Posts tagged with medical

DermaStream CST system to get FDA approval

Posted on November 19, 2009 5:08 AM

The DermaStream CST system is currently about to embark on the FDA approval process, where should it prove to be successful, we will soon have a new method of healing open wounds. This device is meant to be placed over a wound where it will provide continuous cleaning and washing away of debris and extravasated fluid round the clock. Currently awaiting FDA approval is its bio-active chemical solution. This sounds like a much more hygienic manner of keeping wounds free from infection while speeding up the healing process - at least it is way more scientific in approach compared to footballer (soccer to folks living Stateside) Robin van Persie of Arsenal who is willing to have placenta rubbed over his ankle in hope of a speedy recovery from injury.

BiliChek bilirubin measurement system

Posted on November 19, 2009 4:59 AM

Philips has announced their latest BiliChek bilirubin measurement system which is capable of detecting and quantifying jaundice in newborns via a non-invasive manner (which also equates to painless). How does it manage to perform such a miracle? Well, that is due to the implementation of using light to measure total serum bilirubin levels in skin though a special touching tip sensor. The LCD color display makes it easy to view even in the low-light levels of a nursery, while step-by-step instructions, graphics and a faster measurement system offers increased proficiency and productivity. Implementing a barcode scanner makes room for accurate entry and verification of nurse and patient identification information in a jiffy. As mentioned earlier, this non-invasive method is so comfortable, newborns can just continue snoozing away without feeling disturbed!

EyeWriter project

Posted on November 13, 2009 6:36 AM

The EyeWriter project might not be finished just yet, as it is still undergoing a concerted research effort to help folks who are suffering from ALS, with the assistance of creative technologies. The members involved are Members of Free Art and Technology (FAT), OpenFrameworks, the Graffiti Research Lab, and The Ebeling Group communities, working in tandem with a legendary LA graffiti writer, publisher and activist, known as Tony Quan, aka TEMPTONE. The end result is expected to be a low-cost, open source eye-tracking system which will enable ALS patients to draw using just their eyes.

Cellphone diagnoses cough

Posted on November 12, 2009 8:18 PM

We were raised to cover our mouths with a hand whenever we cough, but that could very well change in the future as acoustic vocalization analysis software is included in cellphones. All you need to do is cough into your handset, and it will get to measuring and interpreting the cough characteristic of pneumonia. Talk about turning the cellphone into a medical diagnosis tool which could eventually phase out the stethoscope or perhaps even function as a personal body scanner. No fart analysis or one that detects bad breath, eh?

Didget system for the Nintendo DS

Posted on November 11, 2009 12:21 PM

Nintendo DS owners will find another use for their highly versatile portable console, with a new game developed for that platform that aims to help diabetic children monitor their condition. Known as the Didget system, it was specially designed to encourage young people to test their blood sugar levels regularly. Results can be downloaded onto the console, where they are then rewarded with game points. Those suffering from type 1 diabetes will need to test their blood every few hours, and the Didget helps you keep on time/track.

SmartPill gets FDA nod

Posted on November 11, 2009 8:34 AM

The SmartPill has received FDA approval, arriving in its second iteration. This device is meant to be used to evaluate one's constipation, measuring temperature and pH levels as it moves through the GI tract, while offering temporal-spacial analysis of its voyage. It has already been approved for analysis of suspected delayed gastric emptying (gastroparesis). Inside the SmartPill lies a GI Monitoring System that is capable of transmitting data wirelessly to the SmartPill Data Receiver. The latter is then returned to the physician's office, where collected information will be downloaded onto a computer to be interpreted correctly.

Freedom Leg for easier movement

Posted on November 9, 2009 9:16 AM

Having a crutch due to a leg injury seriously impedes one's movement, but the Freedom Leg from Forward Mobility aims to change that, where it is constructed from composite materials, making it tip the scales at a mere 2.6 pounds. This off-loading prosthetic enables the user to fully integrate the device into their lives for complete mobility that is unprecedented. This allows the user to go about the day's tasks without the need for any assistance, ensuring strength in the upper muscles of the injured leg is retained.

Brainwave Sofa knows what you are thinking

Posted on November 6, 2009 6:38 AM

Who would've thought that furniture would actually no longer play dumb? That would be the case in the future if Lucas Maassen and Dries Verbruggen had their way. After all, they are the designers behind the Brainwave Sofa, where sitting on this will cause the furniture to analyze your brain activity for 3 seconds, using the extracted EEG data to create a 3D landscape on the sofa's surface which is made of of foam. Definitely not the most comfortable sofa there is, that's for sure.

Sensium Digital Plaster

Posted on November 6, 2009 6:19 AM

In a world chock full of wireless technology, here comes the Sensium Digital Plaster which is actually a wireless monitoring patch that stays on a patient's body just like a Band Aid strip, albeit this one helps monitor the patient's vital statistics. It will be powered by extremely slim batteries, gathering information on one's heart rate, temperature and perspiration for a period of several days. Apart from that, it will also play nice with smartphones and PDAs, sending all relevant data to your physician wirelessly. Currently under clinical trial, the final product might be out sooner than you think.

ROLA home care robot

Posted on November 5, 2009 10:09 PM

The ROLA (Robot Of Living Aid) intelligent home-care robot was developed by National Chiao Tung University of Taiwan. Capable of understanding Mandarin, Taiwanese and a smattering of English, ROLA will help keep a watchful eye on elderly occupants of a home and is capable of sending distress calls automatically in the event of an accident to a family's cellphone or ambulance. This is made possible thanks to its live video feed, allowing people to tell the difference between an actual emergency and a false alarm. Measuring around $100,000, ROLA won't come cheap but hopefully with commercialization, the overall cost will be lowered.

