Health and Wellbeing
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Styla MicroLaser cordless dental laser
May 16, 2008 Promoted as the world’s first microlaser for soft-tissue applications such as treating canker sores or performing incisional biopsies, the Styla from Zap Lasers is a cordless, self-contained laser weighing just 1.9 ounces and measuring only 6.9 inches long. (read more...)
Mini medical pump design provides accurate dosage
May 8, 2008 Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have developed an innovative mini medical pump system to administer tiny quantities of liquid such as medicines. What sets this pump apart from standard micro-pumps is its low-maintenance operation and the flexibility of working in both directions that it offers. (read more...)
Free Spirit: the world’s lightest wheelchair
May 13, 2008 Drawing on a background that ranges from experience as an aerospace technician to a stint in research and development on the Williams F1 team, Marcus Cunnington has designed and built the 6.3kg (around 13.9 pounds) Free Spirit - a carbon fiber composite design that claims the mantle of the world's lightest manual rigid wheelchair. (read more...)
The Biniki – a bra for your butt
April 30, 2008 Heightening the ever-increasing pressures to conform to someone else’s ideals is this new invention known as the Biniki – put simply, it’s a bra for your butt. The patented Biniki is a US$30 series of straps you wear around the waist and under your bum cheeks to shape, tone, lift and support your derriere and the effect is significant and instant. There’s also a US$40 version for men (the Maniki) and a Throng, a US$30 device worn to achieve the same underwear-less look as a thong without having to floss in all the wrong places. We’d have to agree that a biniki-toned and lifted derriere certainly looks better, and we even suspect that sales of this new invention might well take off as it appeals to that well-known weak link in the human psyche, vanity. (read more...)
Tests demonstrate effectiveness of BioSentry water monitoring system
April 22, 2008 The World Health Organisation states that one billion people lack access to clean drinking water, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change believes this number will rise. In the developed world, the issue is one of monitoring and maintaining the fresh water supplies that already exist, and that's where systems like JMAR Technologies’ BioSentry water monitoring system come in. Biosentry uses laser-produced, multi-angle light scattering technology to identify individual microorganisms, eliminating the need for consumables or reagents and is able to detect bacterial pathogens up to 25 times better than any other water monitoring system according to recent test results from the U.S. EPA. (read more...)
Thirst Aid – on-the-fly water purification
Pure Hydration’s Thirst Aid makes a lot of sense. If you’re ever inclined to go adventuring, particularly where the water is dodgy or outright dangerous, the robust pouch is light and does the job on the spot – just pour in the dirty water, wait a while, and then squeeze out the clean water. Good for 300 liters. (read more...)
Hybrid device combines hearing aid and cochlear implant
April 18, 2008 To date the the options have been limited for hearing-impaired patients who do not stand to benefit from hearing aids, but for whom cochlear implants are unsuitable because they retain some natural hearing. Now a hybrid hearing device being tested in trials across the US offers a solution to this category of patients by combining the advantages of both hearing aids and implants. (read more...)
‘George’ the life-sized wound model
The University of Hertfordshire in the UK is striving to improve patient care and reduce hospital infections through use of a life-sized wound model dubbed “George”. The model was designed to assist learning about patients with chronic who represent around 200,000 individuals in the UK at any one time, according to the Tissue Viability Team in the University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery. (read more...)
"Put that gum back in your mouth Johnny"
April 10, 2008 A recent study on the effects of a new chewable mint that mimics the cavity fighting properties of saliva has found a 62 percent decrease in cavities in children using the product. (read more...)
Picis real-time dashboard for perioperative departments
The Picis Perioperative Dashboard is a Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) tool designed to to assist hospital surgical departments in the daunting task of logistical management by providing a real-time, easy-to-read snapshot measuring case delays, quality improvement compliance, patient throughput and a range of key indicators. (read more...)
Specialized fruit energy drink for athletes
HortResearch has already developed a biosensor that measures hormone levels in saliva in real time to indicate to athletes whether they should train more or less. Now it is developing a new fruit-based product which could dramatically increase muscle power and delay fatigue. Clinical trials are underway on a fruit-based energy drink which tested off-the-charts in initial experiments. Isolated muscle tissue was exposed to fruit extracts, after which an electrical impulse was delivered. The results showed that muscle power was increased up to 70% and fatigue delayed by up to 20%. The company is currently in talks with international sports teams interested in trialling the drink and with specialist nutrition companies about a possible launch. (read more...)
3-D virtual reality dental simulator
March 27, 2008 Evidence of dentistry has been found dating back as far as 5500 BC however common knowledge tends to only go back as far as the Middle Ages when dental procedures were performed by barbers or general practitioners (with the aid of pliers and a bottle of whisky). These days patient care is of the utmost importance, which is why dentistry researchers at the University of Illinois (UIC) are developing a haptic training simulator called PerioSim, which uses 3-D virtual reality technology to allow dental students to improve their skills before being allowed near real live patients. (read more...)
Alzheimer's detection using near-infrared light
It is estimated that around 4.5 million people in the US are currently living with Alzheimer's and the disease is one of the leading causes of death, accounting for tens of thousands each year. There has been no definitive way of diagnosing the disease on living patients so doctors have had to rely on medical histories, administering physical exams, and neuropsychological assessments. Now, a team of researchers in Massachusetts has developed a way of examining brain tissue with near-infrared light to detect signs of Alzheimer's disease. (read more...)
