Hasta La Gadget!

I would like to take a quick poll here – how many of you out there actually have the fear of needles, and hate going to the doctor to get your shot? If you have answered in the affirmative, then you would be in good company with a number of children too, who happen to share the same fear as you. There is something quite unnerving about having a really large needle inserted into your body, although thinking about it as some form of acupuncture might help a wee bit. Here is one device that has definitely proven itself in trials and tests – the Buzzy.

Just what the heck is the Buzzy, you ask? Well, the Buzzy happens to be a unique and new device which is capable of relieving the stinging pain of shots, and it is currently assisting children and adults around the world by offering them an instant pain management solution. It was invented by a mom/pediatric ER physician, where it is reusable to boot, blocking pain using the natural method by merging a therapeutic massager and an ice pack. Kids as well as parents are indebted to this vibrating bee, where it would go a long way in helping out with needle phobia, injection pain, and burning. Not only that, a fair number of parents also use Buzzy when it comes to scrapes, itching, bee stings, and splinters.

Buzzy is effective in its nature because of the physiology called Gate Control. Larger cold and vibration nerves will crowd out smaller pain nerve sensations whenever both are felt simultaneously, and if you want a more natural example, imagine running a burn under cold water, and you’ve got the picture. Buzzy will make use of low tech components in order to address the issue of needle pain and needle phobia in an efficient manner. If you are interested, the palm-sized Buzzy will retail for $39.95 a pop.

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[ Buzzy device makes injections less painful, especially for kids copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The only reason why bubble wrap exists is so that people can pop them. That’s a universal fact. So color me surprised when I found out another thing you can do with bubble wrap: make art. Bradley Hart injected bubble wrap with paint to create these wonderful portraits. More »

Who doesn’t prefer to have the word “surgery” preceded by the phrase “minimally invasive?” During our trip to the Harvard research labs today, we were given a demo of the Robotically Steerable Thermal Ablation Probe, a device designed to help minimize the number of injections required when treating something like a tumor. The machine is guided by a x-ray image onto which a doctor can choose a number of destinations. Rather than being forced to re-inject the patient, the outer cannula moves up and down to locate the position, with a thinner curved stylet extends from within it, reaching the designated area. In order to hit subsequent spots, the stylet retracts back into the cannula, which adjusts its up and down position, extending once again to reach the area. Applications for the technology extend beyond just injection, including the possibility of extracting tissue samples from a patient.

You can check out a demo of the device doing its work after the break. But don’t worry, it’s just gelatine.

Continue reading Robotically Steerable Probe aims at minimally invasive surgery, moves through gelatin like a champ

Robotically Steerable Probe aims at minimally invasive surgery, moves through gelatin like a champ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 16:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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