Category: Technology & Devices
MIT’s innovative surgical tape can patch up wet organs and peel off harmlessly
Last year, a team of MIT engineers developed an impressive alternative to sutures – a surgical adhesive or double-sided tape that could stick to the wet surfaces of organs and even attach implantable medical devices to tissues. Now, the engineers […]
Wrinkles and spots allow new diagnostic AI to estimate peoples’ ages
An artificial intelligence (AI) system developed by neuroinformatics engineers at the Institute for Neural Computation at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), Germany, can estimate a person’s age and ethnic origin almost as well as humans. The system is a “hierarchical neural network” […]
Alternative, rice-sized implant could help treat neurological disorders
Certain neurological conditions require battery-powered implants to treat them, e.g. neuron-stimulating electrodes may be surgically inserted into the brain while a separate battery-powered pacemaker-like device is implanted under the skin elsewhere in the body. These might be a hassle to […]
Diabetics could one day use remote-activated insulin-releasing device instead of needles
People with diabetes have trouble metabolising glucose, asbeta cells in the pancreas are unable to sense spikes in blood sugar levels and produce insulin in response. While the problem is usually overcome using regular insulin injections, researchers from ETH Zurich, […]
Necklace ECG enables fast and easy monitoring for a trial fibrillation
A trial fibrillation – essentially an abnormal heart rhythm – is a major, often symptomless cause of strokes. An experimental new necklace designed by scientists at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) could greatly help people most at risk of […]
Sensors within prosthetic arm makes it “feel” like a natural limb
A new neuromusculoskeletal prosthesis is said to imitate a natural limb almost exactly, because users can control it with their own minds in a realistic way; it also feeds the sensation of touch back to the user’s brain. According to […]
Ventilator shortage due to COVID-19 to be eased with UK-designed, modern, iron lung
The fast spread of the COVID-19 virus has overwhelmed healthcare systems in many countries with the most obvious difficulty being that Intermittent Positive Pressure Ventilators (IPPV) – which aid breathing in people whose lungs have been heavily affected by the […]
Sewage sensors are being modified to give early warnings of COVID-19
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is focused on analysing the contents of our sewage to better understand human behaviour and public health. For example, the presence of certain metabolites in sewage samples could indicate the prevalence of illicit substance use in communities. […]
New, two-step treatment refills and patches herniated discs
Along our backs, between each of our vertebrae, is a spinal disc consisting of a rubbery exterior called the annulus and a shock-absorbing, jelly like substance called the nucleus. Although mostly resistant to the wear and tear of daily life, […]
Blue light shown to relieve concussion symptoms; promises new treatment for mild brain
There is much criticism about the effects of blue light emanating from modern devices, such as smartphones, as the light disrupts our circadian rhythm and leads to problems with sleep. On the other hand, there is much research looking to […]
