This article is an excerpt from the Boston Engineering 2024 Technology Outlook. For a copy of this article and the complete publication, visit the 2024 Technology Outlook digital download page.
It’s best practice to model early in the development process. This empowers designers to make informed, data-driven decisions as the foundation for the entire product development cycle.
By creating digital models at the outset, we gain invaluable insights into challenges and opportunities, driven by the ability to anticipate problems and optimize designs as physical prototypes are developed and initial testing provides more data for simulation.
As we look to 2024, digital modeling will continue as an indispensable tool in product design. In particular, the acceptance of simulation data by regulatory bodies, digital twin increasing alignment between simulations and testing, and the integration of Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices are driving exciting shifts in industry.
Boston Engineering recently undertook a medical project focused on robotic end effector tools. Using advanced modeling techniques, powered by empirical data collected in parallel with simulation development, we refined the product design and presented the performance data to the FDA.
The agency, known for its stringent testing requirements, accepted our simulations for subsequent tool designs, as we proved that the simulation data tracked with empirical evidence from the project’s beginning. Look for significant shifts by the FDA and other regulatory bodies toward accepting more simulation data.
The digital twin, a transformative digital modeling tool (and technique), continues to change the way we approach design.
A digital twin is a virtual representation of a product that mirrors its physical counterpart and allows for simulation, analysis, and optimization, ushering in an era of unprecedented design speed and precision. Companies that adopt digital twin technology early in the process will see greatly reduced development and testing costs going forward.
Coupling digital twins with IoT is revolutionizing the design and development process. Devices equipped with IoT capabilities collect real-world data and integrate performance feedback into digital models for continuous improvement.
This marks a full circle in the product development process, with data-driven insights and simulation driving next-version product design, ushering in an era of unprecedented responsiveness to market feedback for product upgrades.
With all these opportunities, the onus is on manufacturers and product companies to leverage the emerging technologies and the transformative potential of digital modeling. Companies that start with digital models and simulation will widen the performance gap between themselves and those who wait to adopt the processes. By doing so, they are positioned to stay ahead of their competition in 2024 and beyond.
Download this article and the complete publication by visiting the 2024 Technology Outlook digital download page today.
As the engineering landscape continues to evolve, Boston Engineering is committed to proactively integrating cutting-edge technologies and methodologies into the solutions it delivers, ensuring that clients stay at the forefront of industry trends and maintain a competitive edge in 2024 and beyond.
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For almost three decades, Boston Engineering has designed, developed, and optimized devices and technologies the medical community relies on to save lives, enrich quality of life, and reduce costs to the healthcare system. We provide solutions to the challenges in the adoption of surgical robotics.
Our expertise includes industrial design and product redesign, sensors and control systems, robotics technical innovation, and digital software solutions.
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