Category: Sensors
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Wearable sensor monitors shunt function in hydrocephalus
Northwestern’s John Rogers has created another minimal, flexible, wireless, adhesive wearable — this time to help hydrocephalus patients manage their condition. The band-aid like sensor determines whether a shunt is working properly. Shunts often fail. When this happens, a patient can experience headaches, nausea and low energy, and must go to a hospital immediately. However,…
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Wearable system detects postpartum depression via baby/mother interaction
Texas professor Kaya de Barbaro is creating a mother-child wearable system to detect and attempt to prevent postpartum depression. Mother stress levels are measured via heart rythm, and encouraging messages are sent. Mom wears the sensor on her wrist, and baby wears it on her/his ankle. The child’s sensor collects heart rate and movement data,…
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Blood glucose-powered sensor for long term monitoring
Subhanshu Gupta and Washington State colleagues have developed an implantable sensor, powered by harvested blood glucose, for long term monitoring. The electronics consume only a few microwatts of power, while being highly sensitive. Combined with the biofuel cells, the sensor is more efficient than (and non-toxic as compared to) traditional battery-powered devices. Fueled by body…
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Adhesive emergency response sensors
VitalTag by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is a chest-worn sticker that detects, monitors and transmits blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate and other vital signs, eliminating the need for multiple medical devices. It is meant for emergency responders to quickly assess a person’s state. Additional sensors are worn on the finger, and in the ear. Data…
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Small ultrasound patch detects heart disease early
Sheng Xu, Brady Huang, and UCSD colleagues have developed a small, wearable ultrasound patch that monitors blood pressure in arteries up to 4 centimeters under the skin. It is meant to detect cardiovascular problems earlier, with greater accuracy Applications include continuous blood pressure monitoring in heart and lung disease, the critically ill, and those undergoing…
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Wireless system could track tumors, dispense medicine
Dina Katabi and MIT CSAIL colleagues have developed ReMix, which uses lo power wireless signals to pinponit the location of implants in the body. The tiny implants could be used as tracking devices on shifting tumors to monitor movements, and in the future to deliver drugs to specific regions. The technology showed centimeter-level accuracy in animal…
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Wrist wearable measures blood counts, bacteria, air particles
Rutgers scientists Mehdi Javanmard and Abbas Furniturewalla have developed a wrist wearable that can count particles, including blood cells, bacteria, and organic or inorganic air particles. Red blood cell counts can indicate internal bleeding. High or low white blood cell counts can indicate cancers, such as leukemia, or other illnesses. The plastic wristband includes a flexible circuit…
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Hydrogen peroxide sensor to determine effective chemotherapy
MIT’s Hadley Sikes has developed a sensor that determines whether cancer cells respond to a particular type of chemotherapy by detecting hydrogen peroxide inside human cells. The technology could help identify new cancer drugs that boost levels of hydrogen peroxide, which induces programmed cell death. The sensors could also be adapted to screen individual patients’…
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Jason Heikenfeld on sweat-based biometric monitoring | ApplySci @ Stanford
University of Cincinnati and Eccrine Systems‘ Jason Heikenfeld discussed sweat-based biometric monitoring at ApplySci’s recent Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech conference at Stanford: Join ApplySci at the 9th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on September 24, 2018 at the MIT Media Lab. Speakers include: Rudy Tanzi – Mary Lou Jepsen – George…
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Wearable sweat sensor measures cortisol levels
Stanford’s Alberto Salleo has created a patch that continuously monitors cortisol levels in sweat. Potential uses include sports performance measurement, early disease detection, adrenal and pituitary gland monitoring, and evaluating the emotional state of young or non verbal patients. Cortisol influences emotional stress, blood pressure, metabolism, immune response and and memory formation. The stretchy, rectangular…
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Wearable acoustic sensors track fetal cardiac activity, skeletal development
Acoustic sensors are increasingly used in monitoring fetal health. Imperial College’s Niamh Nowlan is using low cost, non-transmitting accelerometers and acoustic sensors to continuously track fetal movement to understand skeletal development. Acoustic sensors enable discrimination between the movement of the fetus and mother. Israel’s Nuvo Group is continuously monitoring fetal cardiac activity using acoustic sensors and ECG…
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Gait sensor predicts senior falls
University of Illinois professors Bruce Schatz and David Buchner have developed a system to predict senior fall risk using motion sensors that measure walking patterns. 67 women over 60 were tested on walking ability, detailed past annual falls, and wore an accelerometer for one week. The analysis of device data and reported history enabled the…