Researchers at Penn State have developed an implantable device that coils around the bladder to detect when the bladder is full and assist with emptying it by contracting on-demand. The device is intended to treat underactive bladder, a condition in which incomplete bladder emptying leads to irregular and uncomfortable urination. “Researchers (Read more...)
Tag: Rehab
Stretchable Fiber-Optic Sensors for Skin-Like Sensation
Researchers at Cornell University have developed stretchable sensors that can detect sensations such as strain, pressure, and bending, much like human skin. Deformation is measured through changes in optical paths within the flexible fiber optic sensors. By providing a sense of ‘touch’, the sensors could provide additional functionality (Read more...)
SoundWatch Alerts Deaf Users of Nearby Activity
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a watch that can monitor a user’s environment for important sounds, such as a fire alarm or a microwave beeping, identify the sounds, and then inform the user through a subtle vibration. “This technology provides people with a way to experience sounds that require an action &nda (Read more...)
Flexible Skin Sensor to Help ALS Patients Communicate
Researchers at MIT have developed a wearable sensor that can detect small deformations of the skin, potentially serving as a way to help amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients to communicate through facial movements. The low-cost sensors are much cheaper and may be more effective than current assistive communication technologies for ALS patie (Read more...)
$1 Hearing Aid for Age-Related Hearing Loss
Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed an ultra low-cost hearing aid, for which all the components cost in total less than $1. Designed to be worn by people with age-related hearing loss, the technology provides much of the functionality of conventional hearing aids, but at a tiny fraction of the price. The device may represent […]
Wireless Brain Implant to Give Sight to Blind
Scientists in Australia are gearing up for clinical trials of a brain implant that may restore limited sight in blind people. Developed at Monash University in Melbourne, the Gennaris system involves bypassing the eye completely and targeting the vision center of the brain. A person would wear a pair of glasses outfitted with a camera […]
ReStore Exosuit Shows Positive Trial Results for Stroke Rehab
Soft exosuits that provide assistive force during movement could be a game changer for patients with mobility issues. Such devices can help enhance rehabilitation and assist patients while they perform everyday tasks. The idea with such technology is that the soft suit feels almost like a piece of clothing and applies force gently and evenly [&hell (Read more...)
Electrocorticography Implant for Plug and Play Brain-Computer Control
Researchers at UC San Francisco have used an electrocorticography (ECoG) implant to develop a brain-computer interface that does not need to be recalibrated and retrained each time it is used, allowing an experienced user to plug in and begin using the system at any time. The technique could allow for brain controlled prosthetic limbs or […]
(Read more...)Electronic Skin Senses Pain, Temp, Pressure as Fast as Human Dermis
Scientists at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia have announced the development of an artificial skin material that can sense pain, temperature, and pressure. It’s remarkable because it replicates how real skin responds to stimuli, which sends appropriate electric signals through neural pathways to the brain. The technology is slated (Read more...)
Smartphones Monitor Users’ Movements to Detect Alcohol Intoxication
According to a new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, your smartphone can tell you if you’re drunk. While this may seem like common sense to those who have witnessed the unsteady walk and unsavory speech from a friend who likely had a few too many drinks, a smartphone could […]
Neurostimulation Device Reduces Withdrawal Symptoms of Kids Born Addicted to Opioids
Children born to mothers addicted to opioids suffer through withdrawal in their first few weeks of life. Morphine is commonly used in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) to alleviate symptoms while the kids are weaned from drug dependency. This typically takes two to four weeks, all the while the children are kept in the NICU. […]
NexStride Helps Overcome Freeze of Gait in Parkinson’s
People with Parkinson’s disease and some other neurological disorders often suffer from a condition known as freezing of gait. For poorly understood reasons, initiating a step is often a challenge. Patients report a feeling of disassociation between one’s will to move and the legs not responding accordingly. This is both frustrating and (Read more...)
eSight 4 Vision Assistive Glasses Unveiled
eSight, a company based in Toronto, Canada, is releasing the latest version of its vision-improving electronic glasses for people with poor eyesight and even legal blindness. The eSight 4 sports two 1280×960 screens that display images captured and processed from the forward facing camera on the glasses. It’s indicated for people with a (Read more...)
InterStim Micro and SureScan MRI Leads Approved in U.S. for Incontinence Control
Medtronic has landed FDA approval for its InterStim Micro neurostimulator and the matching InterStim SureScan MRI leads that are used to treat overactive bladder, fecal incontinence, and non-obstructive urinary retention. The InterStim Micro is a miniaturized version of Medtronic’s InterStim II neuromodulator, being 80% smaller, but it is rec (Read more...)
Digital Guide Dog for Blind People
Guide dogs can be incredibly helpful, letting blind people maintain a level of independence that would be difficult without their loyalty. However, guide dogs require a huge amount of training and, because they’re dogs, are not practical for every blind person. Now, a student at Loughborough University in England has designed a concept handhe (Read more...)
Spinal Cord Stimulators Give Robotic Prostheses a Sense of Touch
Upper arm prostheses that give their users a sense of touch have been developed in the past (see flashbacks below). These require careful surgical placement of electrodes near the remaining nerves within the stump and precise stimulation of said nerves. Now researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have achieved a remarkable feat of using existin (Read more...)
Space Station Motor for More Comfortable, Powerful, Efficient Robotic Legs
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed robotic prosthetic legs which use motors that were originally designed for use on the robotic arm of the International Space Station. The motors allow the prostheses to move more naturally, producing less stress on the hips of users, and they are also quieter and more energy efficient [&helli (Read more...)
Glove Interprets Sign Language in Near Real Time
People that have to use sign language to communicate with others can feel like foreigners in their own land. Very few random strangers can read sign language, but a new technology out of University of California, Los Angeles may make all of us be able to understand someone speaking using signs. The UCLA team developed […]
Kyocera Helps Develop Wearable for Remote Rehab Monitoring During COVID Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a slew of new challenges for clinical facilities, including how to deliver as much care as possible at a distance. The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) Medical Hospital is working with Kyocera to be able to deliver rehab therapy to patients while closely monitoring (Read more...)
The Rig Lets Disabled People go Offroading
People with lower limb paralysis generally don’t get to enjoy the great outdoors nearly as easily as other nature lovers. Wheelchairs aren’t designed to traverse rugged terrain and to go on long treks, but a couple in Utah wanted to design something they themselves can use to see the world and their ideas have led […]