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The Fresenius Inventors’ Prize
If something doesn’t fit we make it fit, and if it doesn’t exist we invent it: Pragmatism combined with imagination and idealism are the foundation stones of groundbreaking inventions that improve daily life in medicine.
This was confirmed at the Fresenius Inventors’ Fair at this year’s MEDICA, held in Düsseldorf, where, for the ninth time, Fresenius held a forum for 20 selected researchers and developers to present their work. Four of the most ingenious inventions were awarded the Fresenius Inventors’ Prize 2006.
SLIMO fits on wheelchairs to provide more safety and comfort
The team had equipped a pen with sensors to record neuromuscular activity of the hand. Within the pen, the refined sensors record tilt, position and movements of the pen’s tip, as well as the pressure applied to the tip and the fingers that grip the pen. Hand movements are a key guide to neuromuscular activity, so data provided by the sensor pen could prove very useful in the diagnosis of diseases such as Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, or stroke.
‘Additionally, neuromuscular activity highlights the impact of medication dosages, or their side effects from medications’ reveals drug use or reflect stressful situations,’ Professor Jürgen Kempf explained. The sensor pen is now undergoing tests in various clinics and laboratories.
Two orthopaedic surgical instruments that can remove worn implants in hip or knee joints with less bone damage, developed by Dr Michael Arnhold, who works in orthopaedics at the Rudolf Elle Hospital, Eisenberg, Germany, won him the second prize of €3,000. Few implant makers deal with the removal of worn implants, he said. His universal removal tool for hip and knee joint replacements either supports itself, or is attached directly to the implants to provide better use of force during removal. Dr Arnhold has applied for the patent.
The Smart Pen measures neuromuscular activity when writing
Communication via thoughts, electrodes and a monitor
Exhibitors not awarded prizes had nonetheless presented impressive innovations, particularly for those with physical disabilities. The slide mobile, SLIMO, for example, is a comfortable and variable device for wheelchair users; it protects from rain and also ensures more safety in traffic due to a clear-view roof.
With his text input aid for those with little mobility (e.g. ALS patients), Tobias Denninger demonstrated a system that allows them easier communication. Patients can control their thoughts in a way that, via electrodes, they can prompt single letters to appear on a monitor. The principle is not new but the system, based on a colour-coded letter-matrix, is relatively easy to use.
* The international healthcare group Fresenius provides products and services for dialysis, hospital and the ambulatory medical care.
This article was published on 12/27/2006