Eyeglasses have gotten pretty cheap over the decades, but the process of obtaining a prescription is still too expensive for many people around the world. One reason for the high cost of prescriptions is the expense, and size, of traditional autorefractors. These devices are bulky, and so can’t be easily transported between places lacking pro (Read more...)
Tag: Public Health
Surgibox: a Portable Operating Room for Surgery Anywhere
A well equipped surgical team not only has a bunch of equipment, but also an operating theater to work in. There are charitable organizations traveling the world over providing free-of-charge surgeries, but their reach is limited because a proper OR is still a rarity in many places. A new device is being developed that wraps […]
Medgadget @ CES 2018: BACtrack View Breathalyzer for Watching Over Loved Ones
Breathalyzers used to only be thought of as devices the police use to stop drunk drivers. But thanks to miniaturization and integration with modern smartphones, breathalyzer technology can be used in novel ways. One interesting product we saw on our visit to CES 2018 in Las Vegas is the BACtrack View. This device allows individual […]
DIY In-Home Environmental Assessments with yogi by Live Pure, Interview with CEO Greg Sancoff
While consumers have long been able to buy a variety of tests for in-home assessment of environmental contaminants, a new company, Live Pure, is seeking to simplify the effort required to perform these assessments with yogi, an all-in-one test kit. The new product is designed to deliver peace of mind to consumers concerned about their […]
Timestrip Vaccine Indicator Reminder Helps Parents in Poorly Developed Places Stay on Immunization Schedule
In developing nations that lack proper medical systems, kids’ vaccinations are often forgotten about and therefore missed, leading to the development of bigger problems down the road. In more developed nations, parents receive regular reminders via a variety of means and compliance remains quite high outside the community of skeptics. To help (Read more...)
MolecuLight i:X Wound Assessment Tool Now Available in Europe
The MolecuLight i:X from MolecuLight, a company out of Toronto, Canada, is finally launching in Europe following CE Mark approval of the device more than a year ago. Smith & Nephew will be distributing the device, which allows clinicians to spot bacteria directly on the wound using fluorescence visualization that doesn’t re (Read more...)
Antibacterial Nanoscale Etching of Stainless Steel Surfaces
At Georgia Tech, researchers have developed a way of etching stainless steel surfaces so finely that bacteria that come in contact with them end up being pierced and killed. Interestingly, because of the physiological differences between cell types, mammalian cells don’t seem to be significantly impacted by these surfaces. The electrochemical (Read more...)
BiliSpec, Tested in Malawi, Diagnoses Jaundice in Children for Cheap
A cheap and easy to use device invented by students at Rice University has shown, in a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that it can detect jaundice from a small blood sample. Currently, lab equipment and disposable cartridges are used to detect jaundice early and accurately, but this is often too […]
High-Tech Mobile Stroke Units Treat Patients Sooner
A stroke is one of the most time-critical medical emergencies. If not treated quickly, a patient can quickly deteriorate as brain cells die from a lack of oxygen. Doctors aim to begin treating stroke patients within an hour from the onset of symptoms, something that is often difficult to do when relying on conventional ambulances. […]
Ingestible Biosensor for Tracking Opioid Use Following Acute Injury
Opioids, such as oxycodone, are routinely prescribed for short-term pain management following pain-inducing injuries. However, their use is associated with the development of tolerance and addiction, due in part to dosage mismanagement by patients. Recently, the FDA approved the use of the first digital pill administered in combination (Read more...)
Kastus Glass and Ceramics Coating Kills Pathogens with Light
While checking out the dozens of medtech companies showing off their stuff at the recent Med in Ireland event in Dublin, we were intrigued to discover Kastus, the inventors of a pretty amazing surface coating technology. The company’s Log4+ coating is made of titanium dioxide co-doped with fluorine and copper, the combination of which results (Read more...)
SureWash Uses Computer Vision to Teach Proper Hand Washing Techniques
While visiting Med in Ireland, the big get-together of Irish companies and all kinds of buyers in the medical device space, we were introduced to the SureWash system. This is an innovative product unlike anything we’ve covered before, the end goal of which is to prevent the spread of infections within clinical facilities. The SureWash [&helli (Read more...)
FoodTech: How Engineered Food and Gastronomical Gadgets Affect Your Health
Here on Medgadget, we cover a lot of groundbreaking devices that save lives and improve health. But one often overlooked topic deals with something each and every one of us use every day: food. Food is essential for our survival, and one can say it interacts with our bodies more intimately than any medical product, so […]
EasyScan GO: AI Powered Malaria Parasite Counter
EasyScan GO, an AI powered microscope developed by Chinese manufacturer Motic, has the capability to automatically and accurately quantify malaria parasites in a blood sample. Utilizing machine learning algorithms, the microscope is so efficient that it can identify the amount of parasites present in under 20 minutes. Premiered at the International (Read more...)
Small, Cheap, Portable Spectrometer for Biological Sample Imaging Anywhere
Optical spectrometers provide a unique view of biological samples. How objects reflect different frequencies of light reveals quite a bit about them, but precise, highly sensitive spectrometers tend to be bulky and expensive. This technical limitation has prevented the use of spectrometry in many potential medical applications, particularly in fiel (Read more...)
Popit Sense Accurately Monitors Blister Pack Drug Usage
Smart pill bottle caps have existed for a while now, tracking every time the bottle is accessed. But, most of the world relies on blister packs and a new product will soon be coming out that can track those as well. The Popit Sense device is a small plastic dongle that bites into and tightly […]
Ford Trialing Exoskeleton to Help Factory Workers Avoid Injuries
Ford, the automaker, is trialing a new exoskeleton at two of its factories. The device is designed to help line assembly workers perform overhead tasks. The exoskeleton, called EksoVest, was developed in a partnership with Ekso Bionics, a company we visited and whose technology we tried on ourselves a couple years ago. While Ekso has devoted [ (Read more...)
From Data Management to Leader in Healthcare Informatics: Interview with Information Builders’ Michael Corcoran
In an age in which data is generated at faster rates than ever before, the struggle to streamline and interpret the plethora of available information has been the core driver for many business analytics companies. The challenge is arguably more pressing in an environment as complex as a hospital, where data is constantly gathered at […]
Healthcare Analytics at the Information Builders Summit
Every summer the business analytics and data management company, Information Builders, holds a conference to bring together thousands of company employees, representatives from international conglomerates, and a variety of other attendees. With upwards of 140 presentations and technical workshops spanning three days, there is always something to le (Read more...)
Shift Labs Wins 2017 Global Health Innovator Award at The MedTech Conference
Shift Labs is the winner of the 2017 Global Health Innovator Award. The award was presented at The MedTech Conference which took place last month in Santa Clara, CA. This is the award’s inaugural year and was a result of the conference’s new Innovations in Global Health Program, which puts a focus on medical innovation […]