Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany have created a fingertip sensor that allows a robot, including a robotic prosthesis, to very sensitively gauge how much force is applied to it. The system is based on a camera that is mounted inside the rubbery robot finger. The camera observes the internal […]
Author: Medgadged
Spinal Cord Stimulators for Chronic Pain: Interview with Charlie Covert, VP and GM, Pain Therapies, Medtronic
Chronic pain is a difficult burden to bear, but advances in spinal stimulators are helping suitable patients to gain some control over their infliction. Medtronic is a major player in this space, and is continually developing its spinal cord stimulators to better address patient and clinician needs. For instance, the company announced the release of […]
Artificial Neurons and Synapses from Printed Transistors
Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have created artificial neurons and synapses using organic electrochemical transistors that can be printed onto plastic foil in their thousands. The printed structures can conduct both electrons and ions, helping them to mimic the action potentials generated in biological neurons. So far, the Swedish team integrated the artificial neurons […]
Microfluidic Device for Quick and Accurate SARS-CoV-2 Testing
Researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, have created a microfluidic chip that can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in less than 30 minutes, and with a similar level of accuracy as the current gold-standard test, PCR. The technology combines the speed of antigen tests with the accuracy of PCR and may be […]
Soundwave Microchip to Grow New Bone Cells
Researchers at RMIT University in Australia built a microchip that can induce stem cells to differentiate into bone cells by stimulating them with high-frequency sound waves. The technique lets the researchers create bone cells using stem cells derived from adipose tissue, which are easier to extract than the traditional bone marrow-derived stem cells that are […]
Smart Orthopedic Implant to Enhance Bone Growth: Interview with Ben Hertzog, CEO at Intelligent Implants
Intelligent Implants, a medtech company based in Cork, Ireland, has developed the SmartFuse TLIF cage, a spinal implant intended to enhance bone healing and reduce rates of non-union following spinal fusion surgery. The implant is equipped with electrodes that are designed to enhance bone growth, as well as provide a means of monitoring bone healing. […]
Funky Helmet Enhances MRI Brain Scans
A team of engineers and radiologists at Boston University created a helmet that can dramatically improve MRI scans of the brain. The device consists of a series of magnetic metamaterial resonators that significantly boost MRI performance. This results in crisper images that can be obtained at twice the speed of a normal scan. The breakthrough […]
Armband Provides Finger-Specific Haptic Feedback for Robotic Hand
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have created a system for a robotic hand that provides finger-specific haptic feedback for a user, significantly improving dexterity. By delivering haptic feedback for objects grasped with the thumb, index, and little finger, the system allows users to control a robotic hand to pick up and set down two objects […]
Next-Generation Simulation Learning: Interview with James Archetto, VP of Gaumard Scientific
Gaumard Scientific, a Florida-based patient simulator company, has developed an advanced multidisciplinary patient simulator – the HAL S5301. Given the strain placed on healthcare systems by the pandemic, training with a robot may let more clinicians focus on patients rather than medical students, and help to reduce the risk of viral transmission posed to healthcare staff […]
Humanoid Robot Measures Blood Pressure with a Touch
Researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada unveiled a humanoid robot that can measure blood pressure by touching a patient’s chest. The robot uses sensors on its fingertips to perform the measurements. Inspired by blood-sucking leeches, the dry electrode sensors infer blood pressure by combining electrocardiogram (ECG) and photoplethysmogram (PPG) readings, although happily, they don’t […]
Blood Clotting Test on a Smartphone
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed smartphone-based technology that can allow someone to perform a blood clotting test at home. The technology is low-cost and easy to use. The test involves placing a drop of blood into a plastic attachment that can be viewed by a smartphone camera. The smartphone then vibrates the […]
Meet Sensate – A Device That Calms Your Fight or Flight Response: Interview Exclusive
A quick way to soothe your nerves sounds too good to be true. There are many methods and techniques used for achieving this “calm” that include breath work, visualization, meditation, and other individualized activities. However, what intrigued us was that there is a device on the market, the developers of which claim is be able […]
Lab-Designed “Fish” Could Pave the Way for Artificial Hearts
Researchers at Harvard University have created a fish-like construct from human stem cell-derived cardiac muscle. The structure can beat and swim autonomously, and is inspired by zebrafish. So far, the researchers have shown that the fish can survive and swim for over 100 days, and they hope these new structures could provide insights into cardiac […]
The Slimmest ECG Ever Created: A Review
A couple of weeks ago, AliveCor, a leading innovator in the FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology space, announced the launch of the KardiaMobile Card. The KardiaMobile Card is the slimmest and smallest self-contained, commercially available ECG that has been created to date. It is the size of a standard credit card, and is able to […]
Silicone Harness Improves COVID Protection of Standard Surgical Masks
Engineers at Rice University created a silicone face harness that drastically improves the protection offered by standard surgical masks against the spread of airborne droplets. The harness helps to reduce leakage around the sides of surgical masks and upgrades the protection they offer to approximately match that of higher specification N95 masks. The technology was […]
Surgical Duct Tape Quickly Seals Intestinal Leaks
Researchers at MIT have created a surgical tape that can seal leaks and tears in the intestine. The off-the-shelf product has been designed to replace sutures, which are difficult to sew in the gut and can cause scarring or leaking. The adhesive patch is biocompatible, and the researchers designed it so that it will biodegrade […]
MRI-Guided Magnetic Seeds Heat and Destroy Tumors
Scientists at University College London have developed a highly targeted anti-tumor treatment. The approach involves guiding ferromagnetic thermoseeds to the site of a tumor using the magnetic fields generated by an MRI scanner. The magnetic seeds can then destroy the tumor through localized heating that is induced by an MR-compatible thermoablative device. The technique is […]
Laparoscopic Robot Performs First Autonomous Surgery
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University developed and now successfully tested the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), a self-guiding surgical robot that can perform challenging laparoscopic procedures in gastrointestinal surgery, including intestinal anastomosis. The robot can adjust its surgical plan in real time, just as a human surgeon would, helping it to adapt to changing conditions […]
Capsule Delivers and Injects mRNA into Stomach
Researchers at MIT have created an oral mRNA delivery system that could provide an alternative to injectable mRNA vaccines. It could also enable RNA or DNA therapies that are intended to treat gastrointestinal diseases. mRNA has shown its therapeutic potential in spectacular fashion, providing the powerhouse behind some of the world’s most successful and ubiquitous […]
Quick and Accurate COVID Test Uses LAMP Assay
Researchers at the University of Washington developed a new COVID testing technology that can provide accurate results in as little as 30 minutes. The technology intends to be a bridge between PCR tests, which are accurate but slow, and antigen tests, which are rapid but suffer from reduced accuracy. The system provides results straight to […]