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Health and Wellbeing

Gut microbes could provide weight loss benefits without surgery (Photo: Shutterstock)

Gastric bypass (GBP) surgery has become a popular procedure for the treatment of morbid obesity. While many assume it is the reduction of the functional volume of the stomach that helps people feel fuller while eating less that is the solely responsible for the patient’s weight loss, it has been known for several years that there are other contributing factors at work. New research provides further evidence of this and could allow patients to see some of the weight loss benefits of GBP surgery without undergoing the surgery itself.  Read More

The Realtouch USB pleasure toy, disassembled

I've tested a fair few gadgets in my time at Gizmag – from upmarket beanbags to high-powered motorcycles and smart pens. But I've never been asked to go this far outside my comfort zone for a story – even though our esteemed editorial team will probably tell you my whole life has been building to this. Today, I'm road testing a masturbation device. And I've decided to put my name to it because despite all the squeamish details you're about to read, this is a significant piece of technology – a big step down the path of remote sexual interaction. Tally ho!  Read More

Scientists have created what they claim is the world's first secondhand tobacco smoke sens...

While the detrimental effects of inhaling secondhand tobacco smoke are well-documented, it can be difficult to determine just how much of that smoke people are exposed to. After all, we know that smokers inhale smoke from each of their cigarettes, but what percentage of that smoke reaches their family members or co-workers? Scientists at New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College have created a portable sensor, in order to find out.  Read More

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a technology to measure a person’s pulse from a facial ...

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a technology to measure a person’s pulse from a facial image taken by scans from the built-in camera in a PC, smartphone or tablet. Fujitsu’s goal is to help people to track their health data in real-time and store it in the cloud for later analysis.  Read More

Study participant Kim Rollins and Krembil Neuroscience Centre neurosurgeon Dr. Andres Loza...

Help may be on the way for people suffering from severe anorexia nervosa. Quite often, anorexics can be more or less cured via approaches such as psychotherapy. In particularly treatment-resistant cases, however, the condition continues unabated, sometimes even to the point of death. For people in that latter category, a recent study indicates that Deep Brain Stimulation might be the answer.  Read More

The UVeBand is a UVA and UVB-measuring wrist band, that vibrates when it's time to apply m...

If you spend much time outdoors in the summer, then you doubtless know how important it is to wear sunscreen. That said, you probably also know that just applying it once before you first go outside isn’t good enough – for sufficient protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, periodic reapplications are also necessary. The UVeBand is a new wearable device, that’s designed to let you know when it’s time for those reapplications.  Read More

Dr Rickard Brånemark tests the functionality of the world's first muscle and nerve control...

It took some time, but the age of the cyborg is upon us. For the first time, neuromuscular electrodes that enable a prosthetic arm and hand to be controlled by thought have been permanently implanted into the nerves and muscles of an amputee. The operation was carried out recently by a surgical team led by Dr Rickard Brånemark at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg, Sweden.  Read More

A prototype tongue-buzzing PoNS device

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created a device known as a PoNS, that shows promise for the treatment of traumatic brain injuries, strokes, or the effects of diseases such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. Researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command are now conducting a study on the device, which works by stimulating the patient’s tongue.  Read More

The wonderwall concept is designed to assist with tasks like finding misplaced reading gla...

Researchers from the Munich University of Technology (TUM) have created a high-tech wall designed to help the elderly continue to live at home by providing assistance in everyday tasks and monitoring their health. The "wonderwall" can find misplaced keys and glasses, check blood pressure and blood sugar levels and, in the event of a critical health problem, call the local doctor or mobile nursing service.  Read More

Argus II consists of a tiny video camera mounted in glasses that is wirelessly linked to a...

While the word prosthesis usually evokes images of artificial legs, arms, and these days even sophisticated thought-controlled hands, an entirely new class of replacement body part has now become a reality – the bionic eye. One of the pioneers in this field is California-based Second Sight and the company has now announced that its Argus II System has received U.S. market approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Read More

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