Author: lisaweiner

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Seniors Sensors Wearables

Another smartwatch for seniors

Device makers continue to address the phenomenon of seniors living longer, and independently aging in place.

Lively, who last year crowdfunded a  senior monitoring sensor system that  operates independently of a Wi-Fi network, has released a smartwatch.  It relies on the Lively Hub, with its own cellular network.

The watch gives medicine reminders, or alerts when medicine has been missed.  It has an emergency button contacts a dispatcher and alerts family members.  Fitness tracking features, such as steps taken, are included, and can be viewed by the wearer or family. The wearable is waterproof and can be worn in the shower.

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Seniors Sensors

Kinect exercises to prevent senior falls

Emma Stanmore and colleagues at the University of Manchester have developed a series of Kinect based “Exergames” designed to reduce the likelihood of falls among seniors.

The exercises run on MIRA Rehab’s  software platform and use the Kinect sensor to monitor body movements. They are individually programmed based on ability,fatigue, pain, and fear of falling.   Duration and frequency of activity are logged, and clinicians are provided with progress reports.

University of Auckland researchers are also using Kinect to prevent senior falls.  Their Balloon Catching Game was developed to improve balance and coordination.

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Sensors

Nanowire ink printed paper sensor reduces diagnostic cost

University of Tennessee‘s Anming Hu, Southeast University‘s Rhou-Zhou Li and and colleagues are printing conductive ink on paper to create low cost, lightweight, foldable, paper based sensors. The devices, which can be made or used anywhere,  respond to touch or specific molecules, such as glucose. Current paper-based diagnostic and DNA tests require complicated,  expensive manufacturing.

A  pattern of silver nanowire ink is printed on paper in a few minutes and  hardened with the light of a camera flash. The resulting sensor responds to touch even when curved, folded and unfolded 15 times, and rolled and unrolled 5,000 times.

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Apps Brain Machine Learning

Speech app detects bipolar mood swings early

PRIORI is an android app that monitors subtle voice changes to detect bipolar mood swings.  It was developed by Zahi Karam, Emily Mower Provost and Melvin McInnis at the University of Michigan.  The hope is to anticipate swings before they happen, and intervene.  PRIORI was inspired by the families of bipolar patients, who often were first to detect an imminent mood swing during conversations.

Doctors routinely look for speech characteristics to assess mood in bipolar patients. Those heading toward a manic episode may speak louder or faster than usual, and may jump from topic to topic. A recent study showed depressed patients having longer speech pause times. The pauses often shorten as patients are treated with antidepressants.  Another study showed differences in pitch and jitter in different mood states among bipolar patients. PRIORI identifies these signals and notifies the patient or doctor.

The app monitors voice patterns during calls made, and during weekly conversations with a member of the care team.  Characteristics of the sounds  and silences of each conversation are analyzed. Only the patient’s side of calls is recorded.  The recordings are encrypted and not available to the research team. They see the results of the analysis, which are stored in secure servers to ensure privacy.  Standardized weekly mood assessments with a clinician provide a mood benchmark, and are used to correlate the acoustic features of speech with a patient’s mood state.

As other conditions also cause voice changes, the same technology is being tested for schizophrenia, PTSD and Parkinson’s patients.

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Cancer

Nanoparticle enabled simultaneous imaging to monitor disease

MIT‘s Jeremiah Johnson is developing nanoparticles that can simultaneously perform MRI and fluorescent imaging in animals. The goal is to allow scientists to track specific molecules produced in the body, monitor a tumor’s environment, or determine whether drugs have successfully reached their targets.

A recent study used the particles to track vitamin C in mice. Where there was a high concentration of vitamin C, they showed  a strong fluorescent signal but little MRI contrast. With little vitamin C, they showed a strong MRI signal but weak fluorescence.

Future versions could detect reactive oxygen species correlated with disease, or tailored to detect more than one molecule at a time.

 

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Eyes Nanotubes

Carbon nanotube artificial retina restores light sensitivity

Tel Aviv University, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Newcastle University researchers are developing an artificial retina that sends sensory signals to the brain to address vision loss.  Several groups are attempting this, but have had issues with metallic parts, cumbersome wiring, or a low resolution outcome.

