As anyone who has ever innovated knows, identifying a great concept is only half the battle. Testing and refinement are vital for bringing that concept to life and transforming it into a viable product.
This is one phase where the benefits of our all-inclusive Innovation Center become readily apparent. Because the entire innovation lifecycle occurs in one building - with designers, engineers and fabrication experts all in close proximity - we're able to prototype, test, refine and re-prototype in record time.
During development of CardioInsight's ECVue cardiac mapping garment, we produced and tested a series of 10 evolutionary prototypes in a span of just 6 weeks.
We began initial testing on a mannequin and then tested samples on a broad range of subjects with different body shapes and sizes.
As we moved through the testing, we made iterative refinements to ensure the style and construction would provide the right balance of adhesion and mobility.
And we developed a new approach for mapping the circuitry topology to the 3D aspect of a human form that delivered optimal results and consistent performance during procedures lasting 6-8 hours or more.
Meeting the 6-week testing timeline would have been logistically impossible despite their best efforts if we had had to rely on external manufacturing partners.
However, because we created all of the samples in our own prototyping facility within the Innovation Center - with the design and engineering team on-site - we were able to test, refine and test again in a matter of days.
Thanks to this rapid prototyping and iterative development plus excellent collaboration across the innovation team including CardioInsight and their manufacturing partners, we've been able to quickly transition the final design into full production.
The ECVue Electrocardiographic Mapping System is now approaching European Union CE mark approval in preparation for final testing and approval in the US.