Raw Materials, Technology, Healthcare Applications, Patent Repository and Clinical Trials on 4D Printing Technology: An Updated Review

After the successful commercial exploitation of 3D printing technology, the advanced version of additive manufacturing, i.e., 4D printing, has been a new buzz in the technology-driven industries since 2013. It is a judicious combination of 3D printing technologies and smart materials (stimuli responsive), where time is the fourth dimension. Materials such as liquid crystal elastomer (LCE), shape memory polymers, alloys and composites exhibiting properties such as self-assembling and self-healing are used in the development/manufacturing of these products, which respond to external stimuli such as solvent, temperature, light, etc. The technologies being used are direct ink writing (DIW), fused filament fabrication (FFF), etc. It offers several advantages over 3D printing and has been exploited in different sectors such as healthcare, textiles, etc. Some remarkable applications of 4D printing technology in healthcare are self-adjusting stents, artificial muscle and drug delivery applications. Potential of applications call for further research into more responsive materials and technologies in this field. The given review is an attempt to collate all the information pertaining to techniques employed, raw materials, applications, clinical trials, recent patents and publications specific to healthcare products. The technology has also been evaluated in terms of regulatory perspectives. The data garnered is expected to make a strong contribution to the field of technology for human welfare and healthcare.

Virtual Reality-Based Framework to Simulate Control Algorithms for Robotic Assistance and Rehabilitation Tasks through a Standing Wheelchair

The implementation of control algorithms oriented to robotic assistance and rehabilitation tasks for people with motor disabilities has been of increasing interest in recent years. However, practical implementation cannot be carried out unless one has the real robotic system availability. To overcome this drawback, this article presents the development of an interactive virtual reality (VR)-based framework that allows one to simulate the execution of rehabilitation tasks and robotic assistance through a robotic standing wheelchair. The virtual environment developed considers the kinematic and dynamic model of the standing human–wheelchair system with a displaced center of mass, since it can be displaced for different reasons, e.g.,: bad posture, limb amputations, obesity, etc. The standing wheelchair autonomous control scheme has been implemented through the Full Simulation (FS) and Hardware in the Loop (HIL) techniques. Finally, the performance of the virtual control schemes has been shown by means of several experiments based on robotic assistance and rehabilitation for people with motor disabilities.

Advancements in Biosensor Technologies for Medical Field and COVID-19 Pandemic

World health organization (WHO) has declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern and then as a pandemic on 30th of January and 11th of March 2020, respectively. After such concern, the world scientific communities have rushed to search for solutions to bring down the disease’s spread, fast-paced vaccine development, and associated medical research using modern technologies. Biosensor technologies play a crucial role in diagnosing various medical diseases, including COVID-19. The present paper describes the major advancement of biosensor-based technological solutions for medical diagnosis, including COVID-19. This review-based work covers the biosensors and their working principles in the context of medical applications. The paper also discusses different biosensors and their applications to tackle medical issues, including this ongoing pandemic.

Technological Resources for Fighting COVID-19 Pandemic Health Issues

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a global effect with several people dying daily due to the dreaded disease. Therefore, each individual has a duty to support the efforts of their countries either financially, socially, technically, or by any other means to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. During this crisis, engineers can come up with innovations to fight the pandemic. One of the reasons for the death of a patient suffering from COVID-19 was the lack of resources required for patient care. The doctors who are taking care of COVID patients could get infected due to lack or the deficiency of available safety kits. Some of the resources required to fight COVID-19 are personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g. gloves, gowns, face masks and shields for respiratory and eye protection respectively), mechanical ventilators and body vital monitoring devices. Engineers can contribute to the fight against COVID-19, by developing compact size ventilators, 3D printed face shield, masks, door handles, hand sanitizer, etc. The available medicines to fight the disease are still under development and trials with limited options at present has led to deaths among patients mostly those who are elderly or having any co-morbid condition. The deficiency of medicine availability can be resolved up to some extent by applying tools of supply chain management.