Calf gets prosthetic legs

Posted on November 4, 2009 7:44 PM

A farming family has decided to give Meadow their calf a chance to walk normally, hence enlisted the help of veterinarians and students at Colorado State University to help her with prosthetics. This is the first calf of its kind that is believed to boast double prosthetics, where the procedure itself cost thousands of dollars. Gues this is one calf that won't end up as steak on somebody else's plate anytime soon considering the amount of investment that went into her!

Wink Glasses to keep those eyeballs well lubricated

Posted on October 27, 2009 10:03 AM

Japanese eyewear company Masunaga Optical recently unveiled a new solution for video gamers as well as bookworms (and basically anyone else who are involved in activities that reduce the amount of natural blinking) - the Wink Glasses that will help reduce incidences of dry eyes. Powered by a couple of Zinc-air batteries (PR41), the Wink Glasses will turn the glass opaque by filling its sheet with a transparent liquid crystal if it detects you have not blinked in the last five seconds. A blink will reverse the situation back to normal. Expect to fork out around $170 for the Wink Glasses, where the frame itself costs another $273.

Vioguard UVKB50 Self-Sanitizing keyboard

Posted on October 26, 2009 8:32 PM

Hospitals might be filled with sick people but interestingly enough, it is one of the cleanest places to be in due to the diligence and precautions that the staff take to minimize infection. How about the computer keyboard then - especially public ones? You never know where your finger has gone throughout the course of the day, leaving dirt, grime and other nasties to fester on the keys and in between as well. The Vioguard UVKB50 Self-Sanitizing keyboard changes all that by featuring a 50W UV light source which is capable of finishing off all kinds of viruses and bacteria within seconds. Disinfection is automatic when pulled into a drawer after each use, although the $899 price tag will probably result in slow sales somewhat when it goes on sale from November onwards.

Vibringe Ultrasonic Dental Irrigation Syringe

Posted on October 22, 2009 4:21 PM

Not many people relish a trip to their dentist as that would only mean patching up some holes in your teeth while your pocket develops even larger ones. Guess they're a necessary evil, but woe to you if you need to have your gums injected with one of those terrifyingly huge syringes. The Vibringe Ultrasonic Dental Irrigation Syringe is slightly different though, targeting dental root canal procedures by using high frequency sonic vibrations to the ejected liquid, making it much more efficient at cleaning out debris from the root canal compared to traditional irrigators. Looks cool, but not too sure whether it lessens the pain or not.

Robotic patient with H1N1 symptoms

Posted on October 21, 2009 10:24 PM

Those who attended the Security & Safety Trade Expo (RISCON) in Tokyo might have caught a whiff of this special robotic patient who actually exhibits the known symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus, where it was specially developed to be a realistic training aid for medical workers. Apart from its human-like skin, the robot is also able to sweat, convulse, moan and cry tears - nice thing it does not pee.

Biotronik Home Monitoring device

Posted on October 21, 2009 6:01 AM

Biotronik's Home Monitoring device recently received the nod of approval for use in Europe, where this implantable device home monitoring system might see the end of regular visits to the clinic by patients wearing company's ICD's, CRT's and similar devices, seeing that the system is more than capable of sending readings straight from the chest to your doctor over a cellphone network. This is the first fully fully wireless, mobile remote monitoring system for patients in the world. Guess it also gives doctors a break as well, eh?

Vitality pill bottle system

Posted on October 8, 2009 11:09 AM

Vitality Inc. has the ambition to sell a new pill bottle system which will transmit a signal to a base station located in your home each time the pill bottle cap is opened. Should you be unable to open the pill bottle cap in time, the base station that resembles a night light will blink or play jingles as a reminder .If you know that you're going to be away from home, then make sure you set the base station in such a way where it can place a call to your handset or send an SMS automatically as a reminder via AT&T’s network. Great, now we have phones to remind us to take our medicine...

SmartCap could help save lives

Posted on October 6, 2009 8:03 PM

Just how smart can a cap get? The SmartCap, it seems, was developed for miners where it is able to monitor a driver's brain waves for signs of fatigue, followed by relaying a warning signal to the computer display in a vehicle to recommend the driver to pull over and get some rest. Currently, trials of the hat have proved to be successful, where it is able to reduce the number of fatalities for drivers at CRC Mining from 40 in 2007 to 27 in 2008. CRC aims to see this technology make the jump to drivers everywhere in the near future.

Blood pressure tablets get tiny chips

Posted on September 24, 2009 9:02 AM

Novartis is reported to be developing new blood pressure tablets with Proteus Biomedical, where small chips are implanted within. These microchips will communicate with a shoulder-worn sensor, and they are currently undergoing a small clinical trial to test whether this method is suitable to track and improve drug regiment compliance. So far, compliance within the trial has improved by leaps and bounds, touching 80% from a lowly 30% initially. Having your pill nag you - that's something new, eh.

Ripxx Personal Measurement Device

Posted on September 24, 2009 4:01 AM

The Ripxx Personal Measurement Device might seem like some sort of locator device, but it is actually a fitness tool that will fit the palm of your hand comfortably, where this built-in GPS tracker will pump out ten tracking signals every second, merging such information with data gathered from three accelerometers and gyroscopes in order to keep track of your location, orientation, speed, vertical drop, rolls, spins and turns - practically any movement that you make. When finished, you can always plot those points onto a map for future review, and word has it that the U.S. Olympic team is already using a prototype to train for the 2010 winter games. As for us ordinary folk, we can only pick one of these from mid-December onwards for $329.