Anthony Locicero, Associate Editor05.01.19
CPI is working alongside ItoM Medical BV and Blumorpho to support the development of a wearable medical device focused upon improving treatment for children with uncontrolled asthma.
CPI is part of the SmartEEs “Smart Everything Everywhere” H2020 project, a consortium of similar EU Research Organizations providing printed electronics solutions, according to Sandy Gunn, business development manager, CPI. The company noted that this program aims to support companies with the development of new business ideas using flexible electronics technologies.
“SmartEEs helps SMEs access these facilities at a reduced rate to develop innovative products,” Gunn said. “The Origamo sub-project was from a bid made by IotM, NL to develop a wearable device based on their proprietary signal analyzing integrated circuits and software. CPI was well placed to support this project due to our considerable flexible printing experience.”
During the project, CPI will use its technical capabilities to support the development of a working demonstrator of the device.
“The technology is in the proprietary chipset,” Gunn said. “Printing aspects are essential but less novel than the chip and its processing capabilities. The chip makes an outwardly simple device work very accurately.”
How is it created and applied?
“The printing onto wearable substrates produced changes in signals through the stretched printed circuit,” Gunn said. “The printing of circuits which are able to be stretched without deterioration over time was key to a successful product.”
According to Gunn, this has the potential to be in medical trials within 6 months.
“If these are successful then ItoM has already lined up EU medical boards to purchase these in large numbers, possibly within the next 2-3 years,” Gunn said.
As Printed Electronics Now previously reported, healthcare continues to be a bright spot for flexible and printed electronics.
“There has been a huge rise in wearable electronics in the medical field with people starting to understand the potentials, a good proportion of the SmartEEs bid projects have been wearable medical devices of a large variety of end applications,” Gunn said.