ApplySci - Deep Tech Health + Neurotech
Owlet Baby Monitors has created a baby “smart sock” with sensors that transmit a child’s heart rate, oxygen levels, skin temperature, sleep quality, and sleep position (rollover alerts) to a parent’s smartphone. The company has launched a crowdfunding campaign as it goes through the FDA approval process.
Danilo Mandic at Imperial College in London has developed an EEG device that can be worn inside the ear, like a hearing aid. It will enable scientists to record EEGs for several days at a time, allowing doctors to monitor patients who have recurring problems such as seizures or microsleep.
By nestling the EEG inside the ear, a lot of signal noise usually introduced by body movement is avoided. The engineers can also ensure that the electrodes are always placed in exactly the same spot to make repeated readings more reliable.
http://eclipsebreasthealth.com
Eclipse Breast Health Technologies has launched a crowdfunding campaign to test and eventually bring to market a wireless sensor meant to aid in the early detection of breast cancer and the tracking of patients being treated for the disease. The campaign is meant to support the company as it goes through the FDA approval process. With the simplicity of the home self-check, and the potential vast amount of data that the company can gather on its servers, this is a potentially disruptive clinical tool. Clearly those cases where the device did not detect cancer when it should have will make or break this product.
The system consists of a handheld imaging device paired with imaging software that tracks changes in breast density over time, and also incorporates an element of social networking. Eclipse says the device, which uses what the company calls “transphotonic” technology – combining low-energy photons and light sensors, without the need for radiation – is as much as five times as sensitive as the human hand.
The imaging device links wirelessly or by USB to a PC, smartphone or tablet, where a Web application creates a visual representation of the self-exam and helps quantify observations. Data is uploaded to patient accounts on a platform that calls Pink Cloud. From there, women can compare readings over time, share the information with their physicians or connect with others on Pink Cloud, which incorporates a social network of Eclipse users.
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=OFFR_TM_EN&ACTION=D&RCN=11525
A European consortium of research institutes, universities and technology companies has developed a highly customizable robot companion to help seniors to maintain their quality of life, stay healthy and avoid social exclusion.
The robot, a mobile wheeled semi-humanoid figure equipped with cameras, sensors, audio, and a touch screen interface, can remind users to take their medicine, suggest they have their favorite drink, or prompt them to go for a walk or visit friends if they haven’t been out for a while. As part of a larger smart-home environment that can include smart clothing to monitor vital signs, the system can monitor user’s health and safety, and alert emergency services if necessary.
Elfi-Tech of Israel, led by Dr. Ilya Fine, has disrupted digital healthcare. They are the only Israeli finalist in the Nokia XCHALLENGE competition, which “envisions a future of access to affordable, personalized healthcare through sophisticated sensing technologies”. The company has developed a sensor that is more suitable as a continuous monitor with minimal discomfort. This is due to lower power consumption of the laser technology and less of a need to be very tightly secured to skin. Perhaps its most exciting feature is the non invasive measurement of many blood flow parameters, providing a more complete cardiac perspective at home.
http://teddytheguardian.com/fp-sections/about/
Health tracking technology is becoming increasingly accessible and aesthetically pleasing. Examples include Teddy the Guardian, a cute teddy bear used to monitor children’s health. It measures a child’s heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and body temperature, and sends the data using wireless technologies to a paqrent’s smartphone. Miniature and advanced sensors will continue to enable product designers to discreetly incorporate vital sign sensing technology into commonly used objects. We look forward to more developments in this fast-growing segment of the continuous monitoring industry.
http://www.angelsensor.com/index.html
The Angel Health Monitor is an open platform and SDK that senses motion and acceleration, skin temperature, blood oxygen saturation, and heart rate. It was created by Eugene Jorov in Israel and will launch a crowdfunding campaign soon. Developers will be able to use Angel to create apps for iPhone, Android, and other devices that support Bluetooth 4.0. Their SDK, drivers and app templates will be released as open source.
Boston’s Partners HealthCare has launched a system that allows patients to upload information from their medical devices directly to their electronic records in doctors’ offices. Patients can regularly use glucometers, blood pressure cuffs, bathroom scales, and pulse oximeters at home, and send the data to their doctors. Doctors are also becoming increasingly interested in eating habit, movement, and sleep data collected by patients using consumer health-tracking devices.
A recent study by the company showed a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure among participants who both took their readings and uploaded them to a web interface where they could track and monitor their progress.
http://www.sensimed.ch/en/products/sensimed-triggerfishr.html
The Sensimed Triggerfish combines a non-invasive wireless soft contact lens sensor with an automated system for recording IOP related patterns for up to 24 hours. The ambulatory patient wears the device during normal activity, including sleeping. At the end of the session, the data is transferred from the recorder to an ophthalmologist’s computer for analysis of the circadian IOP-related pattern.
http://mll.csie.ntu.edu.tw/papers/TeethProbeISWC.pdf
National Taiwan University researchers have created a tooth-based sensor, accelerometer, and associated machine learning software to detect and distinguish between chewing, smoking, coughing, or speaking. The capability to monitor mouth motions may help physicians keep track of patient progress or allow a patient to better understand his/her health habits. Working prototypes of the tooth sensor used wires to connect to a power source and a data-logging device. Inventor Hao-hua Chu and colleagues envision the tooth sensor eventually being powered by a micro-battery and transmitting data wirelessly via Bluetooth to a smartphone. They also hope to embed the device inside artificial teeth that can be easily removed and customized for each individual.
It likely that the same technology could be used to monitor infection level in wound healing in the form of an adhesive sensor.
Biosense’s uChek is crowdfunding its urine analysis system. It is a free app for iPhone users that can interpret color changes on urine analysis test strips with a smartphone camera. uChek can be used for semi-quantitative and qualitative detection of leukocytes, ketone, nitrite, urobilinogen, bilirubin, protein, specific gravity and pH. Test results may provide information regarding the status of carbohydrate metabolism, kidney and liver function, acidbase balance and bacteriuria.
http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release.sfe?id=1353
Temporary tattoos are emerging as a preferred way to monitor health. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a sensor that monitors chemicals in the wearer’s sweat to gauge physical exertion. The temporary electrochemical tattoo relies on a carbon fiber backbone so that it bends with the skin during normal activity without loss of functionality, and a conductive polymer that is sensitive to pH-levels in sweat. The sensor is screen-printed onto the flexible adhesive. The tattoo is noninvasive and the results are immediate.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/518356/device-could-spot-seizures-by-reading-brainwaves-through-the-ear/
http://elfi-tech.com
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2013/07/28/century-house-call/tdupWvOQI6b3dKdKcEgdGM/story.html
http://uchek.in