Using advanced manufacturing to lower the cost of customizable assistive health care devices

Red Deer Polytechnics （RDP）的提案“利用先进的制造技术降低可定制的辅助医疗设备的成本”的目标是增加阿尔伯塔省制造医疗设备的公司数量，并增加需要这些设备的人的负担能力和选择。这是一个复杂的问题，有许多不同的解决方案。与艾伯塔省创新者和行业的协商强调了解决这一问题的综合团队方法的必要性。一些支持医疗保健设备的组织也指出，创新者要么缺乏知识，要么无法获得先进的制造解决方案。在本提案中，研究方法将依赖于一个多方面的专家团队。临床医生、制造专家、商业专家、健康研究人员和工业界将在设计、验证、市场评估和制造可行性方面进行合作，以推动健康设备取得商业成功。这项研究将应用新的方法来设计和制造设备。RDP的制造创新中心-技术访问中心（CIM-TAC）拥有帮助这些创新者所需的先进制造工具和软件。RDP的CIM-TAC将与集成团队协调研究。技术人员、工程师、学生和教职员工将主要协助设备的制造/原型设计，但也会进行验证和经济分析。这种综合方法与先进的制造中心相结合，在阿尔伯塔省是独一无二的。该提案的另一个独特之处在于终端制造商参与了这一过程。这项工作的结果将是开发和商业化可定制的辅助卫生保健设备的路线图，以造福那些需要它们的人。

The objective of Red Deer Polytechnics's (RDP) proposal "Using advanced manufacturing to lower the cost of customizable assistive health care devices" is to both increase the number of companies manufacturing health care devices in Alberta and to increase the affordability and selection for those that need them.This is a complex problem with many different solutions. Consultation with Alberta innovators and industry highlighted the need for an integrated team approach to solving this problem. Several organizations that support health care devices, also noted that the innovators lacked either the knowledge and/or the access to advanced manufacturing solutions. The research approach, in this proposal, will rely on a multi-faceted team of experts. Clinicians, manufacturing experts, business experts, health researchers, and industry will collaborate on the design, validation, market assessment and manufacturing viability to drive health devices to commercial success. The research will apply new methodologies to the design and manufacture of devices. RDP's Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing - Technology Access Centre (CIM-TAC) has the advanced manufacturing tools and software required to assist these innovators. RDP's CIM-TAC will coordinate the research with the integrated team. The technicians, engineers, students and faculty members will assist predominately in the manufacturing/prototyping of the devices, but also with validation and economic analysis. This integrated approach coupled with an advanced manufacturing centre is unique in Alberta. Also unique to the proposal is the involvement of the end manufacturers in the process. The outcome of this work will be a roadmap for developing and commercializing customizable assistive health care devices for the benefit of those that need them.