Tissue Engineering and its Significance in Healthcare During COVID-19 Pandemic: Potential Applications and Perspectives

In the present times of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a great need for new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies to prevent infectious diseases worldwide. Tissue engineering covers the phenomenon of the evolution of tissue, its behavior and growth factors that are better supported in the medical environment. This area of tissue engineering can support the treatment of infected patients of COVID-19 and can help fight the current crisis and viral outbreaks in general. This study aims to identify the significant advancement of tissue engineering for taking up the challenges posed by COVID-19. Major challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the current scenario are discussed. The significant advancements of tissue engineering in the medical field are listed in chronological order. The positive impacts of tissue engineering during the COVID 19 crisis are discussed and finally its useful applications during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation are identified and briefed. This branch of science’s primary importance is to provide biological alternatives that can perform full or partial functions of the damaged, malfunctioned and failing organs or tissues in humans. It is helpful for the supply of convalescent plasma to patients especially during COVID-19. A donor is selected strictly based on a validated case of COVID-19 contagion. The donor must confirm a negative follow-up molecular examination, free from manifestations; usual good health and other pre-donation screening procedures are to be followed.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Debates on the Design of Operating Theatre Ventilation Systems in Healthcare Facilities

COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on providing Trauma and Orthopedic surgery around the world. The orthopedic community had to reconfigure emergency and urgent trauma services safely but also support strategies to prevent person-to-person coronavirus transmission. Various organizations including British Orthopedic Association (BOA), American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and Public Health England (PHE) have provided guidelines for conducting safe essential surgery in operating theatres. One of the areas that have not been debated enough is the type of ventilation systems that should be used in operating theatres during this global pandemic. We review the current evidence in the literature particularly in the challenges faced by health care professionals in current COVID-19 pandemic in deciding and implementing an effective operating theatre ventilation system protecting both our patients and operating room personnel.

Bioengineering Technology in Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: Potential Roles and Applications

Bioengineering (BE) technology has significant influence on the healthcare environment. This has grown steadily particularly since the medical practice has become more technology based. We have tried to assess the impact of bioengineering in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of bioengineering principles in healthcare has been evaluated. The practical implications of these technologies in fighting the current global health pandemic have been presented. There has been a shared drive worldwide to harness the advancements of bioengineering to combat COVID-19. These efforts have ranged from small groups of volunteers to large scale research and mass production. Together the engineering and medical fields have worked to address areas of critical need including the production and delivery of personal protective equipment, ventilators as well as the creation of a viable vaccine. The fight against COVID-19 has helped highlight the work and contributions of so many professionals in the bioengineering fields who are working tirelessly to help our health services cope. Their innovation and ingenuity are paving the way to successfully beat this virus. We must continue to support these fields as we evolve our health systems to deal with the challenges of healthcare in the future.

Nanomedicine Technology and COVID-19 Outbreak: Applications and Challenges

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is one of the biggest challenges in the field of healthcare. Nanomedicine is a developing area that has the potential to treat various diseases and control infections. Now, its applications are open for the treatment of COVID-19. We have studied relevant papers through Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct and ResearchGate on nanomedicine in context of COVID-19. This paper provides detailed information about nanomedicine in the context of healthcare. It further identifies the primary challenges faced in the current situation. This study provides details about the advancements in the area of nanomedicine in healthcare for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we have identified and discussed various significant applications of nanomedicine in solving challenges thrown by the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers can work on developing applications of nanoparticles with the size of the novel Coronavirus. Nanomedicine is helpful to repair the cells of an infected patient the help of repair proteins. It also plays a vital role in testing medicine and helps many clinical trials get approval from healthcare agencies. In the future, nanomedicine will be helpful for fighting against this pandemic and creating advancements in healthcare.

Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Supply Chain Disruption

The COVID-19 outbreak is a worldwide disaster that has disrupted several aspects of human life and its community living. This pandemic has also affected the existing supply chain and the way it was being managed. Therefore, this study’s primary objective is to identify and discuss the significant impact of COVID-19 on the current supply chain, with specific reference to the medical supply chain. This article then recommends the potential solution measures that can reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the existing supply chain during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to do so, we have identified and discussed various significant impacts of COVID-19 on the supply chain. Identifying the impacts helps the policy planner formulate the policies to mitigate these impacts and recover the supply chain at their functional level. Further, this study also suggests possible solution measures that can be adopted to reduce the disruption of the supply chain. These solution measures help management develop the action plan for early recovery from the COVID-19 disruption.

Symbiotic Relationship Between Machine Learning and Industry 4.0: A Review

Industry 4.0 though launched less than a decade ago, has revolutionized the way technologies are being used. It has found its application in almost every field of manufacturing, cybersecurity, health, banking, and other services. Industry 4.0 is heavily dependent on interconnectivity and data. Machine learning (ML) acts as a foundation for building industry 4.0 applications. In this paper, we have provided a broad view of how ML is necessary to accomplish the benefits of industry 4.0. The paper includes ML usage in companies and the limitations of ML, which need to be mitigated. There are also some instances of the failure of ML algorithms and their repercussions. Though industry 4.0 requires a lot more inputs and capital than normal processes, the long-run benefits outweigh the initial costs. ML is gaining popularity, and extensive research is happening to exploit its potential and develop full smart applications.

Virtual Reality (VR) Applications in Cardiology: A Review

Virtual reality (VR) has applications in cardiology to create enhancement, thereby improving the quality of associated planning, treatment and surgery. The need is to study different applications of this technology in the field of cardiology. We have studied research papers on VR and its applications in cardiology through a detailed bibliometric analysis. The study identified five significant steps for proper implementation of this technology in cardiology. Some challenges are to be undertaken by using this technology, and they can provide some benefits; thus, authors contemplate extensive research and development. This study also identifies 10 major VR technology applications in cardiology and provided a brief description. This innovative technology helps a heart surgeon to perform complex heart surgery effectively. Thus, VR applications have the potential for improving decision-making, which helps save human life. VR plays a significant role in the development of a surgical procedure. This technology undertakes 3D heart model information in full colour, which helps to analyze the overall heart vane, blockage and blood flow. With the help of this digital technology, a surgeon can improve the accuracy of heart surgery, and he can simulate the surgery. A surgeon can undertake surgery in a virtual environment on a virtual patient. The unique purpose of this technology is to practice pre-operatively on the specific circumstance. A cardiologist can also check the proper status of inner and outer heart wall layer. Thus, by using this 3D information, the surgeon can now interact with heart data/information without any physical touch. This technology opens a new opportunity to improve the heart surgery and development in cardiovascular treatment to improve patient outcome.

IoT-based GPS assisted surveillance system with inter-WBAN geographic routing for pandemic situations

BACKGROUND

Worldwide pandemic situations drive countries into high healthcare costs and dangerous conditions. Hospital occupancy rates and medical expenses increase dramatically. Real-time remote health monitoring and surveillance systems with IoT assisted eHealth equipment play important roles in such pandemic situations. To prevent the spread of a pandemic is as crucial as treating the infected patients. The COVID-19 pandemic is the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

METHODS

We propose a surveillance system especially for coronavirus pandemic with IoT applications and an inter-WBAN geographic routing algorithm. In this study, coronavirus symptoms such as respiration rate, body temperature, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, heart rate can be monitored and the social distance with 'mask-wearing status' of persons can be displayed with proposed IoT software (Node-RED, InfluxDB, and Grafana).

RESULTS

The geographic routing algorithm is compared with AODV in outdoor areas according to delivery ratio, delay for priority node, packet loss ratio and bit error rate. The results obtained showed that the geographic routing algorithm is more successful for the proposed architecture.

CONCLUSION

The results show that the use of WBAN technology, geographic routing algorithm, and IoT applications helps to achieve a realistic and meaningful surveillance system with better statistical data.

