Part human, part robot: The future of medical implantables

A century ago, placing man-made parts into a human body to replicate lost function or prevent debilitating symptoms would have been viewed as science fiction.

Today implantable electronic medical devices (IEMDs), like pacemakers and cochlear implants, are widely accepted. But the next generation of these devices, powered by artificial intelligence, will once again push the limits of our imagination.

The first patient

In 1958, 43-year old Arne Larsson of Sweden became the world’s first implantable pacemaker patient after a viral infection damaged his heart.