BME Undergraduates’ Invention Finds ‘Lost’ Orthopedic Screws

Inspired by the device used to find lost coins in the sand, Johns Hopkins undergraduates have invented a small
handheld metal detector to help doctors locate hidden orthopedic screws that need to be removed from patients’ bodies. The device emits a tone that rises in pitch as the surgeon moves closer to the metal screw. It also serves as a surgical tool to guide the removal of the hardware.

The prototype, devised and built over the past school year by eight Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering majors, was unveiled at the university’s BME Design Day event.

Surgical Transformations, a Manhattan-based company that sponsored the project, has applied for a provisional patent covering the invention and is moving it toward further refinement, clinical testing and possible sale to doctors in the coming years.