Shaking up the status quo
A new medical product has been brought rapidly to market that should greatly benefit patients both in developing and developed countries
A multi-purpose medical instrument for eye, ear and throat inspection has been brought from concept to prototype stage in eight weeks by taking advantage of every IT aid along the way.
The instrument is powered by being shaken. A cylindrical bar magnet is made to move back and forth through a coil. Shaking the device for 30 seconds generates enough electricity to keep the light illuminated for 10 minutes.
And while the idea of generating power in this way is not new – in Eureka in March 2004, for example, we carried the story, ‘Tumbling magnet generates extra power’ – this may well be the first time that the technology has ever been applied to medical instruments.