The TAU, HUJI and Newcastle team is working on a more efficient, higher resolution device. Semiconductor nanorods and carbon nanotubes were combined to create a wireless, light-sensitive, flexible film that could potentially act in the place of a damaged retina. When tested with a chick retina that normally doesn’t respond to light, the film absorbed light and sparked neuronal activity.

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Sensors Wearables

Pressure ulcer prevention sensor

Pressure ulcers are a sad reality in hospitals, causing pain, infections, and worse.  Hospitals struggle to determine when a patient must be moved for prevention.  The Leaf patient sensor automates and prioritizes turning schedules for large groups of patients. Its tri-axial accelerometer monitors patient position, alerts when assisted turns are necessary and confirms that adequate turns are being performed. The system also ensures that sufficient tissue depressurization occurs between turns.

Data for monitored patients is securely stored in an SQL database for documentation and reporting. Statistics can be viewed, with permissions, for individual patients, or by department, floor, hospital, or hospital system.
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Sensors Wearables

Samsung moves from fitness tracking to health monitoring

Samsung’s Simband represents the company’s shift from fitness tracking to health monitoring, allowing medical startups and researchers to develop sensor applications.

Simband is equipped with six sensors: electrocardiogram, photoplethysmogram, galvanic skin response, accelerometer, and thermometer.  Developers can also add proprietary sensors.

The wearable’s three main functions are called “trends,” “monitor,” and “spot check.” Trends displays one’s data over time, monitor is a real-time, all sensor tracking mode, and spot check quickly checks heart rate and blood pressure.

 

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Eyes Wearables

Bluetooth headset guides the visually impaired

Microsoft is collaborating with Guide Dogs for the Blind and AfterShokz on Cities Unlocked, a prototype headset, smartphone and navigation system for the visually impaired.

The technology helps a user find his/her way, describes potential hazards, such as low-hanging trees, and highlights attractions, including restaurants, on the route.

The headset uses bone-conducting audio that does not cover the ears, ensuring that the wearer hears traffic noises and can have a conversation. It rests in front of the ear and it uses Bluetooth signals to transmit cues into a series of clicks, beeps, and voice notifications.

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Sensors

Hundreds of diseases diagnosed with single drop of blood

Dr. Eugene Chan and colleagues at the DNA Medical Institute have won the Nokia XPrize for rHEALTH — a portable handheld device that can diagnose hundreds of diseases using a single drop of blood.  Flu, pneumonia or even Ebola  can be detected in a few minutes.

A vital sign patch monitors EKG, heart rate, body temperature — delivered to one’s smartphone or the rHEALTH device via Bluetooth. An app called CHAS walks the user through the process of self-diagnosis.

By significantly shrinking its components compared to traditional devices, patients will need to give 1,500 times less blood than they would for regular tests.

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Seniors Wearables

Smartwatch keeps seniors independent

The Fraunhofer Institute will release a smartwatch designed specifically for seniors.  It is programmed according to one’s needs and accessible to caregivers via a web portal.  The device assists wearers with their daily routine, but does not monitor health issues.

The system reminds users to take medication with a vibration on one’s arm or a speech system. It assists them in navigating trips to and from the doctor, and can interact with the Fraunhofer system that controls heating, light or window blinds.

The wearable has a very large interface, with few basic symbols, for simple operation. It can directly contact caregivers and  offers Wi-Fi and phone connectivity to contact emergency services.

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fitness Heart Sleep Wearables

UP3 – fitness tracker or medical monitor?

 As fitness tracker features become increasingly similar to those of medical devices, Jawbone will release a powerful, fashionable, sensor based wristband.  The UP3 will  be stylish, with its Chanel-like quilt pattern and slim form.  It will also include multiple temperature and motion sensors,  and four electrodes that send electrical signals into wrist tissue. Using bioimpedance analysis, the device measures the resistance of body tissue to electric current, enabling  several physiological signals, including heart rate, to be captured.

The band will measure steps taken, calories burned, and resting heart rate, as others do.  Sleep will be monitored with a level of precision that differentiates between deep and REM sleep.  Future features might include hydration, respiration, stress and fatigue sensing.

Accompanying software will pool data into a program called Smart Coach,  which will, for the first time, offer workout and diet tips based on one’s daily activity and sleep analysis.