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 […]
All Posts By: lisaweiner
Brain / Neural Computation
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.
Apps / Diabetes / Heart / mHealth / Monitoring / Sensors / Sleep
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.
Apps / mHealth / Sensors
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.
mHealth / Monitoring / Sensors
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 […]
Brain
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 […]
Brain / fMRI / Sensors
Researchers explain the goals of a new brain-mapping project
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/512141/the-brain-activity-map/ A proposed effort to map brain activity on a large scale, expected to be announced by the White House later this month, could help neuroscientists understand the origins of cognition, perception, and other phenomena. These brain activities haven’t been well understood to date, in part because they arise from the interaction of large sets […]
Brain
Brain stimulation might help some functions and hurt others
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/511916/brain-boosting-technique-might-help-some-functions-while-hurting-others/ Electrically stimulating the brain may improve memory, but impede with a person’s ability to react without thinking. The approach has previously been shown to enhance various brain functions, including working memory and attention, and is being used to help stroke patients regain lost language and motor skills (see “Repairing the Stroke-Damaged Brain”). But until […]
Diabetes
The Relationship of Sugar to Population-Level Diabetes Prevalence
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0057873 Increased sugar consumption leads to increased diabetes prevalence. One solution is to reduce sugar consumption, but this is difficult to implement in a western diet. It is best to combine the consumption of high fiber foods such as oatmeal, oat bran, beans and legumes with the consumption of high sugar foods.
Brain / Sensors
Computer modeling may help soldiers, athletes, avoid concussions
http://hub.jhu.edu/2013/03/07/concussion-research-impact Johns Hopkins engineers have developed a powerful new computer-based process that helps identify the dangerous conditions that lead to concussion-related brain injuries. Professor K.T. Ramesh led a team that used a technique called diffusion tensor imaging, together with a computer model of the head, to identify injured axons, which are tiny but important fibers that […]