Scientist-led conferences at Harvard, Stanford and MIT

  • Sensor detects swallowing problems in stroke patients

    http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/stick-on-sensor-detects-trouble-swallowing/  A small, external sensor developed at the University of Pittsburgh records how a person swallows and could result in more efficient and less invasive testing for stroke patients. Dysphagia can have dire consequences like malnutrition, dehydration, pneumonia, and even death. Current evaluation and monitoring methods are often cumbersome and not as effective as they…

  • EPSRC funds 15 creative healthcare engineering projects

    http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2013/Pages/enghealthcare.aspx The EPSRC is funding technologies in three health areas: 1. Medical Imaging.  Projects include technology which could: -lead to better diagnosis and treatment for epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, depression, dementia as well as breast cancers and osteoporosis -reduce risks during brain surgery by creating ultrasound devices in needles -improve therapies for brain injured patients and…

  • Study shows babies, children and adults learn in their sleep

    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226081155.htm Sleep helps us to learn. It may just be too hard for a brain to take in the flood of new experiences and make sense of them at the same time. Instead, our brains look at the world for a while and then shut out new input and sort through what they have seen.…

  • 8 new sensor based health tracking devices

    http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/gallery/wearable_trackers/ An overview of 8 new sensor based health tracking devices.  Some predict that 400 million such products will enter the market by 2014.

  • Implantable chip analyzes blood and sends data to doctors

    http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-03/20/implantable-chip-doctor A multidisciplinary Swiss team has developed a tiny, implantable device that instantly analyses the blood before wirelessly sending the data to a doctor. The device can be used for monitoring general health, but the team also sees immediate applications in monitoring the efficacy of treatments such as chemotherapy in order to tailor drug delivery to a…

  • Study charts heart risk in 1M adults in real time

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324323904578368572640617966.html The Health eHeart Study will use smartphone apps, sensors and other devices to gather data on a wide variety of measures associated with cardiovascular health—including blood pressure, physical activity, diet and sleep habits—in real time.

  • Fujitsu facial imaging technology measures pulse

    http://www.sys-con.com/node/2582171 A Fujitsu research lab has developed software that can accurately measure a subject’s pulse using the small digital cameras attached to smartphones and tablets. The technology is based on the fact that the brightness of an individual’s face changes slightly as their heart beats, due to their blood flow. Hemoglobin, which carries oxygen around…

  • Neural circuitry-like advances in machine reliability

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-self-healing-microchips Redundancy is arriving to commercial electrical circuits. A circuit, reminiscent of neural computation, enables backup circuitry to be engaged when main functioning breaks.

  • A move toward aggregating health data from various devices and apps

    http://gigaom.com/2013/03/15/tictrac-emerges-to-help-make-health-tracking-more-mainstream/ It seems that every day a new app or device promising the ultimate in health or fitness monitoring enters the market.  A startup has created a personal analytics dashboard which gives people a big picture view of their own aggregated data and underlying patterns, helping them make sense of the numbers.

  • Samsung Galaxy S4 introduces health tracking features

    http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s4-health-tracking-features-rival-fitbit-fuelband-1137737 Sensor technology will enable smartphone users to keep track of sleep patterns, heart rate, exercise, and weight.

  • Ultra thin sensors printed on skin to monitor health

    http://www.biometricupdate.com/201303/super-thin-wearable-sensor-monitors-health-transmits-data/ Eliminating the elastomer backing makes the device one-thirtieth as thick, and thus “more conformal to the kind of roughness that’s present naturally on the surface of the skin,” says John Rogers at the University of Illinois. It can be worn for up to two weeks and can measure temperature, strain, and the hydration state of…

  • NFL and GE partner to study the brain

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/11/us-nfl-concussion-idUSBRE92A0UT20130311 The National Football League and GE announced a $60 million effort to speed up research into brain injuries and the development of new technologies to help protect the brain from traumatic injury to benefit athletes, the military and the broader public. The initiative includes a $40 million research program into imaging technologies to improve…

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