It’s all too easy to see patents as a barrier to innovation – telling us all the things we cannot do. Yet in fact they can hold the key to success. Patterns within global patents are full of rich insight which can lead to new market opportunities and compelling product…
Most of us don’t take action often enough when it comes to improving our health. For many, the standard of care is bare bones: we find the time to schedule a visit to the doctor, listen attentively for the few minutes the doctor is speaking, and then implement the one…
When pharmaceutical companies launch a new product, often it is a combination of a new drug in an existing, proven delivery device. Because all new pharma products have full regulatory scrutiny, it is important to make sure the medical device design history file (DHF) is up to date and meets…
Light has become a powerful medical tool. Continuing advances in the understanding of biological interactions with light, and newly developing light technologies, have given rise to a wide range of light-based therapies. As a physicist, I use light to study and modify the properties of materials down to the nanoscale.…
The rise of connected devices and the variety of information they can generate is set to drive an increase in patient adherence to therapies. Our trials have shown that remote and hidden sensing of actual user behaviour can uncover unexpected and significant opportunities to improve the patient experience.So how can…
Anybody who has ever tried to make anything knows that sinking feeling when you put your invention together for the first time, press go and… nothing happens. Or, worse, a lot happens that you really weren’t expecting! Assuming your prize creation hasn’t actually exploded (SpaceX, we’re looking at you), you’re…
14 March 2018 – Technology and product design firm Cambridge Design Partnership (CDP) has worked with leading shoe brand ECCO on a breakthrough in data-driven customised footwear. It opens the door to a new generation of customised footwear for the mass market – heralding an evolution in engineered comfort. Consumers…
I wonder how many athletes in the Winter Olympics had used artificial intelligence (AI) to improve their performance. AI is when a computer is programmed to mimic human cognitive functions such as learning and problem solving. With wearables like Fitbit abounding in the sports market, AI is beginning to play…
Our healthcare clients do amazing work on complex designs with strict oversight and regulations – which are necessary to ensure medical products are safe and efficacious. But when we collaborate, our combined teams can greatly accelerate programmes, prompting the common question: “What are we doing to move so fast together?”Having…
I recently hosted a group of entrepreneurs from Latvia and Estonia at our Cambridge R&D centre. They were on a course, led by Professor Alan Barrell, that helped and encouraged them to learn from the Cambridge innovation ecosystem that we are proud to be part of. It was fascinating to…
Is 2018 the year of the plastic revolution? It’s certainly starting to feel that way. The ‘Blue Planet II effect’ – what happens when the devastating impact of our plastic lifestyle is laid out in exquisitely shot detail to more than 10 million viewers – seems to have set in…
Government-sponsored industrial strategies in the UK have rather fallen out of fashion since Margaret Thatcher was elected in the late ‘70s with free market policies. So you might have missed the launch of the Industrial Strategy in November last year. It’s the UK government’s innovation initiative to address our growing…