A team of French researchers has developed a specialized ultrasound technique to allow people to visualize the shape of the tongue during speech. This “visual biofeedback” system could help with speech therapy. At present, speech therapists will listen to someone’s pronunciation, and use diagrams to help explain how to position the tongue in the mouth […]
Author: Medgadged
TransEnterix Gets FDA Clearance for Senhance Surgical Robot
TransEnterix, a North Carolina firm, won FDA clearance for its Senhance Surgical Robotic System. This is only the second company that’s offering an abdominal surgical robotic system to receive FDA’s green light, following Intuitive Surgical‘s da Vinci systems, the first of which was introduced nearly two decades ago. The multi-port system features some pretty high-tech […]
Olympus Releases New SB Knives for Endoscopic Submucosal Dissections
This week and next at the American College of Gastroenterology’s World Congress of Gastroenterology conference in Orlando, Olympus is unveiling its SB Knives. The devices are designed to be used for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), a procedure that was defined as unique from endoscopic mucosal resection only about fifteen years ago. The three-in-one SB Knives can be […]
EchoPixel Lets Surgeons See CT, MRI, and Ultrasound Scans in 3D
Since the invention of the X-ray machine in 1895, medical imaging technology has improved dramatically, but the visualization of those images hasn’t changed enough to keep up. Even though CTs and MRIs capture 3D data, the consumption of that data by physicians is still almost entirely in 2D formats. EchoPixel, a company based in Mountain […]
Highly Stretchable and Flexible Fiber Optic Measures Tiny Changes in Body Movements
The motion of our hands, fingers, feet, and other parts of our bodies is pretty complicated. Our bodies are curvy and their shape varies significantly from one person to the next, so accurately measuring the mechano-dynamics of different body parts requires more than just attaching accelerometers to them. There are pretty accurate electronic strain sensors […]
Tiny Breath Acetone Sensor to Measure Fat Burning During Exercise, Help Monitor Diabetes
Those wishing to lose weight have to watch their diet, but for optimal results they also have to burn existing fat in their bodies through exercise. Any amount of exercise simply won’t do, as body fat only burns when pressed to do so by specific physiological situations. Therefore, it would be nice to know that […]
Improved Brain Organoids for Zika Virus Research
Researchers at UCLA have developed a method to produce improved brain organoids, or “mini brains,” that they claim mimic the structure of the human brain more closely than previous attempts. The investigators used the organoids to study how the Zika virus infects and destroys brain tissue, and identify potential treatments, but the mini brains could […]
Swallowable Flexible Sensor to Detect Stomach Movements
Scientists at MIT have developed a flexible sensor that patients can swallow. The sensor sticks to the stomach wall and can relay information about stomach peristalsis. This could help doctors to diagnose disorders that slow down the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract, or monitor food intake in obese patients. The research team wanted […]
The Ozmo Smart Hydration Bottle: A Medgadget Review
It’s a common advice that you need to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. While not entirely accurate (it’s actually more like 11.5-15.5 glasses, according to Mayo Clinic, and even that is highly suspect), we wanted to see exactly how much water we were drinking daily over the summer. And for […]
Ultrasound Identifies Hand Gestures, May Lead to Hands Free Control of Surgical Systems
At the University of Bristol in the U.K., researchers have managed to use ultrasound to detect the hand gestures that a person is displaying. While there are many consumer applications of the technology, such as playing video games and controlling devices around the house, this new “physiologic”‘way may end up being used by surgeons to […]
FDA Gives First Clearance to Siemens High-Field 7 Tesla MRI Scanner
Siemens Healthineers won FDA clearance to introduce its 7 Tesla MRI scanner, the MAGNETOM Terra. The device won European regulatory approval in August, kicking off an age of high-field MRI scanning that produces imaging details previously unavailable in a clinical setting. Previously, only scanners with a field strength of 3 Tesla were the most powerful […]
Genetically Programmed Bacteria Grow Into Electronic Devices
For folks that fear the consequences of genetic engineering and related fields, it’s time to dial it up to eleven. That’s because researchers at Duke University have now demonstrated that they’re able to genetically modify bacteria to coax them to produce electronic devices, potentially leading to a new and surprising way for to interface with […]
HeartyPatch, an Open-Source ECG for Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability Tracking
Team Protocentral, an open source hardware firm from Bangalore, India, is raising crowdfunds to release its HeartyPatch device. The HeartyPatch is a single lead ECG patch that can track the heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) when stuck to the chest. Similar devices have been developed and commercialized previously, but the HeartyPatch provides open […]
Ria Health Launches Mobile App to Help Reduce Drinking (Interview)
Last week we shared 12 new companies unveiling their innovative ideas at Health 2.0’s Launch! event this year. Back in the exhibit hall, a few more early stage businesses were also leveraging Health 2.0 to kickoff new programs and technologies. One of these was the official launch of Ria Health‘s mobile app solution to help people […]
Iridium-Coated Gold Nanoparticles Provide View of Blood Flow in Tiniest of Vessels
What happens to blood within the body’s narrow capillary vessels is not fully understood, but knowing more how blood cells and plasma propagate through all sorts of vessels may help us understand and treat a number of cardiovascular diseases. To help advance knowledge in this field, researchers at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. […]
Implantable, Biodegradable Optical Fiber to Stay in Body for Long Time Stretches
Light delivered via an optical fiber is used in medicine for tasks such as examination of tissues and destruction of tumors. Many other applications are on the way, including drug release and activation, optogenetics, and new diagnostic modalities. Some of these may require a source of light to be available for long periods of time. […]
Modus V High-Powered Robotic Neurosurgical Microscope Unveiled by Synaptive
Synaptive Medical, a Toronto, Canada firm, is releasing its Modus V digital robotic surgical microscope. The optical components of the microscope reside on a robotic arm, the technology in which is partially based on the Canadarm device on the International Space Station. The high powered microscope offers the greatest magnification of any comparable system, allowing […]
A Self-Propelled Catheter for Lung Biopsies
Scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a self-propelled catheter, which can move like an earthworm and could help doctors reach areas of the lung that can be tricky to access using conventional bronchoscopes. At the moment, if doctors want to take a closer look at the lesion in someone’s lungs, they typically […]
YoDerm Provides Consultations and Prescriptions Within 24 Hours
In many areas the wait time to see a dermatologist can span weeks or even months, leaving those with acute or chronic skin conditions frustrated. YoDerm is trying to change that. For a fee of $59, patients can submit skin problems and upload photos through an online platform, receive a consultation from a board-certified dermatologist, […]
Genetically Modified Skin Graft Works as Built-In Glucose Meter
Easy to use finger prick glucometers have helped diabetics to manage their disease and continuous glucose monitors that stay on the body for days at a time have made it even easier. Still, these will seem like technology from centuries past compared to the genetically engineered and grafted blood glucose sensor developed at the University […]