Significant Applications of Big Data in Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 is being implemented with the help of advanced technologies. Big data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud computing, and 3D printing are the major technologies used to adopt Industry 4.0 successfully. Here, the study’s need is to discuss the major potential of big data for Industry 4.0. These technologies’ primary purpose is to collect the right data to solve the relevant issue during manufacturing and other required services. This technology plays a significant role in creating advancements in this fourth industrial revolution. Conclusively, big data applications are useful for in-process management and productivity improvement in the automation sector. Complex systems of drivers and intelligent sensors can be easily optimized based on information collected using this technology. Big data is the key to gain a competitive leap by reconnoitring the fundamental issues like deviations during the process, quality discriminations, and energy efficiency squander in a manufacturing process. The study discusses the significant applications of big data in Industry 4.0. For a proper surveillance system, industries need to have an immensely technical or personalized way, making big data a valuable source for predicting analysis and operation management based on market insight statistics or information. In upcoming days, big data will provide further advancement in Industry 4.0 and is supposed to play an efficient role in its successful adoption.

Cloud Computing in Solving Problems of COVID-19 Pandemic

Cloud computing facilitates collaboration, communication, and essential online services during the COVID-19 crisis. The current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled people to work from their homes, but they have to communicate, collaborate online. Thus, we see an essential role of cloud computing in taking up this challenge of working from home and delivering efficiently. A brief review of Cloud Computing service in the context of COVID-19 pandemic is done using recent papers’ by searching keywords such as “Cloud Computing” and “COVID-19” from PubMed’s database SCOPUS and Google Scholar. During the lockdown situation, cloud computing technology helps provide commendable service in the healthcare domain. It provides an advanced infrastructure for facilitating digital transformation. A brief discussion has been made on how cloud computing components are vital for overcoming the ongoing situation. This paper also studies the remote working of cloud computing for the COVID-19 pandemic and finally identified significant cloud computing applications for the COVID-19 pandemic. All countries focus on reducing this virus’s spread, so this technology helps minimize the spread of this virus by providing online services. It provides an innovative environment that enhances the creativity and productivity of healthcare workers. This technology is efficient in detecting, tracking, and monitoring newly infected patients. In the future, this technology will insight and provide control over this infection to save millions of lives worldwide. This technology is also quite helpful to forecast the future impact of the SARS-Co-2 virus.

Dentistry 4.0 technologies applications for dentistry during COVID-19 pandemic

The term, Dentistry 4.0, coincides with Industry 4.0, in which the traditional methods of manufacturing and information are made more precise to enhance process efficiency by using automation and advanced computer technologies. The main of this paper is to discuss the major potential of Dentistry 4.0 technologies in the field of dentistry during Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. Thereon, Dentistry 4.0 is advancing on its way with the use of advanced technologies in dentistry. Dental healthcare makes an essential part of the overall health of the masses. New technological advancements are essential to make the dentist work quicker, patient comfortable, and process reliable. So, we introduced the concept of Dentistry 4.0 to improve efficiency and impart innovation in dentistry during this pandemic. This paper briefs about the Dentistry 4.0 technologies helpful for the COVID-19 pandemic. Further discusses various issues and challenges in implementing Dentistry 4.0 for dentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the paper identifies and discussed fifteen significant applications of Dentistry 4.0 technologies for dentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the onset of the pandemic, globally, the healthcare sector is taking initiatives to strengthen affordable and high-speed data connectivity. This up-gradation and investment will also help dentists to access patients' data from smaller towns or villages using Dentistry 4.0 technologies. Thus, globally there is the onset of the fourth dentistry revolution, and we understand that this will change the trend of dentistry during and post-COVID-19 Pandemic. Dentistry 4.0 technologies are helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic to create teledentistry, virtual clinical practice and connect all dental devices to improve health conditions. This approach is to help progress towards the integrated capabilities, patient-centric remedies with predicted results in an easier way than the traditional way of the health care industry.