In the ongoing struggle to find and develop vaccines, cures and treatment options for health problems, one piece of medical equipment has stood the test of time as the best friend of medical researchers: the microscope. To understand its importance in the medical field, we track the use of the microscope throughout history. Returning to the present, we find out how Covid-19 has brought companies together to produce rapid screening tests in an effort to help control the spread of the virus.

Also in this issue, we take a look at the role that medical devices play in professional sports, investigate the potential of robotics in blood testing, and get to grips with a mechanical controller design that combines the two types of gripping used in commercially available robotic surgery systems.

Plus, we unpick the complex world of medical textiles to examine the most interesting and innovative materials being used to suture wounds and repair damaged tissue, find out how the geko wearable device from Sky Medical Technology uses painless electronic stimulation to prevent and treat blood clots, and take a look at the findings of CyberMDX’s ‘2020 Vision Report on healthcare cybersecurity’.

All this, plus the latest trends, insight and analysis in medical devices and technologies from GlobalData.

Eloise McLennan, editor