Jul 25
Jul 23
We know that the next big thing in the world of consumer electronics will most probably be wearable technology – the likes of Google Glass will definitely make quite a splash in the industry, if you ask me. Well, there is a place for the likes of Google Glass, but do remember that wearable tech could have so much more potential. Case in point, Sony has just announced the launch of a head-mount image processing unit which is capable of receiving and outputting endoscope image signals, as well as controlling video images, and these can subsequently be displayed in 3D or 2D via an accompanying head-mounted monitor. This head-mounted monitor can also be picked up as a separate purchase.
The medical fraternity is one that will appreciate this head mounted image processing unit, especially those who are involved in the world of laparoscopic surgery. In this procedure, an endoscope is inserted via multiple keyhole incisions in a patient’s abdomen, letting the surgeon confirm video images that are shown off on a monitor in real time, and it has become a common procedure since it minimizes the strain on patients when compared to open surgery. Sony’s head-mount image processor will come in handy for sure, where it is equipped with a 3D head-mounted monitor and will play nice with a 3D surgical laparoscope. This is made possible thanks to the incorporation of Sony’s advanced 3D and display-related technologies, where it can realize a standard of 3D images which will be able to meet the demands of medical professionals.
This new Sony unit maximizes the technological advantages of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panels, allowing one to enjoy extremely detailed image representation of the target area. Some of these characteristics will include high resolution, superb reproduction of blacks, excellent video image response times, as well as precise color reproduction. A couple of panels have been fitted inside the monitor, where each one is meant for the respective eyes. Independent HD images will then be displayed on the left and right panels, where there will be no visual crosstalk, so that you can check out the target area in high definition glory complete with faithful color reproduction and highly-precise information relating to depth. We do look forward to see what else technology can throw up in the world of modern medicine.
Press Release
[ Sony announces head mounted image processing unit copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jul 23
Sony’s 3D head-mounted displays have been asking for a place in your film-watching and gaming routines since 2011, but now their latest HMD is volunteering to act as the viewing end of medical endoscopes. Hirai and Co. have just unveiled what amounts to a retooled HMZ-T2, dubbed the HMM-3000MT, which helps surgeons peek inside a patient’s body in 2D or 3D — the latter of which is said to improve precision. By eliminating the need to keep tabs on an external screen, the electronics giant thinks doctors won’t have to restrict their posture and movement.
Though the hardware carries the same 720p 0.7-inch OLED panels as its sibling, it’s been tweaked for use in a standing position with beefed up support for balance and comfort. The hardware also packs a picture-in-picture feature to catch different views of operations, and even the ability to rotate and flip video feeds. While the headgear has been approved for use in Japan, it hasn’t been confirmed for a launch in other territories. In other words, don’t expect to see it if you go under the knife relatively soon.
Filed under: Sony
Source: Sony
Jul 18
Jul 17
By Wrapping Sensors In A Plushie, “Teddy The Guardian” Aims To Sell Medical Tech For Kids
Posted in: Today's Chili
In only a few months, the founders of IDerma, a medical technology start-up based out of Zagreb, Croatia, have developed and launched what they’re marketing as medical sensor technology for children. But unlike the sleek Scanadu Scout, this one takes the form of a teddy bear.
The product is called Teddy the Guardian, a plushie installed with sensors that measure heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and temperature, and then relay that data via Bluetooth to a parent’s phone. The sensors are scattered around the bear’s body; pressing a finger to the bear’s paw, for instance, takes heart rate and oxygen levels.
The idea behind disguising medical tech as a lovable toy is to provide parents and pediatricians more accurate, consistent data points. When a child is stressed out about going to the doctor, his or her vital signs will be skewed. Taking data points when the child is in a neutral emotional state can give doctors a wealth of good information to compare against when something is wrong.
Of course, the bear is just as much a tool for keeping parents attuned to their child’s general well-being as it is a medical device. IDerma co-founder Josipa Majić said that for busy parents who don’t have as much time to connect with their kids, the data can show when their child’s day has been particularly stressful or problematic.