My Beating Heart comfort pillow and meditation aid
March 25, 2008 Our mother’s heart was the first sound we heard, so a heartbeat is one of the most reassuring sounds we know. My Beating Heart, is a heart-shaped pillow with a computer and heartbeat generator inside. Turn it on, and the heartbeat it creates gradually changes rhythm, entraining the user and modeling the heartbeat of a person in a deep meditative state. The holder is induced into a state of peace and calmness – an ideal meditation aid, a great way to relax, meditate, daydream, or nap and “must have” for a any child we’d have thought. (read more...)
Solving the drug price crisis
March 24, 2008 The mounting U.S. drug price crisis can be contained and eventually reversed by separating drug discovery from drug marketing and by establishing a non-profit company to oversee funding for new medicines, according to two MIT experts on the pharmaceutical industry. Stan Finkelstein, M.D., senior research scientist in MIT's Engineering Systems Division, and Peter Temin, Elisha Gray II Professor of Economics, present their research and detail their proposal in their new book, "Reasonable Rx: Solving the Drug Price Crisis," published by Financial Times Press. (read more...)
Interactive non-drug treatment for ADD and ADHD
March 19, 2008 Interactive Healing Centers, a facility dedicated to helping children with attention deficit and hyperactive conditions, has announced a non-drug treatment technique for ADD/ADHD. The technology teaches the brain to retrain itself through a specialized computer program that monitors brain wave patterns. The program then guides the brain through a conditioned response and a gratification technique, resulting in a normal brain wave that reduces or completely eradicates the ADD/ADHD response. (read more...)
Regrowing major body parts
March 18, 2008 You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone and that goes doubly when there’s a limb amputation involved. We have always marvelled at the Salamander’s ability to regrow lost limbs – this fascinating article details the history and progress of work in the area of regenerating limbs. (read more...)
Aquatic Fitness Systems' advanced swim spas
March 11, 2008 Aquatic Fitness Systems has taken a multi-faceted approach to the low impact benefits of training in the water by incorporating walking, running, stretching, rowing and strength training functionality into its line of luxury swim spas. (read more...)
Humphrey Field Analyzer II-i offers streamlined Glaucoma management
Carl Zeiss Meditec has announced the latest version of its Humphrey Field Analyzer – an automated diagnostic system for Glaucoma management and blindness prevention. By allowing them to closely and easily monitor changes in the eye, the HFA II-i will provide doctors with the ability to prevent irreversible vision loss in patients with Glaucoma – a degenerative disease of the optic nerve that progresses without obvious symptoms, and is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. (read more...)
Samsung and adidas miCoach fitness phone
March 6, 2008 It is inevitable that one day our mobile phones will monitor the body’s key functions - ubiquitous usage of such a device moved closer this week when Samsung and Adidas announced the miCoach mobile phone. The miCoach comes with a stride sensor (pedometer) and heart rate monitor, enabling the phone’s software to monitor your workouts and advise/push you with a voice-simulating personal coach. Despite concepts from Nokia and Microsoft, and add ons from Kiwok and Alivetech , the miCoach is the first phone with heart rate functionality, so it is a milestone. (read more...)
Game Ready injury treatment system
CoolSystems has released the next generation of its Game Ready injury treatment system combining form-fitting wraps, cold and intermittent compression, and adjustable pressure and temperature settings. The convenient system is designed to be used for treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and post-operative rehabilitation. (read more...)
Bar-coded surgical sponges to increase patient safety
March 6, 2008 We’ve all seen a current affairs program with a victim who found out their doctor left a surgical sponge inside them - it’s a nightmare scenario for all concerned with doctors facing litigation and patients left with potentially life threatening infections ...and the scary thing is that it does actual happen. The Safety-Sponge System from SurgiCount Medical is designed to prevent these types of accidents using bar-code technology to account for all surgical sponges used during medical procedures. (read more...)
Second Sight announces milestone in groundbreaking retinal implant trial
February 20, 2008 It has to be among the most powerful examples of the miraculous potential of modern science and technology - restoring sight to the blind. Following approval from the US FDA last year, Second Sight Medical Products Inc has now announced that enrollment is complete for the first phase of clinical trials on a system that restores a basic level of sight to sufferers of retinal eye diseases. Enrollment at key European sites also underway. Ten subjects have been recruited for the Phase I trial of the second-generation electronic retinal implant known as The Argus II, which is capable of restoring rudimentary vision using an external camera and transmitter mounted in eyeglasses linked to a tiny array of 60 electrodes that are attached to the retina. (read more...)
New funds for development of high tech prosthetic limb
A team led by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at Johns Hopkins University has received a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to complete development of a prosthetic arm that will look, feel and perform like a natural limb. (read more...)
Open up and say ahhh: new technique uses laser light to analyze breath for diseases
February 19, 2008 We're familiar with the use of breath testing to determine blood alcohol content, but according to new research the air we exhale could reveal much more about what's happening in our bodies, and in the future, breath testing could become a regular part of visiting the doctor. The research by a team of US scientists has shown that markers for diseases such as asthma or cancer can be determined by analyzing trace molecules in the breath using laser light. Experiments using a pulsed laser aimed into a breath-filled cavity proved that gases such as ammonia, carbon monoxide, and methane could be detected revealing signposts to particular diseases being present in the patient - ammonia, for example, may indicate renal failure. (read more...)
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