Researchers at Columbia University have developed a robotic device that can help people with spinal cord injuries to improve their trunk control, allowing them to sit more stably and expand their range of motion when sitting. The device consists of a motorized belt that attaches to the torso, and which applies forces as users complete […]
Tag: Rehab
Comcast Partners with NuEyes to Make TV Accessible to People with Low Vision
In the past few years, Comcast, a television company, has been putting some serious effort into making its content more accessible to people with disabilities. It recently released its X1 eye control offering that lets users change channels, search for shows, schedule recordings of shows, and more by simply looking at specific areas of the […]
Bonding Rubber and Electrical Components for Soft Medical Sensors
Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a way to create a tight bond between rubber and electrical components. The method could pave the way for a variety of soft sensors for medical applications. For instance, such sensors could provide a signal when squeezed or stretched, with potential in monitoring patient rehabilitation after hand injury, […]
Dr. Hugh Herr, Founder of BionX: On The Superpowers of Bionic Technologies
Two young and extremely talented rock and ice climbers set out to summit Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern United States (6,288 feet) and considered to be the world’s most dangerous small mountain, in January of 1982. Despite careful planning, an unfortunate turn in the weather caused Hugh Herr and his friend Jeff […]
Wireless Skin VR System For Prosthetic Users
Researchers from City University of Hong Kong and Northwestern University have developed a wearable “skin” that can impart a sense of touch through vibrations on the user’s skin beneath. The device is powered and controlled wirelessly, and could provide a sense of touch for prosthetic users and aid in rehabilitation. Imparting a sense of touch […]
New Device Improves Speech of People with Parkinson’s
Many people with Parkinson’s disease tend to talk more quietly and less clearly than before the disease struck them. Speech therapy can help in many cases, but a device recently developed at Purdue University automatically activates an internal mechanism in users that to spurs them to speak louder and more intelligibly. The SpeechVive device, an […]
Art Therapy Using Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is already used in medicine to train surgeons, fight phobias, and even help with early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at Drexel University have now taken the first steps to apply virtual reality in the field of art therapy. “Art therapy is founded on the idea that creative expression with an art therapist […]
Quadriplegics Can Grasp, Lift Objects Using Transcutaneous Neurostimulation
Transcutaneous electrical muscle stimulation is used in a variety of clinical applications, including as a rehabilitation tool to help people with limited mobility. It is effective for maladies such as certain types of urinary incontinence, for example, but getting the muscles of the arm to move in unison and with appropriate strength via electrical stimulation […]
Scientists 3D Print Vascularized Artificial Skin
Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method to 3D print living skin with built-in blood vessels. This living skin construct is cultured in vitro and develops into an interconnected microvascular network underneath a layered barrier of skin cells. in tests on mice, the grafts connect with the animals’ vascular network and become […]
Scientists 3D Print Vascularized Artificial Skin
Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method to 3D print living skin with built-in blood vessels. This living skin construct is cultured in vitro and develops into an interconnected microvascular network underneath a layered barrier of skin cells. in tests on mice, the grafts connect with the animals’ vascular network and become […]
Smart Prosthetic Leg Uses AI to Make Perfect Steps
Powered prosthetic devices tend to be heavy and not very smart at interpreting the needs of their users. Leg prostheses, for example, have to bend their joints to match whatever the person wants to do, be it sitting down, standing up, or walking up a flight of stairs. Moreover, to feel natural and provide fluid […]
AI-Powered Voice Assistance Behind New Digital Health Company Frontive Health (Interview)
Voice assistants are quickly becoming a popular consumer tool that allows users to access libraries of skills, including games, news, and reminders. Last month, Los Angeles-based Frontive Health launched its smart personal health platform to help patients more easily adhere to their care regimens by leveraging Amazon Echo’s voice assistant. Utilizing a “less is more” […]
World First: Man Controls Two Powered Prosthetic Arms with His Mind
There has been a lot of progress over the past few years in the field of brain-computer interfaces, a technology that may give severely paralyzed people the ability to use robotic arms and legs. As anyone with two arms knows, one is not enough for many tasks. So researchers at Johns Hopkins University have successfully […]
Printed Kirigami Sensor Hugs Shoulder to Measure Recovery
The thing that separates us apes from monkeys is the range of motion of our shoulders. Able to swoop from vine to vine, apes have a very complex joint whose motion hasn’t been studied in full detail. That’s because it is very difficult to position sensors on and around the shoulder that will conform to […]
FDA Clears geko Muscle Pump Activator to Prevent VTE
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) too often strikes bedridden patients in the hospital, and this is one of the main reasons that patients are put back on their feet as soon as possible. Inflatable wraps placed around the legs, which can raise the pressure, are a common way to prevent the condition. Now, a device called geko […]
Medtronic’s Tiny New InterStim Micro Neurostimulator Submitted to FDA
Medtronic has filed for FDA approval for its InterStim Micro neurostimulator and the accompanying InterStim SureScan MRI leads. The rechargeable device delivers sacral neuromodulation therapy to treat conditions such as overactive bladder, fecal incontinence, unobstructed urinary retention, and urinary urge incontinence. Along with the InterStim Micro, the new leads allow patients with the implanted system […]
Soft Robotic Glove for Hand Grasp Rehab
All sorts of conditions, including muscular dystrophy, ALS, and partial spinal cord injury, result in patients losing their ability to confidently grasp objects with their hands. Regaining this important capability is usually a priority, as it is one of the biggest impediments to living a normal life. Now, researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have developed […]
Exoskeleton Walks to Brain’s Commands
Powered exoskeletons are used to help people with lower limb paralysis get on their feet and allow post-stroke patients to recover faster. They’re pretty impressive devices, but people who are severely disabled, including those suffering from tetraplegia, can’t get much benefit from them. Now, a team of researchers in France has succeeded in getting a […]
Synchron Announces First Successful Clinical Implantation of Stentrode
Synchron, a spin-off from the University of Melbourne in Australia, has announced the first successful implantation of the Stentrode minimally invasive neural interface device in a person. The device is part of the Synchron brain-computer interface and combines the minimally invasive delivery of a vascular stent with the functionality of a neural implant. The company […]
Artificial Skin to Improve Sense of Touch, Help Study Neural Activity
At the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, researchers have created an interesting artificial “skin” that can sense touch while providing real-time haptic feedback in the form of vibrations. Because the sensors and actuators are completely embedded within this skin, it allows for near simultaneous closed-loop control of the system and makes it […]