Handheld Medical Device & Surgical Handpiece Design

Transmural Systems catheter handle with strain relief and luer hub, render

Handheld Device and Handpiece Design

HERNETICS designs surgical handpieces, handheld instruments, and home-use medical devices. We take each project from grip studies and mechanism design through industrial design, detailed engineering, and production. A handheld design is judged in the hand, over a full procedure and through wipe-down and sterilization.

Design for the full range of users, from the 5th-percentile female hand to the 95th-percentile male hand.
Design for wet gloves, natural grip forms, balance, and center of gravity so the device stays controlled and comfortable in long cases.
Position activation buttons, triggers, and dials so they can be reached without regripping but are hard to trigger by accident.
Route cables and tubing so they don't drag on the wrist or tangle in the periphery.
Design for maintenance, cleaning, sterilization, and assembly.

Behind the form, we engineer the mechanisms, sealing, and DFM for manufacturing, so the design that tested well in prototype holds up through verification and production.

Design for the full range of users, from the 5th-percentile female hand to the 95th-percentile male hand.
Design for wet gloves, natural grip forms, balance, and center of gravity so the device stays controlled and comfortable in long cases.
Position activation buttons, triggers, and dials so they can be reached without regripping but are hard to trigger by accident.
Route cables and tubing so they don't drag on the wrist or tangle in the periphery.
Design for maintenance, cleaning, sterilization, and assembly.

Behind the form, we engineer the mechanisms, sealing, and DFM for manufacturing, so the design that tested well in prototype holds up through verification and production.

Transmural catheter handle, exterior view

Transmural catheter handle, cutaway view

Case Study: Solea

2014 Medical Design Excellence Awards Gold Winner

Challenge: Solea is a 9.3-micron CO₂ laser, the first the FDA cleared for both hard and soft tissue. Its beam has to travel from the console to the patient's mouth through an articulating arm without losing alignment via 12 servo driven mirrors. It reaches a handpiece that houses fast-moving mirrors shaping the cut, which the dentist must steer as naturally as a traditional drill.

Solution: HERNETICS designed the handpiece and delivery arm within a system of more than 650 components and 150 custom parts, in conjunction with the complete mobile cart system.

Result: Concept to 510(k) clearance in under two years, and Gold at the 2014 Medical Design Excellence Awards.

Case Study: At-Home Skin-Tightening Laser

An FDA-cleared, at-home laser that uses a non-ablative 1450nm diode to stimulate collagen without damaging the skin surface, designed for safe use by consumers.

Case Study: Portal Instruments PRIME Needle-Free Injector

The PRIME Needle-Free platform revolutionizes self-injection with computer-controlled jet technology, delivering medication in a narrow stream through the skin in under a second.
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Designed for home use, the PRIME Needle-Free device simplifies the administration of various biologics and pharmaceuticals. With its needle-free technology and support for different viscosities and volumes, it prioritizes patient comfort and confidence.

Case Study: Microline Surgical M/L-10 Clip Applier

A reusable, multi-fire clip applier that fires 19 medium/large titanium clips from a disposable cartridge, reducing waste compared with fully disposable appliers.

Case Study: Apa Clean Sonic Toothbrush

A consumer oral-care device operating at lower RPM to protect enamel, delivering 40,000 sonic vibrations per minute.

Medical Handheld Capabilities

Ergonomic studies and grip development with physical models
Trigger, dial, and button mechanism design
Handpiece architecture for energy-based and powered devices
Industrial design, color, materials, and finish
Design for cleaning, reprocessing, and sterilization
Detailed engineering and production transfer

HERNETICS works on handheld programs from initial ergonomic studies through production, or on a defined phase such as handpiece redesign, mechanism development, or design for manufacturing.