Medical technology & Pharmaceutical industry

Medical technology can save lives, enable cures, improve medical treatments and contribute to a higher quality of life. Sensors play an important role in this regard. They make medical devices safer, more efficient and effective and can simplify their operation.

Althen has been developing and producing both standard and customer-specific sensor solutions for more than 75 years. Especially in the field of force and torque measurement, we have extensive experience in design and integration. With our glass fiber sensors we enable robust, precise pressure and temperature sensor solutions in the micro range. Compared to electronic sensors, fiber-optic sensors generally offer several major advantages, such as:

Insensitivity/immunity to electromagnetic interference and high voltages
Intrinsically safe
Insensitive to lightning strikes
Can be designed with extremely small dimensions

Our focus is not only on developing the best technical solution for the measurement task, but also on finding a cost-effective solution that can also be produced in large quantities if necessary. Every application is different and has its own specific requirements. Whether in terms of sensor size or design: our experts adapt all fiber optic sensors specifically to your needs and also take complex measurement tasks off your hands.

Benefits of our sensor solutions for the medical and pharmaceutical industry

The sensors have predefined output levels
Easy to implement
Ready to use
Fully calibrated by us
Tailored to your application and requirements

Applications in medical technology

Patient beds for MRI scanners

Force sensors ensure precise and controlled movement of the patient in the MRI scanner. The applied force is precisely tuned, resulting in optimal positioning for high-quality image acquisition.

Explore our range of force sensors

Patient beds for CT equipment

Torque and torque sensors can be used for safely adjusting head and foot sections on patient couches and for determining the position of the radiation arm or the position of the CT scanner (computed tomography).

Discover our range of torque sensors

Surgery tables and dental chairs

Linear position sensors are used at various points to detect distance, angle and slope for proper positioning of tables for diagnosis, therapy and patient positioning. Position sensors are often used to detect and control height and tilt.

View our linear position sensors

Invasive diagnosis

Pressure guidewires are designed for accurate evaluation of vasoconstrictions, particularly in the coronary arteries. The wires use patented fiber-optic sensor technology to measure physiological indices such as fractional flow reserve (FFR) and diastolic pressure ratio (dPR). Thanks to fiber optic technology, they are immune to electromagnetic interference and offer high accuracy and reliability even in complex clinical environments.

Explore our fiber optic pressure sensor solutions

Cardiac Surgery

Fiber-optic measurement technology for accurate pressure measurement during minimally invasive insertion of temporary heart pumps.

View our fiber optic pressure sensors

Neuro surgery

Fiber optic temperature sensors for accurate and reliable measurement of tissue temperature in an MRI environment during laser ablation of brain tumors.

View our Fiber optic temperature sensors