Cell Phone Charger Could Transform OR Tools!

Engadget is reporting on a new electromagnetical induction device to charge your cell phone and pocket gadgets.  What’s the medical tie-in DITM?

First here’s their report:

Charge-by-contact pads have a real shot at practicality. We haven’t seen too much action on the wire-free charging front in quite some time. Thankfully, WildCharge is apparently stepping to the plate, and hopes to show off its WildCharger pad at CES; the device requires a single AC power cord, and then can reportedly recharge any device you lay atop its surface, be it cellphones, PDAs, or awkwardly-shaped headphones. We presume a special module will need to be installed on each battery that hopes to receive its share of electromagnetic induction.

It is the same technology that is used in newer electric toothbrushes that charge in a litte holde without any real metal contact.

How this could change OR tools:

In endoscopic surgery we use telescopes to look inside the body.  These are attached to video cameras to display the images and in many specialties powered tools are used in the operation.  Today, these are all limited by being tethered to power and video and light.  Technology like this can allow us to cut the cords.  I presented at the AAGL Global Conference of Gyn Laparoscopy last year research on a next generation endoscope.  Instead of glass lenses, a CCD chip camera, and halogen bulb illumination it used a tiny distal CMOS chip and integral LED illumination. This allows elimination of some of the external connections of the tool.  It could be further refined to eliminate any connections of the tool externally by using  wireless video transmission or batteries.  Power however would be limited. 

The new cell-phone charger technology sets the stage fora whole new generation of tools that could be wirelessly charged or powered. There could even be powered or recharged while inside the body.  I know that several medical device companies have been looking into this concept.  There is a real cord-tangle problem in endoscopic surgery and anything that elminates them is welcome in the OR. 

If you want to imagine someof the future applications this could enable listen about future surgery including implanted remote diagnostic devices on my podcast from the aagl at obgyn.net.