Category: Monitoring

  • FDA approves EEG-based device to diagnose ADHD

    http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm360811.htm US regulators have approved a device that analyzes brain activity to help confirm a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children ages 6-17.  It records different kinds of electrical impulses given off by neurons in the brain and the frequency the impulses are given off each second. The EEG based, Neuropsychiatric EEG-Based Assessment Aid test is…

  • Health monitoring car seats, steering wheels and seat belts

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2360694/Ford-car-monitor-HEALTH-drive–ill-fall-asleep.html Ford is testing health monitoring smart seats, steering wheels and seat belts in India. Technologies include steering wheel positioned infrared sensors that monitor a driver’s hands and face, and temperature monitors that can detect seizures.  Examples of use include a car that can drive itself if a driver becomes ill or falls asleep, and “car…

  • Sensor based fall detector for seniors

    http://www.theengineer.co.uk/medical-and-healthcare/news/fall-sensor-for-elderly-receives-2m-to-improve-technology/1016542.article Vigi’Fall detects falls using multidimensional contextual analysis.  It is a miniature accelerometric box attached to the chest with an adhesive patch.  Motion sensors are placed in several rooms of the home and doubt-removal software is placed in a home box.  The system is linked to a remote call center which contacts rescue teams in the…

  • Sports sensors warn of head injury

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/business/a-wearable-alert-to-head-injuries-in-sports.html?_r=0 The New York Times reports on the growing trend of sensor based protection/early warning systems for athletes. The devices, packed with sensors and microprocessors, register a blow to a player’s skull and immediately signal the news by blinking brightly, or by sending a wireless alert.  Algorithms evaluate the impact and determine severity.  

  • Nanotube sensor detects skin cancer

    http://www.monell.org/news/news_releases/monell_led_research_identifies_scent_of_melanoma A study from the Monell Center and the University of Pennsylvania suggests that non-invasive odor analysis may be a valuable technique in the detection and early diagnosis of human melanoma.  The researchers used sophisticated sampling and analytical techniques to identify VOCs from melanoma cells at three stages of the disease, as well as from normal…

  • Emotionally reactive avatars treat patients at home

    http://www.technologyreview.com/news/514881/the-avatar-will-see-you-now/ Remote monitoring systems are increasing able to capture a patient’s state of mind and body. Using Sense.ly’s platform, patients can communicate their condition to an emotionally reactive avatar through their phone, desktop, or TV. The avatar asks the patient simple questions, and if programmed by a doctor, it can also answer questions—such as what…

  • Sensor and smartphone based baby monitor

    http://medcitynews.com/2013/06/sensors-and-smartphones-bring-the-baby-monitor-into-2013/ Sensible Baby’s “Smart One”  is a small, round sensor worn inside a newborn’s onesie. It constantly measures a baby’s temperature, position and chest movement, and sends the data to a smartphone app once per second.  Parents can program their app to set off an alert when the baby isn’t moving, reaches a temperature above a…

  • Non-invasive diabetes monitoring through breath analysis

    http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/diabetes-breathalyzer University of Pittsburgh professor Alexander Star, Dan Sorescu of the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and graduate student Mengning Ding have demonstrated sensor technology that could simplify the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes through breath analysis alone. The researchers used a “sol-gel approach,” a method for using small molecules (often on a nanoscale level) to produce solid materials.…

  • mHealth timeline, 2009 – 2013

    http://mobihealthnews.com/22674/timeline-smartphone-enabled-health-devices/ Sensors are becoming smaller, smarter, and more ubiquitous,  and have transformed the way we monitor our health.  Attached is a timeline of health and fitness apps from 2009 through today, providing an interesting look at the development of the mHealth market.

  • Bio-integrated electronic tattoo measures vital signs and muscle movement

    http://www.utexas.edu/know/2013/06/07/high-tech-tattoos-health-care-solutions/ Professor Nanshu Lu at The University of Texas is developing the next-generation of flexible/stretchable electronics, photonics and therapeutics.  Pioneered by John Rogers at the University of Illionois, flexible skin “tattoos” measure vital signs and muscle movement, transmitting data wirelessly and harvesting solar energy. Future versions may play critical roles inside the body in watching for signs of…

  • Machine learning in the ICU

    http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515461/machine-learning-and-risk-prediction-in-the-icu/ Etiometry is building a clinical-decision support system to interpret large volumes of real-time patient data and guide diagnosis and treatment.  It integrates and analyzes information from heart monitors, ventilators, and pressure sensors and plugs the data into predictive models that have been built on prior patient outcomes.

  • Fiber optic device for lung disease detection

    http://www.cir.ed.ac.uk/news/multidisciplinary-optical-imaging-team-awarded-£115m Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University and the University of Bath have developed a fiber-optic device to detect potentially fatal lung conditions in intensive care patients.   Its sensors will also continuously monitor blood in critically ill adults and babies with out the need for blood sampling. The microscopic probe will detect and monitor…