Password Magazine — Issue 14: Healthcare

Care everywhere

 

Philips Research' involvement in healthcare dates back to 1917 when researchers in Eindhoven started using their expertise in incandescent lamps to make a significant contribution to the development of X-ray tube technology. This early work resulted soon in a production line being set up inside the research laboratory for medical X-ray tubes, marking Philips’ first step in diversification from its original lamp business. Philips breakthrough technologies continued to contribute to the development of medical imaging. Liquid-metal spiral-groove bearings for X-ray tubes, and flat, static and dynamic X-ray detectors, as well as fast reconstruction procedures in CT and MR, high-field open MR systems and image-processing enhancements in ultrasound are just a few recent examples.

But as well as pushing the limits of established imaging techniques, Philips is also at the leading edge in exploring new options for diagnostics and therapy opened up by the tremendous progress that is being made in genomics and proteomics. Imaging techniques based on the detection of molecular processes will identify the onset of diseases at a much earlier stage, thereby increasing the chance of preventive rather than therapeutic treatment.

Early detection fits in well with our drive to bring a number of health-monitoring functions to the home and integrate them in people's daily life in an unobtrusive, personalized and natural way. Merging our skills and expertise in medical systems and consumer electronics, we are ideally placed to cultivate the fertile area between healthcare and personal care. It is our firm belief that the research work currently being done will lead to a new breed of health-monitoring devices in the home, linked to a personal healthcare server which they can consult and alert us to any indications or symptoms of a medical condition or health problem.

This issue of Password takes a closer look at several of these developments and the technologies being explored at Philips Research to make them work. I am confident this will convince you that despite our long presence in healthcare, there is still plenty of new ground to explore. Improving people’s lives is what drives us at Philips, and in healthcare research we are privileged to be able to make this literally come true.

Ad Huijser,
CEO Philips Research