working platform for physicians and medical device suppliers to create patient-specific 3D-printed assistive medical devices. This system approach can also be applied in the provision of surgical guides or medical implants.