Advances in Medical Devices 2

Presenting Author: Yu Feng, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Chemical Engineering
Oklahoma State University

Bio: Dr. Yu Feng is an Associate Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at Oklahoma State University (OSU), NSF EPSCoR Research Fellow, Distinguished Early Career Faculty Awardee at OSU, Excellence in Research Mentoring Awardee at OSU, and OSU President’s Fellow Faculty Research Awardee. Before joining OSU, Dr. Feng was a Research Assistant Professor and Lab Manager at North Carolina State University (NCSU). He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (ME) with a Minor in Mathematics from NCSU and a B.S. in Engineering Mechanics from Zhejiang University, China. At OSU, he leads the Computational Biofluidics and Biomechanics Laboratory (CBBL), where he advances Computational Fluid-Particle Dynamics (CFPD), Discrete Element Method (DEM), and Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic/Toxicokinetic/Pharmacodynamics (PBPK/TK/PD) modeling to drive innovation in pulmonary healthcare and enhance occupational safety. His research team is focused on delving into the underlying fluid dynamics and solid mechanics to develop non-invasive, cost-effective, and accurate numerical tools for various biomedical applications. 

Co-authors: Ted Sperry and Chenang Liu

Anastomosis is a surgical operation performed to connect intra-abdominal organs. The circular anastomosis stapler, which is commonly used in anastomosis, is used to connect the separated intestine due to cancer removal. The organs of the human body have different thicknesses and properties for each person; different anastomosis intervals should be applied for each patient. However, the existing circular stapler determines the anastomosis interval only through manual displacement control without considering the anatomical location, structure, and compression pressure of the abdominal organs, which leads to side effects such as leakage and necrosis at the anastomosis site. Therefore, in this study, we developed an automatic circular anastomosis stapler using a strain gauge, an electric motor, and a microcontroller equipped with a fuzzy control algorithm. The developed automatic circular anastomosis stapler provides the optimal anastomosis interval by utilizing and analyzing the mechanical properties and pressure of the large intestine. In addition, the Head-Neck part was designed to be replaceable, and the Handle part, which oversees the motor and control, was manufactured to be reusable.

Presenting Author: Junghwa Hong
Korea University

Bio: Junghwa Hong is a professor of Department of Control and Instrumentation Engineering, Korea University, Sejong, South Korea. He is also an adjunct professor of Department of Medicine, Medical School, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea. He received B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering (1988) at the Korea University, South Korea, and M.S. degree in Engineering Mechanics (1993) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. He also received a Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering (1996) at the Marquette University, USA.

Following the Senior Researcher for the safety in the automobile industry (Technical Center, General Motors, USA), he went to Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center, South Korea as a Principal Research Director for the biomechatronic researches for the disables and elderly in 2000. Currently, he is researching in the Korea University for various research projects related to biomechatronics, biosystem control, and rehabilitation engineering. In addition, he is serving as the Councilor of World Council in Biomechanics (WCB).

Co-authors: Soonmoon Jung, Jaemin Kim, Youngho Lee, Hyeyeong Song, Jiwoo Jang, Seungyun Oh, and Inyeop Na

Wearable health monitoring devices that provide continuous and real-time feedback on a patient’s health are of great interest in many fields of medicine. Measuring common chemical biomarkers in fluids other than blood with a wearable device could allow minimally-invasive real-time monitoring of a wide variety of medical conditions. Furthermore, a simple-to-use wearable device that does not require trained medical personnel could be easily deployed in resource-limited situations such as home health care or rural communities. In this work, we report the design and fabrication method for a wearable patch sensor to detect biomarkers in interstitial fluid. The design aims to provide a low-cost, easy-to-use device capable of continuous, real-time monitoring of multiple analytes. A microneedle-based ion-selective electrode is designed to penetrate the skin to measure biomarkers such as potassium ion concentration or pH in the interstitial fluid. The patch sensor is fabricated using commercial stainless steel acupuncture needles that are functionalized with a nanoparticle carbon solid contact and an ion-selective membrane. The microneedle sensors are secured in a flexible polymer substrate to create a wearable patch-like device that is robust when inserted into a silicone skin phantom.

Presenting Author: Faija Farjana
Graduate Research Assistant
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
University of Minnesota

Bio: Faija Farjana is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota. She is a first-year PhD student working on the development of minimally invasive biomedical sensors for real-time biomarker monitoring. She received her master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maine, where her research focused on Magneto-Hydrodynamic (MHD) drives for implantable blood flow assistance devices.

Co-authors: Vivek James, Yevedzo Chipangura, Vilma S. Brandao, Elizabeth Lusczek, Philippe Bühlmann, Andreas Stein and Sarah Swisher

To address the two-patient-single-ventilator case of the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed an active splitter device and deployed it in the “Lungs-in-the-Loop” test bench to support the usage of a single ventilator with two patients that have different lung compliances. With this IoT-enabled test bench we demonstrate the concepts of connected care and executable Digital Twin to monitor system status and to provide real-time insights for control

Presenting Author: Gibin Joe Zachariah
Engineering Services Engineer
Siemens Digital Industries Software Inc. 

Bio: Gibin Joe Zachariah is an Engineering Consulting Services Engineer at Siemens Digital Industries Software, with seven years of expertise in control systems. He holds a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Control Systems, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, which forms the foundation of his technical approach to complex engineering challenges. At Siemens, he focuses on the development and deployment of advanced control algorithms across diverse applications including medical devices, automotive systems, autonomous vehicles, and heavy machinery. He is also well versed in creating and deploying digital twins of physical systems on real-time hardware and edge devices.

Co-authors: Marco Sinisi, Jing Wang, Tsz Ling Elaine Tang and Elena Arvanitis

Uterus manipulators play a critical role in laparoscopic hysterectomy procedures, yet their reliance on manual operation often leads to prolonged procedure times and requires the presence of an assistant. These limitations highlight the need for innovation in uterus manipulator design to enhance surgical efficiency and reduce operational complexity. This paper presents the development of a novel 2-DOF, foot pedal assisted motorized uterus manipulator aimed at streamlining laparoscopic hysterectomy. Key features of the proof-of-concept prototype include a foot pedal for hands-free operation, a curved shaft for improved slip resistance, and a modular design that incorporates disposable components. Functional evaluations of the prototype demonstrated its feasibility, underscoring its potential to improve surgical workflows. Future work will focus on refinement and exploring integration with robotic laparoscopic systems to further optimize performance. 

Presenting Author: Siddhartha Aryal, PhD Student
Interventional Robotics Laboratory
University of Akron

Bio: I am a first year PhD student studying mechanical engineering at The University of Akron focusing on medical robotics. 

Co-authors: Nicole Pishnery, Jeremiah Eggleston, Siddharth Raj and Sang-Eun Song