The body mass index will give a reasonably accurate sense of weight and health, though offers little in-depth information, but now scientists are working to unlock greater detail with body composition monitoring. We take a look at this burgeoning field and its potential to unlock new treatments.

Also, we round up the most notable medical technologies on the market that are helping patients to manage the physical effects of air pollution around the world, profile how the enhanced autonomy of the TWIICE One exoskeleton could benefit patients by giving them a greater sense of independence, and examine a new portable brain scanning technique that is helping researchers to scan for cerebral damage in malnourished infants.

Plus, we investigate the risks of complacency in robotic surgery and what needs to be done to improve safety for procedures in the future, find out if blockchain technology could transform the future of cancer screening, and explore the challenges facing manufacturers, users and regulators in the emerging era of medicine 2.0.

As always, we round up the latest news from the medical device industry, and get comment and analysis from GlobalData’s healthcare analysts on market dynamics, product innovation, regional developments and regulatory issues.

Eloise McLennan, editor