The skin’s ability to act as a barrier against damage and infection depends on a variety of factors, including: structure of skin, genetics and lifestyle, environmental factors, how skin changes over your lifetime, underlying conditions and diseases.

It turns out that adhesives are a critical component to the success of wearables. Adhesives provide solutions to design challenges and help protect users’ skin from harm.

3M’s deep understanding of science is core to the work we do to solve our customers’ most difficult challenges. As part of this vital relationship with science, the company has sponsored a global, independent research project called the 3M State of Science Index (SOSI), designed to uncover attitudes and perceptions about science. We can now draw from these results to enrich thought leadership across our businesses.

Honorees recognized for driving progress in product design and manufacturing.

Immersive technology is a growing platform through which we can experience the world around us – just like texting, video games, photos and videos. We can use this new medium to creatively interact with the digital and real worlds.

What we see tells us a lot about the world around us, but there’s so much more that your body interprets and turns into your perception of the world around you. The feeling of your feet hitting the pavement can tell you if the ground beneath you is solid or gravel covered. Feeling wind blowing against your face can tell you that it is cold outside.

Imagine being a physician caring for a burn patient and being able to help ease your patient’s pain while you prepare to clean their wound.

Adhesives play a critical role in the success of a medical device, whether it’s holding the device together or adhering it to the wearer’s skin. But with so many adhesive products available, it can be a challenge for design engineers to know which one is right for their project. To help bridge this critical gap, 3M developed a “Find My Adhesive” product selector tool to help make medical adhesive selection a simpler process.

It’s not uncommon for people to know how many steps they’ve taken today or how well they slept last night. Rapid growth of wearable technology is enabling us to track specific nuances of our lives, like steps and sleep, which can help guide our overall health. Looking to the future, the wearable medical device market will further evolve as patients and consumers continue to “hack their health.”

Whether sticking a device to skin or adhering components together, adhesive plays a pivotal role in successful device design. Selecting the optimal adhesive for your wearable device can be tricky.

Microfluidics is the science of moving microscopic volumes of fluids through tiny channels in a device. Microfluidics technology is used in the construction of blood glucose strips, lab-on-a-disc and lab-on-a-chip applications, and other diagnostic consumables and devices.

While the road to bringing a medical device to market is often bumpy, working with an experienced and knowledgeable partner can help navigate the process and potentially avoid some of the bumps.

CES 2018 showcased many wearable devices developed for health and lifestyle applications. Many of these devices use adhesives to stick to people’s skin, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for a day, or even a week or longer. Also, there are developers out there that want implantable devices that need adhesives. 3M is arguably a leader in the field of adhesive materials.

Adhesives play a critical role in the success of a medical device, whether it’s holding the device together or adhering it to the wearer’s skin. But with so many adhesive products available, it can be a challenge for design engineers to know which one is right for their project. To help bridge this critical gap, 3M developed a “Find My Adhesive” product selector tool to help make medical adhesive selection a simpler process.Adhesives play a critical role in the success of a medical device, whether it’s holding the device together or adhering it to the wearer’s skin. But with so many adhesive products available, it can be a challenge for design engineers to know which one is right for their project. To help bridge this critical gap, 3M developed a “Find My Adhesive” product selector tool to help make medical adhesive selection a simpler process.

When it comes to holding a device together or adhering it to someone's skin, adhesives play a crucial role. And, with so many choices available, medical designers can, well, come unglued a bit, making the best selection difficult amidst time and cost pressures.

3M released a new acrylic-based adhesive, 3M 4076 extended wear medical tape, designed to help medical device manufacturers in long-term wear applications. The adhesive was honored with a Golden Mousetrap award at MD&M West, held in Anaheim from Feb. 6-8.

3M's Find My Adhesive product selector tool makes the medical adhesive selection process easier.

Need help finding the right adhesive for your product application but don’t know where to look? 3M debuted new adhesive product selection tool at CES 2018.

Before you start a medical wearable device project, consider the following challenges and suggestions on how to address them. Read more.

3M reveals its latest adhesive and why medical device manufacturers might be interested in its development.

New acrylic-based, nonwoven tape offers long-term wear on most skin, enabling engineers to solve tough medical device design challenges. Read more.

10 factors design engineers must consider when creating stick-to-skin medical devices.

Recent studies of 3M's medical adhesives evaluated skin wear time and more.

When developing adhesives for the skin, early involvement of the material partner is critical. The skin has many features that affect how a material will adhere to and wear on its surface.

Motherhood. We knew it would rock our world. But no one told us – really told us – it would shake us to our core.

It’s an important job, to say the least. Our skin – the largest and fastest-growing organ in our bodies – is designed to protect us.

What is the science behind snoring? Dr. Oyebode Taiwo, 3M’s global medical director, explains.

It’s important for designers to understand the full scope of factors affecting adhesion and wear time. Health, age and environment are just a few aspects to keep in mind.

Heather Thompson, editor with Medical Design & Outsourcing, wrote on her interview with Diana Eitzman, PhD.

3M Medical Materials & Technologies team recently participated in the MATTERBOX Madness event along with many other Twin Cities companies, click to read more here.

With all the wonders of modern technology, we're used to knowing the exact statistical details of everything we do: how many steps we've walked, what our gas mileage is, our favorite athlete's stats, even how to measure our blood sugar levels or alcohol content. These advances aren't just limited to what's happening in healthcare—click here to learn more.

HopeKids offers events and activities for children with cancer and other chronic, life-threatening illnesses – giving kids something to look forward to. Its goal: to restore fun, excitement and hope to what can be a difficult and uncertain future. Click to read the entire story.

Learn how one technology is making a host of new diabetes technologies possible.

Learn more about the condition, and what's being done to address it.

With a few practices and tools, you can maximize the health of your legs and feet.

Maria Fontanazza, editor with Med Tech Intelligence, wrote on the integration of data and diabetes in Big Data Meets Diabetes.

Guillermo Urquia has diabetes and needs to monitor his blood sugar levels regularly. He simply pricks his finger, transfers the blood onto a test strip and receives an almost instant result. But how in the world do those tiny little test strips work? Read more in 3M Newsroom article Science Behind the Strip.

An MRI proved Stephanie Jacobs had a brainstem stroke that damaged an optic-nerve muscle. Would she really be stuck with an eye patch? Read more in 3M Newsroom article Tricking the Brain to Treat It.

Learn how one technology is making a host of new diabetes technologies possible in Improving Diabetes Care One Drop at a Time.