Scientist-led conferences at Harvard, Stanford and MIT
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Wearables, sensables, and opportunities at CES
It was the year of Digital Health and Wearable Tech at CES. Endless watches tracked vital signs (and many athletes exercised tirelessly to prove the point). New were several ear based fitness monitors (Brag), and some interesting TENS pain relief wearables (Quell). Many companies provided monitoring for senior citizens, and the most interesting only…
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Transparent, implantable sensor improves brain monitoring
On October 23rd, ApplySci described Justin Williams‘s graphene based, transparent sensor brain implant. The Nature paper is now available online. This will redefine neural implants as it will enable better fMRI monitoring of the activity around the implant, while getting detailed activity from the area. Together with noninvasive EEG, this can help fine tune very detailed EEG…
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App helps diagnose TBI in soldiers; can identify depression, PTSD
The US Army and AnthroTronix have developed an app that provides data to help diagnose and measure brain injuries in soldiers. The “DANA” includes 5, 20, and 45 minute neurocognitive tests and psychological survey questions. The data will help doctors diagnose traumatic brain injury and identify depression, post-traumatic stress, and other neurocognitive issues. The game-like test includes exercises…
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Smart earring monitors heart rate, calories, activity
Ear-o-smart is a crowdfunded smart earring that monitors heart rate, calories, and activity level. Its sensor is combined with a changeable earring. Its app, via voice instruction, tells wearers to speed up or slow down based on heart rate data. The tiny wearable was created by minimizing PPG Technology and Bluetooth data transfer. PPG…
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Multiple measurements, including blood pressure, from shirt sensor insert
Nike was recently awarded a patent for a skin-touching sensor system that can be inserted into a shirt. It can measure heart rate, blood pressure, hydration, and skin temperature, and transmit the data over radio frequencies, Bluetooth and WiFi. If it works, the ability measure blood pressure from shirt sensors, combined with other vital signs, is…
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Gesture controlled smartphone for the disabled
Sesame is a touch-free smartphone that is controlled by very small head movements. It is being crowdfunded on IndieGogo. Head movements are tracked with a front-facing camera, and combined with computer vision algorithms to create a cursor that appears on the phone’s screen. The cursor is controlled by the position and movements of the…
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Artificial skin detects pressure, moisture, heat, cold
MC10‘s Roozbeh Ghaffari and a team of researchers from the US and Korea have developed artificial skin for prosthetics that mimics the sensitivity of real skin. Its silicon and gold sensors detect pressure, moisture, heat and cold. It is elastic enough for users to stretch and move a bionic hand’s fingers as they would…
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Smart, gamified children’s toothbrush
In an effort to improve children’s oral health, the GUM Smart Toothbrush attachment uses acceleration and other sensors to determine ideal brushing patterns. The information is sent in real time, via Bluetooth, to a smartphone. Brushing movement and timing is analyzed, recorded and displayed. Previous data is available to gauge progress. Children then participate in a…
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Glass apps help autistic kids communicate
Brain Power‘s Google Glass apps and hardware help autistic kids develop social and communication skills, and provide feedback to parents. The device’s accelerometer tracks children’s head gestures when they look or don’t look at parents, as well as repetitive movements. “Social engagement module monitors” assess the child’s engagement, specifically if they are looking at a parent’s…
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Single blood drop to detect dozens of diseases
HealthTell is another single blood drop home diagnosis device. ApplySci described Dr. Eugene Chan‘s Nokia X prize winning similar system last month. HealthTell claims to detect disease by monitoring the body’s immune response. Infection antibodies are detected with a peptide built semiconductor wafer. When a few drops of blood hit the surface, antibodies stick to the…
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Implant stimulates vagus nerve, relieves arthritis pain
Academic Medical Center scientists have implanted tiny pacemaker-like devices in the necks of 20 patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, reducing joint pain with out drugs. The trial was led by Professor Paul-Peter Tak. The implant stimulates the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to major organs, and is responsible for automatic body functions. Spleen activity was reduced after…
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Gamified fitness with Atari classics
Atari is entering the digital health space, using classic games like Pong, Breakout & Centipede to incentivize users to participate in fitness challenges. The gamified app is called Atari Fit and includes circuit workouts and running programs. Users exercise individually or with friends while earning points to unlock Atari games. The app includes ranked leaderboards where…
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