Health power tools: hi-tech redefines going under the knife.

• Author: Dayton, Mark
• Position: Techknowledge

Portable and digital are the hot growth areas for devices these days--music, phones, cameras, browsers, x-rays ... x-rays? An innovative new handheld x-ray device is working its way out of the emergency field clinic and into everyday use in thousands of dentist and orthodontics offices nationwide.

The brain child of Dr. Clark Turner, founder and CEO of Orem-based Aribex, Inc., (pronounced like the Spanish "arriba") the Aribex [TM] Nomad [R] was born out of Turner's desire to help a dentist friend address the lack of x-ray availability on his humanitarian trips to third world countries. Originally built around a DeWalt power tool battery, the handheld wireless device looks at first glance like an oversized cordless drill with a halo.

When pared with a digital target device inside the patients mouth, high quality digital x-rays can be captured and processed on a laptop computer virtually anywhere or on conventional x-ray film. In addition to being highly portable, the Nomad is extremely safe from an operator standpoint. The "halo" is actually an x-ray shield that creates a safe zone for the operator who can stand next to the patient, point and fire the device without concern for repeated exposure to harmful radiation.

The many advantages of lightweight, portable and safe x-ray capability have fueled 100 percent annual growth for the company since its debut in 2005. With the recent introduction of the Nomad Pro (smaller, lighter, more capable batteries helped shave three pounds and reduce bulkiness), the company is experiencing another surge in sales, which at this point consist of only 20 percent out-of-office deployments versus 80 percent standard dental/orthodontic installations.

Turner points to a few key benefits of the Nomad that have allowed it to displace entrenched competitors of large wall-mounted units. "First and foremost is the economic advantage. With conventional radiology, you need a wall-mounted head for every operatory in your clinic. Nomad replaces them all with one portable unit." Oral surgeons also find the Nomad to be a great alternative to heavy, bulky wheel mounted units trailing a collection of cables that must be wheeled into operating rooms. "It's also great in pediatrics for kids who can't hold still," says Turner. "The operator can stand right next to the child, calm them and get the right position for the x-ray, rather than making multiple trips in and out of the room to reposition the head or asking an adult to...