POSITION
will accelerate innovation in smart medical instruments by working towards of open technology platforms
Smart Catheters | Objectives | Impact
Smart catheters and instruments add “eyes and ears” to minimally invasive instruments. Many clinical studies have underlined their value in improving the outcome of interventions, and in reducing cost. However, originating from traditional catheter manufacturers, these devices are without exception made with outdated 20th century technology resulting in a non-optimal performance and increased cost due to manual assembly.
POSITION will enhance the competitiveness of Europe in the rapidly emerging field of minimal invasive surgery. It will enable the further development of the European R&D and manufacturing capability in an extremely innovative industrial segment with a high economic importance, not only encompassing the micro-fabricated device itself, but also the various value chains that they enable. Finally, by bringing smart catheters into the domain of high volume manufacturing, POSITION will improve the quality of health-care at manageable cost.
In POSITION a pilot line for the realization of the next generation of smart catheters and implants will be established. In this pilot line scalable open technology platforms based on essential technologies contributed by many European companies will be integrated in one manufacturing network. POSITION will enable the electronic industry to take the lead in the development of these live saving instruments. The next generation smart catheters and implants developed in POSITION will: