ApplySci – Deep Tech Health + Neurotech

Category: Monitoring

  • Mobile phone microphones as health sensors

    http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21578518-sensor-technology-microphones-are-designed-capture-sound-they-turn-out The Economist’s Technology Quarterly describes how mobile phone microphones are being used as versatile sensors with myriad health applications.  Examples follow: 1. Professor Tanzeem Choudhury of Cornell has created StressSense to capture and analyze voice characteristics such as amplitude and frequency. Her team concluded that “it is feasible to implement a computationally demanding stress-classification system…

  • Smartphone as handheld biosensor

    http://news.illinois.edu/news/13/0523iphone_biosensor_BrianCunningham.html University of Illinois researchers have developed an iPhone cradle and app that uses its camera and processing power as a biosensor to detect toxins, proteins, bacteria, viruses and other molecules.    Professor Brian Cunningham, the team’s leader, discussed healthcare applications:  “A lot of medical conditions might be monitored very inexpensively and non-invasively using mobile platforms…

  • Another crowdfunded vital sign monitor

    http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/scanadu-scout-the-first-medical-tricorder As the crowdfunding of remote health devices increases, another vital sign monitor has launched on Indiegogo. Scanadu Scout analyzes and tracks temperature, respiratory rate, blood oxygen, heart rate, blood pressure and stress trends.  The company states that it accomplishes this in 10 seconds. The device is still pre-FDA approval but quite promising. They claim…

  • Skin mounted electrode arrays measure neural signals

    http://coleman.ucsd.edu/lab-research/ Professor Todd Coleman of UCSD is developing foldable, stretchable electrode arrays that can non-invasively measure neural signals. They can also provide more in-depth analysis by including thermal sensors to monitor skin temperature and light detectors to analyze blood oxygen levels.  The device is powered by micro solar panels and uses antennae to wirelessly transmit or…

  • Flexible “skin” heart monitor

    Stanford professor Zhenan Bao has developed a flexible, skin-like heart monitor, worn under an adhesive bandage on the wrist.  This non-invasive method could replace intravascular catheters, which create a high risk of infection, making them impractical for newborns and high-risk patients.  An external monitor could give doctors a safer way to gather information about the heart, especially…

  • Haptic hand monitors joint mobility

    http://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/item/30530-a-helping-hand-for-med-tech/ Ireland’s Tyndall National Institute’s “haptic hand” sensorized glove collects hand movement data to assist doctors’ understanding of arthritis patient mobility. Sensors built into the glove will provide 3-D simulations of joint movement and information on hand stiffness. The glove could potentially also be used to track hand movements in other applications, such as stroke rehab…

  • Computer vision algorithms used to diagnose depression

    http://medvr.ict.usc.edu/projects/dcaps/ SimSensei software, developed by Stefan Scherer and colleagues at the University of Southern California, combines computer vision algorithms and the psychological model of depression. An on-screen psychologist asks you a series of questions and watches how you physically respond. Using Kinect, the computer vision algorithms build up a very detailed model of your face…

  • Smart bottles measure medication, send reminders

    http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681935/a-cell-phone-in-a-pill-bottle-to-text-you-to-remember-your-meds AdhereTech bottles measure the exact amount of pills or liquid they contain in real-time. The data is sent wirelessly into the cloud, and patients are reminded to take their medication via an automated call or text message.

  • Ingestible sensors alert doctors and caregivers when a pill is taken

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/04/16/the-newest-high-tech-pill-will-text-when-swallowed/ Proteus Digital Health is creating a new category of products, services and data systems that have the potential to significantly improve the effectiveness of existing pharmaceutical treatments.  Called Digital Medicines, these new pharmaceuticals will contain a tiny sensor that can communicate, via a digital health feedback system, vital information about an individual’s medication-taking behavior…

  • Google Glass for frail seniors

    http://www.zdnet.com/old-age-is-the-killer-app-for-google-glass-7000014602/ Google Glass applications can benefit the aging population in many ways: – Sensors can track a person’s gait, and identify mobility problems that signal a potential fall and broken bones. Early warning signs can trigger preventative treatments and healthcare providers could try stop a fall before it happens. – Reminders for taking medication can be…

  • A “bionic pancreas” for diabetes management

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/riva-greenberg/diabetes-clinical-trial_b_3110140.html The bionic pancreas consists of three pieces of hardware. There’s an iPhone with an app that contains the system’s control software and algorithm and a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). The CGM’s sensor/transmitter, worn under the skin, streams glucose (blood sugar) data to two connected infusion pumps. One delivers insulin to lower blood sugar and…

  • 70% of doctors have self-tracking patients; better outcomes reported

    http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/physicians-report-self-tracking-popular-positive/2013-04-16 7 in 10 doctors report at least one patient sharing some form of health measurement data with them, according to Manhattan Research’s annual “Taking the Pulse” survey of 2,950 physicians.  Nearly three-quarters agreed that self-tracking leads to better outcomes. Self-tracking patient impacts include: 40% lead them to ask their doctors new questions 46% changed their overall…