The present disclosure provides alert implants that comprise a medical device and an implantable reporting processor (IRP), where one example of such a medical device includes a component for a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) such as a tibial extension, a femoral component for hip replacements, a breast implant, a distal rod for arm or leg breakage repair, a scoliosis rod, a dynamic hip screw, a spinal interbody spacer, and tooling and methods that may be used to form the alert implant, and uses of such alert implants in the health maintenance of patients who receive the implant.

A system and method for powering a medical device that includes a fixture configured for periodic patient proximity; external electrical coupling device integrated into the fixture wherein the external electrical coupling device comprises at least one external energy coupler and is configured to detect presence of an electrical medical device implant in a transmission zone of the external electrical coupling device; an electrical medical device implant, wherein the electrical medical device implant comprises at least one implant energy coupler; and wherein the external electrical coupling device is configured to couple to the implantable medical device through a wireless energy transmission between the external energy coupler and the implant energy coupler when presence of the implantable medical device is within a transmission zone.

A prosthetic disc can take the form of a sensing artificial disc that includes a resilient core and at least one sensor configured to sense one or more conditions within and/or experienced by the disc. The sensing artificial disc can serve as a replacement to a failed or injured disc between two vertebrae of a spine. The sensing artificial disc can include at least one element configured to change a condition or property of the resilient core in response to a condition sensed by the at least one sensor. A prosthetic disc can include therapeutic system configured to deliver medication to the body, which can include a reservoir of medication.

Artificial muscle device and method of manufacturing the same for the treatment or control of an organ such as the heart. The artificial muscle device comprises artificial polymer actuators or fibers that can work together to form the artificial muscle structure. The artificial fibers are electrothermally active contractile polymers capable of various characteristics, including increased contractile forces. The artificial actuators are knittable or weavable into patterns and shapes to create unique artificial muscles that can be shaped into implantable devices.

An artificial bladder system including an implantable bladder, a valve, a number of sensors, and an alert mechanism. The implantable bladder includes an outer wall forming a chamber for collecting urine of a user, the outer wall including inflow openings and an outflow opening. The valve is integrated with the outflow opening to selectively allow urine to flow from the chamber through the outflow opening. The sensors are configured to detect a urine level in the chamber. The alert mechanism is configured to generate a sensory output to alert the user that the bladder should be emptied upon detection of the urine level in the chamber by one of the sensors.

A system and method for altering bone growth on and within an orthopedic implant comprising an implant body, wherein the implant body comprises an exterior surface and an interior surface defining an internal cavity of the implant body, a plurality of electrodes, wherein each electrode is at least partially embedded in the implant body, and comprises at least, a first set of the plurality of electrodes 116, composed of a first material, and a second set of the plurality of electrodes, composed of a second material; and a control system, comprising a processor and circuitry that connects to the plurality of electrodes, wherein the processor, through operating modes, provides machine instructions to control direction and magnitude of current traveling through each electrode from the plurality of electrodes; and a power system, comprising a power source and circuitry that provides electrical power for function of the plurality of electrodes.

Artificial muscles comprising a body of dielectric elastomer, wherein the body contains a pair of microfluidic networks are presented. Each microfluidic network includes a plurality of channels fluidically coupled via a manifold. The channels of the microfluidic networks are interdigitated and filled with conductive fluid such that each set of adjacent channels functions as the electrodes of an electroactive polymer (EAP) actuator. By using the manifolds as compliant wiring to energize the electrodes, artificial muscles in accordance with the present disclosure mitigate some or all of the reliability problems associated with prior-art artificial muscles.

An assistance method for assisting a person in grasping or otherwise manipulating an object includes receiving video of a hand of the person and of an object. An intent to grasp the object is identified based on proximity of the hand to the object in the video or as measured by a proximity sensor, or using gaze tracking, or based on measured neural activity of the person. The object and the hand in the video are analyzed to determine an object grasping action for grasping or otherwise manipulating the object. An actuator is controlled to cause the hand to perform the determined hand action for grasping or otherwise manipulating the object.

The present invention relates to a filtering device for removing particles from a bodily fluid of a patient, the filtering device being implantable in the patient's body. The device has a tube forming a main fluid passageway for bodily fluid, through which the bodily fluid of the patient passes when the tube is implanted in the patient, a filter connected to the tube and a filter cleaning device for cleaning the filter by moving particles collected by the filter out of the fluid passageway, wherein the filter cleaning device is adapted to replace the first filter in the fluid passageway with a second filter, thereby moving the particles collected by the first filter out of the fluid passageway.

An antibiotic delivery system including an intramedullary stem that is adapted to be removably mounted into a medullary canal of a bone. The stem includes a body having an inlet adapted to be in fluid communication with a source of liquid-borne antibiotic and a plurality of outlets disposed along the stem. A channel extends between the inlet and the plurality of outlets for delivering a fluid-borne antibiotic from the inlet to the plurality of outlets so as to distribute the antibiotic along the medullary canal in a controlled fashion. A method of treating an infected joint during a two-stage re-implantation of an orthopedic implant is also disclosed.