Microcontroller and analog semiconductor manufacturer Microchip Technology Inc., Chandler, Ariz., (microchip.com/medical) has formed a Medical Products Group (MPG) to address emerging challenges in medical electronics through close partnerships with medical-device makers. A recent collaboration, for example, put electronic devices inside a knee replacement that can tell what loads it has carried over the last few days.

The FDA says aging baby boomers are driving a “consumerization” of therapeutic and diagnostic devices as more care is done in the home. “This trend is fueling development of smarter and easier-to-use devices, the largest portion of the $100 billion medical-device market, which is growing 15% annually,” says Microchip's Vice President Dan Termer. The company makes electronic devices such as 8 and 16-bit microcontrollers and 16-bit digital signal controllers. Its nonvolatile memory semiconductors are for medical devices.