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May 17,2019,Philippines—The global manufacturing industry is ready to move forward from merely adapting computers and automation during the third industrial revolution. With the full integration of digital technologies to manufacturing, the fourth revolution or Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has finally occured in global manufacturing.

In fact, the I4.0 revolution is already working on redefining the way the global manufacturing industry operates as well as level up the quality of products they create. It has enabled global manufacturing companies to expand their capabilities or create more innovative manufacturing solutions, and keep up with the rapid technological advancements and changing nature of consumer demands.

The medical electronics industry in particular is going through an exciting time with many doors to new possibilities and better patient care opening. Although still largely dependent on paper-based processes, the I4.0 only has great things for the future of medical electronics.

About medical electronics

One of the most extensively growing fields today, medical electronics is a specialized discipline that integrates engineering with medical science working to improve today’s healthcare services.

Medical electronics engineers, who can also be called as doctors of equipment, design medical devices and techniques that aim to treat all kinds of health-related problems, most especially those currently without a cure. They are also in charge of maintaining, repairing, and calibrating electronic medical instruments.

Many medical electronics engineers work alongside life scientists, chemists, and medical scientists to gather data, evaluate which aspects of the healthcare industry needs improvement, and figure out ways on how to deliver better medical devices and techniques.

Reasons for future growth

The global manufacturing industry sees a great future for the medical electronics industry. As a matter of fact, one of the reports from MarketsandMarkets showed that the medical electronics market is expected to reach $4.41 billion by 2022 from the market value of $3.01 billion in 2015.

One of the main factors the experts are seeing that will most likely contribute to this growth is the industry’s new ability to effectively produce medical products that can be customized according to the patient’s needs like prostheses or artificial body parts. This is made possible by I4.0’s utilization of the Internet of Things (IoT) which is the connectivity of physical devices and everyday objects to the Internet, and the Internet of Services (IoS) which is the systematic use of the Internet for new ways of value creation in the services sector.

Other reasons that call for a robust support for the growth of medical electronics industry include higher standards of living and improved health awareness across developing nations. The increase in lifestyle diseases and the growing population of aging citizens in today’s society also allows for greater acceptance of wearable and easy to use electronic medical devices.

Revolutionary innovations

The medical electronics industry has always been considered as one of the most advanced sectors of global manufacturing, and I4.0 is only providing it with better conditions to produce more revolutionary medical innovations.

3D bioprinting which is a process through which the tissues of a human body can be printed is one of the innovations that has brought great amount of revolution in the field of medicine. Through 3D bioprinting, a ruptured organ can be rebuilt using the patient’s own tissues.

The medical electronics industry has also come up with advanced and revolutionary manufacturing solutions by utilizing robotics. California-based company Ekso Bionics has manufactured and launched their first version of powered exoskeleton bionics which enables paraplegics or people with paralyzed lower body to stand and walk on their own, which shows a promising future for capabilities of robotics.

I4.0 presents nothing but endless great possibilities for the future of medical electronics. That is why the global medical field should start tailoring their practices and procedures aligned with the digitalization of global manufacturing as soon as today.