Scientist-led conferences at Harvard, Stanford and MIT
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Pass-thoughts as the new passwords
http://phys.org/news/2013-04-password-future-passthoughts.html Pass-thoughts are thoughts that a headset records through brainwaves. The computer learns what your individual brainwaves are like and then identifies you. Traditionally, these brainwaves, called electroencephalograms (EEGs), are collected through expensive and sometimes invasive devices, so the pass-thought growth has been severely stunted. Berkeley’s John Chuang and his team conducted a series of…
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A hard look at neuroscience research from The Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/04/neuroscience Sample sizes in neurological research are often too small to draw general conclusions. Marcus Munafo, from the University of Bristol, and his colleagues analyzed hundreds of neuroscience studies to determine their “statistical power”. If the researchers’ figures are accurate—and if the 12-month period they looked at is representative of neuroscience research in general—then the…
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Brain-machine interface allows control of limbs through thoughts
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681674/a-prosthetic-arm-controlled-by-your-thoughts By placing a small sensor in the brain’s motor cortex, interfaces can pick up on electrical activity, and translate it into commands that control a robotic arm. Now scientists have gone a step further. Instead of a wired brain-arm link, they have now developed a wireless connection powerful enough to work at a distance of…
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Eldercare monitoring system based on social connections
http://mobihealthnews.com/21650/lively-a-new-eldercare-monitoring-system-focused-on-social-connections-heads-to-kickstarter/ Lively is an in-home sensor network for connecting elderly loved ones to their families. The system combines a series of wireless sensors, a data-collection hub and biweekly printed mailers that serve as kind of an analog social network. The basic setup measures medication compliance, food and drink intake and general activity outside the home. Lively is…
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Protective genes vs lifestyle for longevity
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/05/longevity/hall-text Scientists studying longevity have begun using powerful genomic technologies, basic molecular research, and, most important, data on small, genetically isolated communities of people to gain increased insight into the maladies of old age and how they might be avoided.
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Mobile monitors for expectant mothers
http://www.fiercemobilehealthcare.com/special-reports/mobile-monitors-expectant-mothers AirStrip OB is a mobile patient monitoring solution for women in labor. The system, developed by San-Antonio-based AirStrip Technologies, captures vital patient waveform data, including fetal heart tracing and maternal contraction patterns, in “virtual real time” and sends it to a physician’s mobile device.
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Bronx VA doctor helps paraplegics walk with Israeli exoskeleton device
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/doctor-helps-parapalegics-walk-exoskeletons-article-1.1315915 ReWalk is a commercial bionic walking assistance system, utilising powered leg attachments to enable paraplegics to stand upright, walk, and climb stairs. The system is powered by a backpack battery, and is controlled by a simple wrist-mounted remote which detects and enhances the user’s movements.
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Monitoring app for deteriorating eye, retinal conditions
http://www.healthtechzone.com/topics/healthcare/articles/2013/04/12/334081-new-fda-approved-myvisiontrack-medical-device-provides-hope.htm Using a proprietary patented shape discrimination hyperacuity (SDH) test, myVisionTrack enables patients to regularly assess their vision function. myVisionTrack stores test results, tracks disease progression and can automatically alert a healthcare provider if it suspects significant deterioration of visual function in the patient. Clinical studies demonstrate that myVisionTrack’s shape discrimination hyperacuity test has comparable…
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Cord-free hospital medical monitors
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/technology/AJ201304120065 Hospital patients may no longer need to be hooked up to a tangle of wires, thanks to new technology developed by Fujitsu Ltd. The device enables cord-free monitoring through radio-wave transmission of electrocardiograms, blood pressure and other data from sensors attached to patients’ bodies. A transmitter mounted on each sensor sends readings to a…
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fMRI differentiates physical from emotional pain
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-sci-pain-measure-fmri-20130409,0,5200467.story A group of scientists at the University of Michigan have succeeded in using functional magnetic resonance imaging to tease apart the brain’s consistent response to physical pain from its very similar response to emotional pain. The result is a moving picture of physical pain that allowed the researchers to predict with remarkable accuracy whether the individual…
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Babies’ brains to be mapped in the womb and after birth
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21880017 The study – known as the Developing Human Connectome Project – hopes to look at more than 1,500 babies, studying many aspects of their neurological development. By examining the brains of babies while they are still growing in the womb, as well as those born prematurely and at full term, the scientists will try…
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Obamacare positions mHealth as a remedy for chronic hospital readmissions
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=affordable-care-act-technology The Obama administration introduced the ACA in 2010 to move health care away from a fee-for-service model to one that promotes preventative care and overall wellness. Beginning this October the ACA will reinforce this approach by penalizing hospitals with chronic readmission problems by cutting Medicare reimbursement payments to those facilities. This policy initially targets…
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