As many medical technologies continue to miniaturize, the task of accurately measuring blood pressure still requires a cumbersome upper-arm cuff. Scientists at the University of Toronto and Hangzhou Normal University in China have now shown that it may be possible to use existing smartphones to measure blood pressure. Their approach relies on notic (Read more...)
Tag: Sports Medicine
Imperceptible Wearable Electronics Only Microns Thin
When we think of wearable electronics, devices such as smartwatches, chest-strap heart monitors, and wrist-worn activity trackers come to mind. In the future, and one that is seemingly not that far away, wearables may look like tattoos that are only microns thick. That may be thanks to researchers from the University of Houston, University of [&hel (Read more...)
Flexible Body Monitor Measures ECG, Breathing, Heart Rate Continuously for Weeks
Continuous, long-term monitoring of physiological activity can provide doctors, caretakers, and scientists with nuanced information about someone’s health. Children, the frail and elderly, and people with all sorts of conditions often have difficulty wearing and using existing body-worn sensors. Now, researchers at Georgia Tech have designed (Read more...)
Hydrogels with Flexible Electronics Herald New Medical Possibilities
Scientists around the world are actively using hydrogels as novel materials to interface with the body in a variety of ways. At the same time, the field of flexible electronics has progressed to the point that there’s real demand to integrate electronic components with hydrogels. Now, researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technolo (Read more...)
Unlocking Human Potential Through Brain Stimulation: Halo Sport 2
Making an impact within the consumer space with its first brain stimulator, Halo Neuroscience recently launched its fully upgraded Halo Sport 2 at a price point that makes neurostimulation even more accessible. Their first product, Halo Sport, was originally released at CES 2017, which earned them a Fast Company Award for “Most Inn (Read more...)
Low Power Network for Wireless Body Sensors
As wearable devices multiply and gather ever more data about our bodies, the batteries and wireless networks they rely on can become strained. To give wearables a longer battery life and to allow gigabytes of data to be transmitted at the same time, researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a new type […]
Withings Releases Two Fashionable Wireless Blood Pressure Monitors
Withings is releasing two new wireless blood pressure monitors, the BPM Core and BPM Connect, one of which is a bit more than just a BP cuff. As always, the French company has given a lot of attention to the design of these cuffs, giving them a user-friendly, comfortable look. The BPM Connect is a […]
Stretchable E-Tattoo for Long-Term Heart Monitoring
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a wearable heart monitor which can assess heart health over several days. The research team call the device an “e-tattoo” and claim that its stretchability makes it more comfortable and convenient to wear compared with previously developed devices. The device is the first s (Read more...)
MX3 Diagnostics Unveils Saliva-Based Hydration Testing System
MX3 Diagnostics, a startup with offices in Austin, Minneapolis, and Melbourne, Australia, has unveiled its first product, a saliva-based hydration testing system. The MX3 Hydration Testing System can be used by athletes, travelers, and maybe even clinicians to test patients, and is promoted by the manufacturer to be of “lab-quality”. Th (Read more...)
EmoGraphy by Philips Monitors and Predicts Stress: Interview with Navin Natoewal
Philips has recently launched EmoGraphy, a stress management technology to measure someone’s stress levels and then predict them an hour into the future. The company worked out the sensing and algorithm calculation methods, and are now licensing their technology to firms that want to expand it into their devices. We met with Navin Natoewal, t (Read more...)
Octopus-Inspired Wearable Biosensor Sticks to Wet and Dry Skin
Researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea have developed a new waterproof, wearable biosensor that can stick to the skin in a unique way. Their work, recently published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, demonstrates the biosensor adheres to the skin in wet and dry conditions and can monitor [ (Read more...)
Electronic Wristband With Flexible Batteries Helps Maintain Body Temperature
It has been well known that using localized cooling and heating can help people regulate their body temperature, reduce muscle fatigue during exercise, and generally make feel better. Heating and cooling pads are quite bulky, heavy, and don’t provide much control of their temperature, making them difficult to use in practice. Engineers (Read more...)
Sweat Sensor Measures Variety of Biochemicals to Help Monitor Exercise, Disease
Our skin excretes a wide array of important biomarkers that may help to track physical exertion, diagnose disease, and track progression of a condition. Exercise, in particular, leads to a significant change in the composition of our sweat, signaling dehydration, lack of electrolytes, or other problems. Scientists at KTH Royal Institute of Technolo (Read more...)
Smart Fabric Can Sense Motion to Help Physical Therapy Patients to Optimize Recovery
Researchers at Dartmouth College have developed a low-cost motion-sensing fabric that physical therapy patients can wear on their arm. The fabric can provide patients with feedback about the most appropriate arm angles to take in order to help accelerate recovery. It also allows clinicians to test an injured patient’s recovery and the effecti (Read more...)
Low-Profile Assistive Ankle Exoskeleton Can Be Worn Under Clothes
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have developed a lightweight and inexpensive ankle exoskeleton to assist those with impaired lower leg muscles or those in jobs that require a lot of running or walking. Unlike previous ankle exoskeletons, the device is small enough to be worn discreetly under clothing. Developing assistive exoskeletal structure (Read more...)
Withings Releases Breathing Disturbance Sleep Monitor
Withings, the famous French maker of stylish activity trackers, blood pressure cuffs, and other personal healthcare and fitness devices, is releasing a breathing disturbance monitor. Built into its Sleep tracking mat, the technology can detect many of the instances when a person’s breathing is interrupted. These events can be signs of sleep a (Read more...)
Brain-Computer Interface with Neurofeedback Improves Human Performance
When performing challenging and dangerous tasks, our state of mind can have great effect on whether we succeed or fail. During emergencies some people panic while others remain calm. Some people get so influenced by emotion that an easy task, such as simply running out of a building, can turn into a disaster all of […]
Unyte’s iom2 Helps You Meditate With Ease: Medgadget Review
Let’s face it, today’s fast-paced and viciously competitive world has made stress inevitable. Our brains are constantly bombarded with tasks and distractions, leaving many of us worn out. Although it is known that meditation can help many of us to step away from all our stressors and give our overactive brains a break, starting and [&he (Read more...)
ErgoJack Smart Vest Prevents Injuries at Work
Construction, factory, and farm workers, among others, tend to put a lot of strain on their backs. It’s no surprise that back problems are common in such professions. Paying attention to one’s posture and being careful to avoid putting too much demand on the bones and muscles of the back can certainly help, but not […]
BewellConnect MyTens PRO: A Medgadget Review
BewellConnect’s MyTens PRO is a mobile and wireless TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) device that has been medically approved and cleared by the FDA. TENS is a widely known technique that provides pain relief or muscle stimulation using mild electrical currents. The typical TENS unit comes with a handheld central control unit (Read more...)