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Health and Wellbeing
Electronic Contact Lens promises bionic capabilities for everyone
By Mike Hanlon
23:12 January 21, 2008 PST
It’s not often in this era of rampant technological innovation that a fundamentally new concept surfaces with groundbreaking societal implications, but that was the case this week with the news that engineers at the University of Washington (UW) have used microscopic scale manufacturing techniques to combine a flexible contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights. Ultimately, such devices promise the bionic capabilities we became familiar with in the Terminator movies and Bionic Man TV series: optical zoom eyesight, recording what we see (quite literally), effectively invisible heads-up high resolution computer displays, genuine GPS-based augmented reality and a complete real-time health monitoring system with visible read outs. Thanks to the team headed by UW Electrical Engineering Professor Babak Parviz, these concepts are now not just viable, but likely in the foreseeable future. Gizmag spoke with Parviz about the project … Read More
High-tech doll to assist brain injury research
By Emily Clark
22:19 January 13, 2008 PST
January 14, 2008 Researchers in forensic medicine at the University of Oslo are learning more about brain injuries in infants caused by shaking with the assistance of a very high-tech doll. Read More
Fashion with bite – Taser’s new C2 stunner with MP3 player holster
By Mike Hanlon
18:33 January 10, 2008 PST
January 11, 2008 It seems we mistakenly thought that convergence meant we were supposed to be carrying less gadgets rather than more gadgets, but Taser launched a new range of stun guns in a range of female-focussed colors at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, adding yet another must-have for those who wish to ensure their personal safety – the Taser MPH (Music Player Holster), which is a combination 1GB MP3 player and Taser C2 holster. In addition to the leopard print, other new Taser C2 colors include red-hot red and fashion pink. Read More
Human Touch Portable Massage Pad: take relaxation with you
By Emily Clark
18:09 January 6, 2008 PST
January 7, 2008 Massage is considered a great tool for an active and healthy lifestyle and in recent years a number of effective, purpose-built massage chairs have appeared on the market. These devices do suffer from one drawback however - you can't take them with you. The solution from Human Touch is to go portable - its new HT-1470 back massage pad is specially designed to fit on almost any sofa, home or office chair, providing a go-anywhere, heated massage to knead out tough knots and keep the blood flowing at any time of day. Read More
HawkEye drug-recognition tool aids law enforcement
By Kyle Sherer
19:21 January 4, 2008 PST
January 5, 2008 The AcuNetx HawkEye law enforcement system, which magnifies and records tell-tale signs of drug intoxication in a suspect’s pupils, has been awarded two separate patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The tool is now being used by highway patrol officers and at sobriety checkpoints across the U.S.A. Read More
E-prescribing with iPhone
By Emily Clark
19:06 December 18, 2007 PST
December 19, 2007 DrFirst has announced that its Rcopia™ e-prescribing system is now available to physicians using Apple iPhone. The development enables the company's electronic prescribing and medication reconciliation services to be accessed in real-time on a mobile browser through a WiFi or wireless carrier’s broadband connection. Read More
Lifestraw mark II - push to expand distribution of upgraded lifesaving invention
21:43 December 2, 2007 PST
December 3, 2007 We have previously examined the remarkable potential of the Lifestraw - a personal water purification device that avoids the need for electricity by utilizing the sucking power of the user to kill disease causing micro organisms and filter bacteria, delivering the immeasurable benefits of clean water to anywhere on the planet. With estimates putting the number of daily deaths that result from unsafe drinking water at 6000, there's no questioning the potential of the Lifestraw to alleviate misery and since our first encounter with the device, manufacturer Vestergaard Frandsen has upgraded the specifications in response to feedback from the field. Read More
Philips unveils new heart scanner
By Emily Clark
21:50 November 25, 2007 PST
November 26, 2007 Philips has unveiled a 256-slice Brilliance iCT scanner that can create a 3D visualization of the heart in only two beats. Announced at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, the new scanner boast a significant reduction in radiation doses in addition to enhanced image acquisition. Read More
Samsung announces new flat-panel digital X-ray detector
20:14 November 22, 2007 PST
November 23, 2007 Samsung has developed an advanced flat panel digital X-ray detector (FPXD) for radiology machines that promises faster, cheaper and more accurate imaging in medical labs. Developed in conjunction with Korean medical machinery manufacturing company Vatech, the new device utilizes thin-film transistor (TFT) technology to produce high-resolution (9.4 megapixel) without the need for film or development required in analog film applications. Read More
New laser treatment aids pain management
By Emily Clark
17:23 November 11, 2007 PST
November 12, 2007 Statistics from the International Association for the Study of Pain indicate that one in five people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain making it is one of the most costly health problems in the US. Traditional treatments have often included ongoing use of medications but much research is being done into alternative therapies such as laser treatment, with new offerings now on the market to assist with the reduction in pain from arthritis, injury or long term soreness. Read More
Medical 3D-image display offers non-contact control
By Darren Quick
03:27 November 7, 2007 PST
November 7, 2007 The use of 3D imaging in the medical field has proven to be a boon to doctors when diagnosing patients, and 3D models of the human body have assisted medical manufacturers in developing better medical devices and treatments. Now researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut HHI in Berlin have developed a display that combines a 3-D screen with a non-contact user interface that allows images to be rotated by hand gestures much like the display Tom Cruise played with in the film Minority Report. Read More
Lasers to combat AIDS
By Emily Clark
20:03 November 6, 2007 PST
November 7, 2007 Current laser treatments for virus and disease can be more harmful than effective, sometimes causing damage to DNA and even skin cancer. Now groundbreaking research has developed a new technique that uses lasers to destroy viruses and bacteria, including AIDS and Hepatitis, without causing harm to the human cells of the infected person. Read More
