The word “paralysis” is starting to lose its gloomy permanence, as researchers at top-end institutions around the world have been getting some people back on their legs who were previously thought to have to spend the rest of their lives in wheelchairs. Well targeted electrical nerve stimulation, coupled with specialized rehab training, (Read more...)
Tag: Rehab
CooperVision’s Contacts Combat Eye Fatigue from Digital Screen Usage (Interview)
A recent study by OnePoll, conducted on behalf of CooperVision, manufacturer of soft contact lenses, found that 49 percent of Americans “feel society has become more digital and screen-oriented in the past five years.” The trend is not unexpected with 74 percent of employed Americans using a computer at their job and 7 in 10 […]
Nerve-on-a-Chip to Improve Functionality of Neuroprosthetic Devices
Scientists at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have created a special device to be able to stimulate and record signals from and to peripheral nerve fibers on a specialty chip. The device can be used to repeatedly stimulate and record the returning electric activity with high resolution, p (Read more...)
Vayyar Imaging Launches Walabot Home, A Senior Care Smart Home Device for Fall Detection
This week, Vayyar Imaging, a player in 3D sensor imaging technology, announced the launch of Walabot HOME, a senior care smart home device. Walabot HOME is designed for fall detection without the use of wearables, through the use of low-power radio wave technology similar to Wi-Fi. Avoiding the need for cameras, the system allows users […]
Glasses with Green Lenses Help Kids with Dyslexia to Read
Researchers at the São Paulo State University in Brazil and Paris Diderot University in France have for the first time conclusively showed that green light filter can help children overcome symptoms of dyslexia. Specifically, nine and ten year-old children with dyslexia improved their reading time significantly when using green col (Read more...)
Quell Non-Medication Solution for Chronic Pain: Interview with CEO Shai Gozani
Chronic pain affects 100 million Americans and is the most common cause of long-term disability. Long-term use of pain medications has significant risks, and chronic pain is a major contributor to opioid overuse. NeuroMetrix hopes to offer effective, non-medication solutions for chronic pain. The Waltham, MA-based company has developed the Que (Read more...)
The Pacey Cuff Urethral Control Device: Interview with CEO and a Practicing Urologist
Pacey Medtech, based in Vancouver, Canada, has developed the Pacey Cuff, a urethral control device for urinary incontinence in men, post-prostate cancer treatment. Treating prostate cancer can sometimes lead to urinary incontinence, which can have significant consequences for patient confidence and comfort. The psychological impact of incontinence (Read more...)
Researchers Use Novel Machine Learning Strategy to Accelerate Brain-Computer Interface Training
Brain-computer interfaces are typically systems which measure neural activity and convert it into artificial output. These systems have shown great potential for assisted movement in patients with motor impairments. The interfaces typically work by directing the patient to think about making a movement and allowing the system to repeatedly record t (Read more...)
Mechanical Devices Without Any Electronics Self-Report Usage to The Internet
Mechanical devices, particularly 3D printed ones, don’t have much room for electronics and so they remain “dumb” in many ways. Electronics need a power source and integrating them within moving components that are already complex can create greater difficulties. Engineers at the University of Washington have now developed a simple (Read more...)
Biodegradable Implant Stimulates Injured Nerves to Speed Up Healing
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine and Northwestern University created an implant to deliver electric impulses to damaged nerves, helping to heal them, and that eventually biodegrades and leaves the body. It’s about the size of a U.S. quarter coin and operates for about two weeks before losing power and breaking up into mi (Read more...)
Ohio State Studying Medical Aspects of Video Games in New Esports Program
At Ohio State University there’s a new program to study various aspects of esports (competitive playing of video games), including medically related issues such as fatigue, long-term problems for players, and how the brain and muscles work together to achieve incredible feats of coordination. The Sports Medicine Movement Analysis and Performa (Read more...)
Feed.fm Brings Music to Mobile Health with Launch of Health.fm: Interview with CEO Jeff Yasuda
Studies have shown that listening to music can have clinically-beneficial side effects from lowering cortisol hormone levels that cause stress and anxiety to correlating highly with verbal memory improvement in stroke patients when compared to patients not listening to music. Seeking to leverage its existing music expertise and enter the mobile hea (Read more...)
Vagus Nerve Stimulator Doubles Movement Recovery in Stroke Patients
Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have developed and helped to commercialize a vagus nerve stimulator therapy, which significantly enhanced movement recovery in stroke patients undergoing rehab in a recent study. The device, called the Vivistim, is currently being tested and developed by a UT Dallas spinoff company called MicroTransp (Read more...)
Paraplegic Man Walks Again Thanks to Implanted Spinal Cord Stimulator
A man completely paralyzed below the thoracic vertebrae in the middle of his back, which he injured in a snowmobile accident a few years ago, is now able to walk again. This was made possible thanks to researchers at Mayo Clinic and UCLA who implanted a spinal cord neurostimulator below the injury and helped the man […]
(Read more...)Spray-On Electronic Skin as Tactile Sensor for Prostheses
Prosthetic arms and legs of the future will have tactile sensitivity as a feature, but a lot of work still has to be done to get there. A couple issues that have proven to be engineering challenges is how to cover complex 3D surfaces, such as the hand, with sensors and how to make those […]
Vuzix Smart Glasses and Genzõ App Provide Live Life Experiences for Low-Mobility Patients
Vuzix, a New York-based supplier of smart glasses and augmented reality solutions, has partnered with 1Minuut Innovation, a Dutch healthcare innovation company, to provide a real-time life experience solution for low-mobility patients. The system consists of the Vuzix M300 smart glasses and the 1Minuut Genzõ app, and it allows patients who a (Read more...)
Spinal Cord Epidural Stimulation Lets Paralyzed Walk Again
While paralysis is common following a serious spinal injury, it seems that many patients may be treated with a new therapy that has already proven to restore walking and standing in a few study volunteers. Researchers at University of Louisville in Kentucky, reporting in New England Journal of Medicine, combined spinal cord epidural stimulatio (Read more...)
Body Sensors and Brain Simulator to Estimate Effects of Head Injuries
Injuries to the brain are hard to assess, particularly just after a traumatic event. Various imaging techniques can help to assess how the brain has been impacted, but they are still not very good in many cases, leaving physicians with not enough data to form confident diagnoses. Researchers at Penn State are working on a […]
EverSleep Wearable Sleep Tracker: Product Review and Interview with CEO
Readers might recall the 2017 Indiegogo campaign by SomnoHealth to create EverSleep, a wearable sleep tracker with built-in oxygenation monitoring. The campaign reached 224% of its original goal in addition to receiving a $50k Arrow Electronics Flash Funding Grant and recognition as a 2017 National Sleep Foundation SleepTech 2017 Semifinalist. Toda (Read more...)
Wheelchair Cushion with Smart Capabilities Avoids Pressure Ulcers
Engineers at the University of Texas at Arlington have developed a new seat cushion for wheelchairs that works in an intelligent way to prevent the development of pressure ulcers. Decubitus ulcers come about when the same part of the body experiences applied pressure for long periods of time. There are cushions and mattresses made of […]