ApplySci – Deep Tech Health + Neurotech

Category: Sensors

  • Tongue based magnetic field controls wheelchair

    http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/5/213/213ra166 Maysam Ghovanloo of Georgia Tech and Anne Laumann of Northwestern have developed a tongue piercing based magnet to operate a wheelchair. The device is a small magnetic barbell which creates a magnetic field in the mouth. When users flick their tongues, it alters that field. The change is picked up by four small sensors…

  • Sony’s “SmartWig” can monitor and transmit health data

    US Patent Office Sony has submitted a patent application for a health monitoring “SmartWig.”  It can include a GPS and camera placed near the forehead. Users can receive vibrating feedback on specific parts of their head.  A laser pointer and remote can be controlled by the head’s movement. An ultrasound transducer could transmit or receive…

  • NEC’s PaPeRo Petit robot uses third party apps to monitor seniors at home

    http://jpn.nec.com/press/201311/20131111_01.html NEC has introduced the PaPeRo Petit robot, which is about half the size of earlier PaPeRo senior companions, and a cloud computing system for services using the new robot.  PaPeRo Petit combines multiple sensors (cameras, ultrasonic range finders, temperature sensor, and microphones) to detect people and look in their direction even in complete darkness.  It…

  • Smart foam measures football helmet impact

    http://news.byu.edu/archive13-nov-helmetsmartfoam.aspx Brigham Young University researchers have developed a “smart foam” helmet lining for immediate, real-time measurements of each hit that a football player endures. The measurements are communicated immediately to a hand-held device, telling coaches if a collision is capable of inducing a concussion, even if the player denies a problem. “ExoNanoFoam” is a  nano-enabled…

  • Implanted nanotube sensor monitors health for up to one year

    http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/new-implantable-sensor-1103.html MIT scientists are developing injectable and embeddable carbon nanotube sensors that can monitor blood sugar levels, inflammation, and other health issues.  The continuous monitor can stay in a person’s body for up to a year. Researcher Nicole Iverson wrapped carbon nanotubes in DNA sensitive to nitric oxide and made two types of sensors.  One is injectable…

  • Breath sensor identifies lung cancer

    Journal of Thoracic Oncology Metabolic processes are different in those with and without lung cancer.   Cleveland Clinic researchers have developed a colorimetric sensor that analyzes breath to identify lung cancer and characterize cancer histology.  The sensor evaluates the activity of antioxidant pathways, the handling of energy stress, and the metabolism of specific volatile organic compounds. The…

  • Light guiding hydrogel for cell based sensing

    http://hms.harvard.edu/news/talking-light-10-22-13http://www.nature.com/nphoton//journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nphoton.2013.278.html Harvard Medical School researchers have developed a way to deliver a light signal to specific tissues deep within the body.  Called a light-guiding hydrogel, the implant is constructed from a polymer-based scaffolding capable of supporting living cells. The hydrogel contains cells genetically engineered either to carry out a specific activity in response to light…

  • Gait sensor for Parkinson’s patients could prevent falls

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=could-a-simple-ankle-sensor-help-with-parkinsons-symptoms University of Alabama professor Emil Jovanov is developing a sensory cue device to detect freezing of gait episodes that lead to falls and serious injuries.  It uses sensors embedded in a shoe or attached to the ankle. As soon as the system senses a gait freeze, it transmits an auditory cue (such as the…

  • Printable, multi-touch sensors consumers can cut with scissors

    http://embodied.mpi-inf.mpg.de/files/2012/11/ACuttableMultiTouchSensor.pdf Max Planck Institute researchers and the MIT Media Lab have developed printable, multi-touch sensors that are printed with e-ink and can be cut with scissors.  A new circuit layout makes it robust against cuts, damage, and removed areas.  By customizing and pasting such a sensor, one can make every surface interactive, including the wristband…

  • Mind controlled bionic leg

    http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1300126 A robotic control system for a prosthetic leg allowed a 31-year-old man to walk and climb stairs with a nearly normal gait. The system links nerves in the thigh — including some for missing muscles in the lower limb — to a processor that decodes the signals and guides the motion of the prosthesis,…

  • Miniature, lab-engineered “organs” create “body on a chip”

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24125678 The US Department of Defense and Wake Forest University are developing miniature human organs with 3D printers to enable better drug testing. The 2-inch “body on a chip” would be a testing ground for understanding how the human body might react to dangerous diseases, chemical warfare agents and new drugs intended to defend against biological or chemical…

  • Ambient Assisted Living system monitors senior health at home

    http://www.theengineer.co.uk/medical-and-healthcare/news/wireless-system-provides-ambient-health-monitoring-of-elderly/1017120.article One outcome of the EU’s support of Ambiant Assistant Living is the following multi-bio-marker home monitoring device which continuously monitors glucose, cholesterol and blood oxygen levels.  It is expected that several similar monitors will be introduced in the near future, enabling seniors to better manage various diseases at home. Fraunhofer FIT has developed an…