Integration of Single-Use Camera Could Yield Low-Cost Disposable Devices

bc-tech-video-scout

A miniature camera could enable development of low-cost disposable devices with imaging capabilities.

BC Tech (Santa Cruz, CA), an outsourced product development and contract manufacturing company, has introduced the Video Scout to the medical device market. The miniature single-use video camera module is designed for integration into a variety of disposable medical products."Medical companies can integrate the Video Scout into biopsy tools, ablation wands, catheters, tissue cutters, scopes, and more," says Charlie Skinner, VP of business development. "We're confident this sort of low-cost imaging technology will usher in a new wave of disposable medical products with built-in video cameras."The camera, according to the company, has the potential to impact the medical device industry in numerous ways. For example, the manufacturer speculates that because the camera facilitates the development of low-cost, imaging-enabled diagnostic devices, healthcare in developing countries could be improved. The low-cost product could also allow for such enhanced disposable devices to become more commonplace in doctors' offices and at the point of care, rather than solely in surgical suites.Engineered with a 3-mm diameter, the Video Scout is one of the smallest cameras in existence, according to BC Tech. Additional features of the imaging technology include quad LED illumination, a hermetically sealed biocompatible cap, a 74.5° field of view, and high image quality. Furthermore, the module's CMOS sensor provides 400 × 400-pixel resolution at 30 frames per second.