At critical moments while caring for patients, doctors and nurses must drop what they’re doing if they need to call a colleague. The Vocera Smartbadge is like an extra pair of hands. Worn like a necklace or pinned to scrubs, the device lets clinicians reach other team members using voice-activated commands. “You never have to stop what you’re doing, reach in your pocket and pull out your phone, or take off your gloves to interact with another device,” says Brent Lang, CEO of Vocera. Used by more than 100 health care facilities, the Smartbadge has proved especially useful during the COVID- 19 pandemic because it allows clinicians to make calls without removing personal protective equipment. —Mandy Oaklander
The Best Inventions of 2020
