Month: November 2013
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Tongue based magnetic field controls wheelchair
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/5/213/213ra166 Maysam Ghovanloo of Georgia Tech and Anne Laumann of Northwestern have developed a tongue piercing based magnet to operate a wheelchair. The device is a small magnetic barbell which creates a magnetic field in the mouth. When users flick their tongues, it alters that field. The change is picked up by four small sensors…
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Sony’s “SmartWig” can monitor and transmit health data
US Patent Office Sony has submitted a patent application for a health monitoring “SmartWig.” It can include a GPS and camera placed near the forehead. Users can receive vibrating feedback on specific parts of their head. A laser pointer and remote can be controlled by the head’s movement. An ultrasound transducer could transmit or receive…
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Glowing worm imaging system to study neural circuitry; can impact drug development
http://www.pnas.org/content/110/45/E4266 Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Rockefeller University researcher in have developed a system to image brain activity in multiple awake and unconstrained worms. The technology makes it possible to study the genetics and neural circuitry associated with animal behavior. It can also be used as a high-throughput screening tool for drug development targeting autism, anxiety,…
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NEC’s PaPeRo Petit robot uses third party apps to monitor seniors at home
http://jpn.nec.com/press/201311/20131111_01.html NEC has introduced the PaPeRo Petit robot, which is about half the size of earlier PaPeRo senior companions, and a cloud computing system for services using the new robot. PaPeRo Petit combines multiple sensors (cameras, ultrasonic range finders, temperature sensor, and microphones) to detect people and look in their direction even in complete darkness. It…
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Signal enhances survival of new brain cells – can impact treatment of Alzheimers, Schizophrenia
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.3572.html Last year Johns Hopkins researchers reported that brain cells known as parvalbumin-expressing interneurons instruct nearby stem cells not to divide by releasing a chemical signal called GABA. In a new study, Professors Hongiun Song and Guo-li Ming wanted to find out how GABA from surrounding neurons affects the newborn neurons that stem cells produce. Many…
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Smart foam measures football helmet impact
http://news.byu.edu/archive13-nov-helmetsmartfoam.aspx Brigham Young University researchers have developed a “smart foam” helmet lining for immediate, real-time measurements of each hit that a football player endures. The measurements are communicated immediately to a hand-held device, telling coaches if a collision is capable of inducing a concussion, even if the player denies a problem. “ExoNanoFoam” is a nano-enabled…
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Monkeys in Nicolelis lab control both arms using brain activity
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/5/210/210ra154.short?rss=1 Duke’s Miguel Nicolelis continues to advance brain machine interface, and in his latest experiment, monkeys have learned to control the movement of both arms on an avatar using their brain activity. The findings advance efforts to develop bilateral movement in brain-controlled prosthetic devices for severely paralyzed patients. Until now brain-machine interfaces could only control…
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Implanted nanotube sensor monitors health for up to one year
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/new-implantable-sensor-1103.html MIT scientists are developing injectable and embeddable carbon nanotube sensors that can monitor blood sugar levels, inflammation, and other health issues. The continuous monitor can stay in a person’s body for up to a year. Researcher Nicole Iverson wrapped carbon nanotubes in DNA sensitive to nitric oxide and made two types of sensors. One is injectable…
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“Bionic” arm exoskeleton concept for rehabilitation and strength augmentation
http://titanarm.com/about Titan Arm is an untethered, powered, upper body exoskeleton concept for use in rehabilitation and therapeutic applications, which can also augment strength. It is under development and not yet ready to be brought to market, but is being designed by students at The University of Pennsylvania. It straps directly to a user’s right arm to help…