Motion analyzer helps save lives

摘要

Boston Scientific's Northwest Technology Center manufactures the Rotablator~® Rotational Angioplasty System, a surgical tool that removes deadly plaque from arterial walls. A tiny handmade, football-shaped burr measuring 1.25 to 2.50 mm in diameter and coated with microscopic diamonds spins through plaque to disintegrate it. Precise motion analysis is critical to developing burrs that effectively remove plaque deposits. Boston Scientific uses the Kodak EktaPro high-speed motion analyzer, Model 4540, to help R&D. The camera helps engineers study the burrs' rotation and the drive-shaft motion that connects the burr to the turbine in the device.