Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science created footwear that can self-regulate the pressure distribution when a person walks, helping to avoid pain and friction that can lead to issues for people with diabetes. Patients with diabetes can have an abnormal gait, sometimes because of pain or numbness in the extremities, potentially leading to (Read more...)
Tag: Rehab
Living Skin Layer for Robots and Prostheses
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a method to coat a robotic finger in a living “skin” layer. The living coating is strong and flexible enough to allow the robotic finger to bend and flex, and it can repel water and even self-heal if damaged. The technique involves coating the robot in a […]
Artificial Skin Senses Pressure, Temperature, Humidity
Researchers at Graz University in Austria have created an artificial skin that is more sensitive than your fingertip. The skin contains 2,000 sensors per square millimeter, and the researchers designed it to sense humidity, temperature, and pressure, just like human skin. The tiny sensors within the skin material consist of a hydrogel core and a [& (Read more...)
Preference-Driven Haptic Feedback for Realistic Virtual Surfaces
A team at the University of Southern California developed a system to create highly realistic and personalized ‘virtual surfaces’ that can inform more advanced haptic feedback systems. Haptic feedback uses specific vibrations to simulate how it feels to touch a surface. This new approach allows people to customize their own virtual surf (Read more...)
Soft Robotic Sleeve for Lymphedema Treatment
Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada created a soft robotic sleeve to treat lymphedema. Lymphedema involves fluid accumulation in tissues because of damage to the lymph system. This wearable sleeve combines a microfluidic controller and soft robotic components that apply compression to the arm to reduce and control fluid accumulation (Read more...)
Leg Sleeve for Neurological Mobility Issues: Interview with Jeremiah Robison, Cionic CEO
Cionic, a medtech company based in San Francisco, created the Neural Sleeve, a wearable that is designed to enhance movement for those with mobility issues. The company describes its device as a bionic garment, and it has recently been cleared by the FDA for use in those with neurological conditions that can impair mobility, such […]
Electronic Eye Enables Color Vision
A team at Georgia State University have developed an “electronic eye” that can provide color vision for microrobots. While the technology should be useful for medical robots, it could also make possible color perception technology for the visually impaired and could act as a component of artificial eyes. The technology relies on a stack (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...)
Printed Fingertip with Enhanced Tactile Sense
Researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK have created a 3D printed fingertip that is designed for use by robots or as a component of robotic prostheses. The structure mimics the dermal papillae found in human skin, which are small bumps present between the dermis and epidermis that are important in human touch. […]
(Read more...)New System Speeds Up Typing for the Motor Impaired
Researchers at MIT have created a new text selection interface for motor impaired individuals. People with severe physical disabilities can type to communicate with others, and often activate a switch or blink an eye to indicate a letter selection in a grid of letters on a computer screen. This approach to typing is painstaking and […]
Flexible Brain-Computer Interface Array for Better Contact
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have created a brain-computer interface array featuring microneedles affixed to a flexible backing. The design allows the array to better conform to the undulating surface of the brain, permitting better contact and improved signal recording across a wide area. The technology represents an upgra (Read more...)
Fingertip Sensor Lets Prostheses Feel Applied Force
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 […]
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 obj (Read more...)
Wearable Sensors Track Hand Use in Amputees
Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have developed a system to track hand use in people with a hand prosthesis or patients who have undergone a hand transplant. The technology tracks movement in the hands and arms, and helps to monitor how people use their hands in everyday life. Such data could help to guide […]
Thought-to-Text Brain-Computer Interface: Interview with Florian Solzbacher, Chairman of Blackrock Neurotech
Blackrock Neurotech, a medical technology company based in Salt Lake City, created a suite of brain-computer interface systems with the goal of empowering patients to have increased independence and quality of life. This latest technology aims to restore written communication in patients who have difficulties in this regard, such as those affected (Read more...)
Voxel-Based Technique to Streamline Bioprinting
At the University of Virginia researchers developed a new bioprinting technique based on voxels. Voxels are 3D cubes that form basic building blocks in computer graphics, similar to what pixels are for 2D, and have been popularized by games such as Minecraft. The new technique involves printing discrete spherical blobs of bioink (as the voxels) [&h (Read more...)
Washable Fabric Measures Electrical Activity of Muscles
Researchers at the University of Utah engineered a wearable fabric that can function as a biosensor, measuring electrical activity of muscles. The technology could be useful for physical rehabilitation, allowing clinicians and physical therapists to monitor patients’ progress. The fabric contains a network of silver flakes and gold nanopartic (Read more...)
Personalized Exosuit Uses Ultrasound to Adapt to User’s Needs
At Harvard University a team of scientists and engineers developed an exosuit that uses ultrasound to measure muscle activity. The capability allows for rapid calibration of the suit for users’ needs. The soft wearable device continuously assists when walking or running, reducing the energy required to perform these tasks, which could be very (Read more...)
Synthetic Peptides Jump Around to Repair Spinal Injuries
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed an injectable therapeutic that consists of synthetic peptide sequences intended to regenerate spinal tissue. The team designed the material so that it would allow the peptides to ‘dance,’ with such movements increasing the chance that they will find and interact with receptor protein (Read more...)
Wireless Blood Pressure and Hemodynamic Monitoring: Interview with Jeff Pompeo, CEO, Caretaker Medical
Caretaker Medical, a company based in Virginia, developed the VitalStream wireless patient monitor, and the company recently announced that the device has received FDA clearance. The technology is intended to improve on traditional blood pressure cuffs that provide only a snap-shot of blood pressure data, while being an alternative, in many cases, (Read more...)