Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a wearable that can detect when someone is talking or singing, and tallies this information up to provide a warning when the wearer might be at risk of vocal fatigue. Overusing your voice in a short space of time can lead to vocal fatigue and even injury. This technology […]
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Voice-Activated Sample Prep for Safer Handling
Researchers at Kyung Hee University in South Korea have developed a voice-activated DNA sample pre-treatment device to assist clinicians dealing with outbreaks of infectious disease to stay safer. Dealing with highly infectious patient samples puts clinicians and lab technicians at risk. Minimizing sample handling and exposure is important in reduc (Read more...)
Furry Soft Robot Helps Patients During Unpleasant Medical Procedures
A team of researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan has developed a fluffy soft robot that patients can interact with to reduce their stress and fear when undergoing painful or uncomfortable medical procedures. For some patients, particularly children, a fear of needles or uncomfortable and painful procedures can make such experiences espec (Read more...)
Optical Tweezers Turn Neutrophils into Microrobots
The possibility of using our own cells to perform medical tasks within the body is tantalizing, as it would avoid the immune responses that can occur with synthetic objects. Researchers at Jinan University in China have now developed a method to control and move white blood cells within a living organism. The technology relies on […]
Dissociating Tissue into Single Cells Using Electric Fields
A team of scientists at Brown University has developed a technique that allows them to rapidly dissociate a tissue sample into individual cells. The approach involves placing a tissue sample, such as a tumor biopsy, between two electrodes. Electric field fluctuations then help to pull the cells in alternating directions, eventually culminating in t (Read more...)
AI-Powered Robot Accelerates Medical Research
Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research in Japan have developed an AI-powered robotic system that can perform laboratory experiments in regenerative medicine, learn from the results, and perform iterative rounds of experimentation to achieve a certain goal. In a proof-of-principle, the researchers set the robot the task of (Read more...)
Virtual Reality to Train Staff to Deal with Agitated Patients
Researchers at the National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, have developed a virtual reality training system that lets healthcare staff learn how to deal with agitated or aggressive patients. Patients, particularly with mental health issues, can become angry and distressed, and learning to handle such patients both with em (Read more...)
Helping Digital Health Companies Win Regulatory Approvals: Interview with Ruby Gadelrab, CEO of MDisrupt
Digital Health companies often face a struggle knowing where to begin on the road to regulatory approval. Issues such as conducting clinical validation studies and finding the right regulatory experts to assist in their journey can all present major hurdles. These difficulties prompted Ruby Gadelrab to create MDisrupt, a digital health intelligence (Read more...)
Wireless Data Transfer for Implanted Devices Using Ionic Communication
Researchers at the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new method for implanted devices to communicate with the outside world that exploits the ions that are naturally present in our tissues. Ion-rich tissues store potential energy, and in this paradigm an implanted device would alter this stored energy wi (Read more...)
Magnetic-Plasmonic Hybrid Nanoparticles Isolate Lysosomes from Cells
Researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a method to isolate intact lysosomes from cells. The technique is rapid and produces samples of high purity. Lysosomes are the garbage-disposal organelles within a cell, and they are involved in numerous diseases, from lysosomal storage diseases to autoimmune disor (Read more...)
Medgadget Reviews the Sleep Number i10 360 Smart Bed
Ten years ago, Sleep Number gave Medgadget the opportunity to try out their advanced beds. As you’ve probably seen on numerous TV commercials and in retail outlets, Sleep Number beds are known for their adjustable firmness, accomplished by changing the air pressure inside their mattresses. We had enjoyed sleeping on the bed, but found that [& (Read more...)
Supporting Promising Medtech Firms: Interview with Paul Grand, CEO of MedTech Innovator
MedTech Innovator is a medical technology accelerator program that supports medtech companies in translating their technologies into beneficial products. Much of this support takes the form of competitions. At present, MedTech Innovator holds competitions in the US and Asia, and companies can apply to enter either competition depending on where the (Read more...)
Elastomeric Respirator Mask Senses Fit and Filter Saturation
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a new respirator, conceived as an improvement on standard N95 masks. The transparent respirator contains sensors that allow users to know if the mask is fitting snugly and alerts them when the filters need to be replaced. The mask, called the t (Read more...)
UV-C Enclosure to Disinfect Medical and Personal Protective Equipment
UV-Concepts, an Englewood, Colorado firm, is unveiling a new product that uses ultraviolet light to disinfect all kinds of portable medical equipment. The UV-C Enclosure (UVE) is a large reflective chamber inside of which anything from wheelchairs to mobile nurse computer stations can be disinfected within about a minute. The UVE relies on fluoresc (Read more...)
Air Filter Traps and Kills SARS-CoV-2 Virus
A group of researchers, including those at the University of Houston, has developed an air filter that can instantly kill SARS-CoV-2 viral particles that pass through it by heating them to 200 degrees C (392 F). The technology may help to destroy the particles within busy indoor spaces, such as hospitals, reducing the risk of […]
CAPE: A CleanRoom for Any Need and Location
Cleanrooms are important tools when manufacturing drugs, creating certain medical devices, performing specialized research, and for other tasks in a number of fields. Cleanrooms are typically located in built-to-suit facilities that can provide power, clean air, and other necessities that help maintain an ultra-clean environment. In order to make p (Read more...)
Zipline’s New Medical Delivery Drones Fly Faster and Farther
Zipline, a drone company based in Half Moon Bay, California, is unveiling its fastest, longest range, and easiest to setup drone for medical deliveries. The company’s drones are already serving as couriers in Rwanda, delivering blood samples and blood units to and from 21 hospitals in the western part of the country. The new autonomous d (Read more...)