A medical procedure is defined as non-invasive when no break in the skin is created and there is no contact with the mucosa, skin break, or internal body cavity beyond a natural or artificial body orifice. For example, deep palpation and percussion are non-invasive but a rectal examination is invasive. Likewise, examination of the eardrum or inside the nose or a wound dressing change all fall outside the definition of non-invasive procedure. There are many non-invasive procedures, ranging from simple observation to specialised forms of surgery, such as radiosurgery.
A similar situation can be found in the case of technology and industry where non-invasive tests are valuable and MicroWire sensors can provide contactless real-time information for predictive maintenance.