Avurt IM-5 non lethal self defence pepper gun
By Kyle Sherer
18:27 October 31, 2007 PDT
November 1, 2007 The Avurt IM-5 launcher is a flashlight sized non-lethal self-defense device that has a longer range than Tasers and aerosol-based pepper spray. The USD$299 laser sighted launcher fires pellets filled with PAVA powder at distances of up to 40 feet, burning the eyes, nose and throat of the target. Read More
Lab-on-a-chip device offers early detection of avian flu
By Emily Clark
20:24 October 30, 2007 PDT
October 31, 2007 Researchers in Singapore have successfully developed a miniaturized device that can be used to detect the highly pathogenic avian flu (H5N1) virus. If successfully commercialized, this device could be deployed in affected regions to provide early detection and circumvent the occurrence of an avian flu epidemic. Read More
Shock-proof blood pressure meter prevents false readings
By Emily Clark
21:23 October 23, 2007 PDT
October 24, 2007 Despite being sensitive instruments, blood pressure meters are often carried around in doctors’ coat pockets and as a result they're exposed to being bumped or dropped. Because they contain very fine mechanisms that react sensitively to any form of shock this causes them to produce false readings without the doctor necessarily noticing the problem, in turn leading to disastrous effects on patients’ treatment, as drug doses may have to be changed if the blood pressure exceeds a certain value. This new pressure meter, created by the Rudolf Riester company and researchers at the Fraunhofer Technology Development Group TEG in Stuttgart, employs a delicate damping system to protect the integrity of the meter. Read More
IBM visualization software uses 3D avatar to display human health records
By Emily Clark
20:16 October 4, 2007 PDT
October 5, 2007 Computer technology is always working to further capabilities within the realm of modern medicine with one of the latest developments has coming from IBM researchers in Zurich, who announced details of prototype visualization software that allows doctors to view medical data of patients using a 3D avatar of the human body. Read More
Digital smoking: indulgence without the side effects?
By Emily Clark
19:56 September 24, 2007 PDT
September 25, 2007 Over the past few years smoking bans have swept across the globe preventing patrons from lighting up in bars, clubs and restaurants. Necessity being the mother of invention, some tech-savvy companies have developed ways that not only allow smokers to keep up their habits in public, but also aim to deliver a nicotine fix without the adverse effects on their own health or that of others. Read More
COOLINE personal evaporative cooling vest
22:53 August 28, 2007 PDT
August 29, 2007 This thermal cooling vest from COOLINE has been developed to meet the concern of climate related health issues and combat the enormous stress heat can cause on the human body. Worn under or over everyday clothing to cool the body directly, the vest is designed as a functional piece of clothing that is simply filled with water from the tap and uses evaporative cooling to regulate body temperature. Read More
CulinaryPrep removes harmful bacteria from food
By Kyle Sherer
19:14 August 23, 2007 PDT
August 24, 2007 The World Health Organisation estimates that there are 76 million cases of food caused illness every year in the United States. Aimed at making food preparation safer, the CulinaryPrep kitchen appliance claims to remove up to 99.5% of bacteria, including Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli - three strains categorised by the WHO as major food-borne diseases. Read More
Charmr design concept for diabetics
By Emily Clark
18:56 August 23, 2007 PDT
August 24, 2007 Many diabetics have lamented for years that devices related to their disease (although life saving) are bulky, uncomfortable and altogether “uncool”. The Charmr is a new concept device that would combine an insulin pump and monitor into one in an effort to give those with diabetes with a much more modern look an added functionality in of delivery treatment. Read More
Steamless Infrared sauna
03:56 August 22, 2007 PDT
August 22, 2007 Infrared saunas that use radiant energy to heat the body directly are gaining attention in the international market. These products are seen as a more beneficial and therapeutic sauna experience, use far less power, operate at significantly lower temperatures and according to promoters, they are far more effective at releasing dangerous toxins from the human body... and importantly with recent models like the Sahara from Di Vapor, you can also listen to your MP3s. Read More
Personal therapy sensory device sales to soar
By Emily Clark
17:34 August 21, 2007 PDT
August 22, 2007 As our lives become increasingly busy and stressful people are always on the look out for new ways to relax and find alternatives to drug therapy and conventional Western medicine. The result has been an increase in the number of people engaging in complementary and alternative medicine, which has in turn created a multi-million dollar industry for technologies aimed at delivering personal therapy and relaxation. Read More
Mindfit: innovative brain exercise game for adults
By Gizmag Team
05:39 August 14, 2007 PDT
August 14, 2007 Games designed to make you think better are beginning to become a very important part of the market and along the way they're bringing more people from traditional non-gaming markets into the genre. The latest offering from Oxford University spin-out company, Mindweavers, is a series of 'brain exercise' computer game products which use innovative software that alters brain function. Read More
Robotic surgery: a new age in medical science
00:06 August 13, 2007 PDT
August 13, 2007 Over the past 100 years modern science has been responsible for some miraculous inventions to aid the delivery of medical treatment such as the x-ray machine, ultra sound technology and the cochlear implant. One of the latest improvements is in the field of robotic surgery, which is redefining the way in which patients undergo procedures. Read More
Is your sunscreen doing you more harm than good?
17:33 August 8, 2007 PDT
August 9, 2007 In sun-drenched regions the skin protection message has been strongly delivered for years: overexposure equals skin cancer. Despite the warnings to cover up the Skin Cancer Foundation warns that more than 600,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S. and skin cancer is responsible for 8,500 deaths annually. Paradoxically, suncreens themselves have been identified as a contributing factor in this dilemma, with new products like UV Natural promoting themselves as a safe alternative to other creams on the market which may be doing more harm than good in the ongoing battle against the sun’s harmful rays. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
