Here's an Idea

A New Minimally Invasive Approach to Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury affects 17,000 Americans and 700,000 people worldwide each year. Prognoses are often tragic and social costs exceed $2 million (U.S. and EU) in the first five years of care. A research team at NeuroPair, Inc. won the Grand Prize in the 2023 Create the Future Design Contest for a revolutionary approach to spinal cord repair. Dr. Yohannes Dapprich, NeuroPair’s CEO and founder, discusses their groundbreaking approach that addresses a critical need in the medical field, offering a fast and minimally invasive solution to a long-standing problem. This is the last episode of Here’s an Idea. We will be back with a brand-new podcast series in 2024.

Human Factors in Drug Delivery

Patients are more likely to adhere to their treatment plans when drug-delivery devices are user-friendly. So, what can device developers do to ensure safety but also provide a positive user experience? Using human factors engineering, developers can design features to prevent errors and contribute to the successful use of the device. On this episode of Here's an Idea™, talking Jeff Morang, Director of Human Factors Engineering at BlackHägen Design, explains what designers need to know about human factors for combination devices.

Powerful Sensors for the Eye

Advances in integrated microelectronics have enabled a revolution in ever smaller and more powerful medical sensors. One such use is for detecting pressure in the eye. InjectSense has invented an implantable sensor that detects direct dynamic pressure in the eye and transmits high-fidelity data from inside the eye of a patient to their physician.   On this episode of Here's an Idea™, Ariel Cao, founder and CEO of InjectSense and Dave Fromm, chief operating officer and vice president of engineering at Promex, discuss this powerful sensor and how they are bringing it to market.

How AI is Changing Military Aircraft Maintenance and More

On Nov. 2nd, the Department of Defense (DoD) published its 2023 Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence Adoption Strategy [https://media.defense.gov/2023/Nov/02/2003333300/-1/-1/1/DOD_DATA_ANALYTICS_AI_ADOPTION_STRATEGY.PDF], outlining how the agency will acquire and deploy AI-enabled systems in the future. David Mazar, Vice President of Strategy and Growth, Spark Cognition Government Systems is the guest on this episode of Here’s an Idea. Ahead of his participation as a panelist and speaker at the 2023 Dubai Air Show, he explains how his company’s AI-enabled digital maintenance tool is changing the way military aircraft are serviced. Mazar also provides some thoughts on how the new DoD AI strategy will help accelerate the deployment of AI-enabled aerospace and defense systems in the future.

The Next Frontier in Neurology

Treatments for neurological disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, dystonia, and other related neurological disorders often include invasive surgery to implant electrodes in specific brain regions to help control motor symptoms. But what if there were technologies that offered minimally invasive options while improving patient outcomes and reducing costs? On this episode of Here's an Idea™, Dave Rosa, CEO of NeuroOne, discusses a system that has the potential for transformative improvement in neurosurgery.