Engineers at the Federal University of Espirito Santo in Brazil have developed smart pants that can non-intrusively track physical movements and provide updates to caregivers if the people they’re taking care of are showing signs of distress. This application could be very useful for people who are monitoring elderly patients in healthcare faciliti (Read more...)
Tag: Geriatrics
Alzheimer’s Diagnostic Test Spots Amyloid β Exosomes in Blood
Researchers at Hokkaido University in Japan have developed a biomarker test for Alzheimer’s disease that detects amyloid β binding exosomes in a blood sample. While amyloid β plaques in the brain are characteristic of Alzheimer’s, these researchers have previously reported that amyloid β build-up in the brain is associate (Read more...)
Video Games to Improve Cognition in Older Adults
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco have developed a suite of video games that have been designed to improve cognition in older adults who are otherwise healthy. The games aim to recreate common activities, such as banging a drum or driving a car. They also include a sophisticated algorithm that automatically adjusts the [&hel (Read more...)
Motion Sensors to Detect Age-Related Disease
Researchers at the University of Bern in Switzerland have developed a motion tracking system that is intended to assist in detecting age-related disease in elderly people. The system could be installed in someone’s home or in assisted-living facilities, and consists of a series of motion sensors that can monitor for signs of unusual movement. (Read more...)
Smart Socks Help Prevent Falls Among At-Risk Patients
Researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have tested the PUP (Patient is Up) Smart Socks, developed by a medtech company called Palarum, in their ability to reduce falls among at-risk patients. The socks contain pressure sensors that alert caregivers when a patient is attempting to stand up. This can include situations such [& (Read more...)
Microfluidic Chip Models Inflammatory Intestinal Disease
Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have modeled Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (EED), a childhood inflammatory intestinal disease, on a microfluidic chip and gained new insights into the genetic changes underlying the condition. This is the first in vitro model of the disease, and highlights the power of organ on a chip systems to pro (Read more...)
Oil-Based Drug Gels Help Patients with Difficulty Swallowing
Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed a series of oil-based gels that are intended to help those with difficulty swallowing to take drugs orally. Some adults and many children have difficulty taking pills, and so developing other forms of medication for oral drugs is important. The gels could be particularly usefu (Read more...)
CollabCare and Hucu.ai Partner to Improve Communication for Older Adults and Families
Digital health solutions have helped to democratize access for underserved individuals and communities. With both increasing maturity and adoption across generations, the ability for these technologies to address the challenges faced by older adults and aging populations continues to be an area of interest. Examples of this interest include TechSta (Read more...)
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 photoplethysm (Read more...)
Robotic Cat Improves Mood and Cognition for People with Dementia
A research team at Florida Atlantic University has tested a robotic cat in its ability to influence the mood and cognition of patients with dementia. The furry device moves and make realistic noises, and can provide a source of companionship and entertainment for patients, without the commitment of caring for a real animal. As patients […]
AI Powered Health Assistant for Seniors: Interview with Ryan Howard, CEO of 100Plus
100Plus, a California medtech company, created a suite of remote patient monitoring technologies. These include a digital weight scale, blood pressure cuff, thermometer, and blood glucose monitor. The company recently launched Ava, an AI powered healthcare assistant that is specifically intended for senior patients who may not be tech savvy or as o (Read more...)
Battery-Free Smart Fabrics to Monitor Health
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a technique to create smart garments that can harvest electrical power from nearby Wi-Fi networks and radio waves in a process known as magnetic resonance coupling. This power can then be used to energize on-board electrical systems, including body monitors. The fabrics are water repellent, breathable (Read more...)
Rapid Compression Device to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis
Researchers at Penn Medicine have developed a wearable sleeve that provides rapid pulsatile compression, and aims to mimic the compression our calf muscles experience during walking. The technology, being commercialized by Osciflex, a spin out from Penn Medicine, is intended to prevent deep vein thrombosis in patients who are bed-bound for long per (Read more...)
Smart Speaker Monitors Heart Rhythms
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed an AI-powered sound system that can detect irregular heartbeats. The system sends inaudible sounds into its close environment and then analyzes the reflected waves to identify individual heartbeats from someone sitting close to it. The technology may be useful in detecting heart rhythm diso (Read more...)
Monitoring Cognitive Performance Using Smart Devices: Interview with Maha Radhakrishnan, CMO, Biogen
Biogen, a medtech company based in Massachusetts, has announced that is partnering with Apple in a research study to determine if it is possible to identify and develop biomarkers of cognitive decline, using data from smart devices, including the iPhone and Apple Watch. Biogen has a neuroscience focus, and the company hopes that it may […]
Aktiia Optical Blood Pressure Monitor Wins European Green Light
Swiss company Aktiia, whose cuffless blood pressure monitor we’ve been following for several years, announced that their wrist-worn device has received the CE Mark as a Class IIa medical device in Europe, and is now available for pre-order in the UK through the Aktiia website. Aktiia recently completed a pivotal trial whose preliminary result (Read more...)
CES 2020: OMRON VitalSight Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote patient monitoring has gone from novelty to necessity in a matter of months thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. In reality, allowing clinicians to keep an eye on their patients provides a number of important benefits even during “normal” times. At this year’s CES, which is a virtual event this year, Omron presented its VitalSi (Read more...)
Smart Stethoscope Helps Monitor and Diagnose Respiratory Conditions: Interview with Helena Binetskaya, CEO of Healthy Networks
LungPass, an AI-powered Bluetooth stethoscope has been developed by Healthy Networks, a company based in Talinn, Estonia. The device can analyze sounds from the lungs and help to diagnose or monitor a variety of respiratory conditions, with an initial focus on pneumonia and COPD. The aim was to create a low-cost (the device costs as […]
Body Sensors Printed Directly on Skin at Room Temperature
Biomedical sensors typically perform their best when they’re placed in close proximity to the body. While wearables, such as wrist-worn heart rate monitors, are common these days, they are very limited by where they can be placed on the body, have poor signal quality, and are often uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. Now, researchers (Read more...)
FDA Clears Masimo’s Go Anywhere Pulse Oximeter and Respiration Rate Monitor
Masimo won FDA clearance for its Rad-G pulse oximeter, a rugged device developed with the help of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Originally created to spot-check patients for SpO2 (oxygen saturation), respiration rate from the plethysmograph (RRp), pulse rate (PR), perfusion index (Pi), and pleth variability index (PVi®), this latest (Read more...)