Later versions of Teddy will be equipped with sensors specific to different medical conditions, Majić said. Blood sugar level measurements for diabetic children, for instance.
While the United States and Europe comprise Teddy the Guardian’s primary markets, China and India are also of interest. The increase in disposable income in rapidly developing countries has resulted in more money spent on a family’s first-born child, Majić said.
“We see the mommy community in the developing world as the quite the disrupters. They spend at least some time, up to 8 hours a day, on their cell phones and smartphones. 90 and even 91% [of their time] in China. In India, they believe tech makes them a better mom.”
Teddy the Guardian has already cleared its biggest hurdle: getting FDA approval on the medical technology. Although IDerma has its own sensors, Majić said they opted to outsource sensor development to another healthcare company, the name of which she declined to give.
The reason is simply because going through FDA and CE approval processes are expensive — too much so for a start-up. To get the green light, a company needs a very competent legal team, Majić said, which most cannot afford.
“These regulations are really start-up unfriendly. I would even say hostile,” she said.
It is difficult for U.S.-based start-ups to get approved by the FDA, she said, not to mention those from Central or Eastern Europe. In Europe, each country has its own legal specifications, which requires an even bigger legal team.
The company is currently bootstrapped, funded by IDerma’s past projects. Majić said they were considering either launching a crowdfunding campaign or applying to accelerators in London and Silicon Valley. They have, however, begun taking pre-orders and are talking with several multinational companies.
Outside of health trackers like Jawbone Up, Scanadu is the main competition in the world of medical tricorders for consumers, though Teddy the Guardian occupies a distinct space in its focus on pediatrics. Having FDA approval on the sensors is a leg up, meaning Teddy may be able to get out on the market before competing medical devices proliferate too much.
Jul 17
If you are a diabetic or are living with one, you would know that synthetic insulin and blood glucose meters are extremely important to ensure that life goes on as normal as possible. Despite such tools, however, diabetics tend to […]
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Jul 15
As a part of Microsoft’s HomeOS project, the company will expand with what’s called “Lab of Things”, making the case for researchers giving big boosts to devices in your living space. Microsoft’s “LOT” will work with the public as well, sending out an SDK (Software Development Kit) to creators of software for the expansion of home-based systems in the wild. This system has been deployed during and in conjunction with the first day’s events at this year’s Microsoft Research Faculty Summit event.
As an extension of HomeOS, Microsoft’s Lab of Things will also work to bring “teaching and research on connected homes and drives”. As an extension of Microsoft Research, software is licensed to academic institutions as well as developers aiming to push the environment to homes. Lab of Things (LOT) is aimed at running entire institutions – or homes, of course – from a single dedicated machine.
This single machine runs Microsofts HomeOS and goes by the name of HomeHub. While the system can be utilized to work with systems of many different types, its in home automation, energy management, and healthcare that Microsoft aims for at this time.
HomeOS currently works with devices such as televisions, cameras, routers, printers and PCs. Developers have also connected gaming consoles, surveillance equipment, mobile phones, and medical equipment. The whole system is licensed to developers and prospective institutions for free – for non-commercial use, at this time.
Lab of Things (LOT) is currently available for download as an SDK for users of all types. You can access this SDK at Microsoft Research and hit the ground running – and make sure you let SlashGear know what you’re working on while you’re at it!
VIA: ZDNet
Microsoft “Lab of Things” will connect your devices at home is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Jul 05
For those of you who have had the unfortunate experience of going through the healing process after breaking one (or more) of your limbs, you would know the uncomfortable feeling you get whenever your hand (or the affected limb) is placed in a cast. These tend to be bulky most of the time, and they also double up as a blank canvas for friends to leave goodwill messages, although some of the more mischievous ones among your circle might just opt to leave embarrassing sketches instead without having to answer for them. The thing is, those are small payoffs for the healing process to ensure that your bone sets properly, while plaster and fiberglass variants also do their job well without costing an arm and a leg, which indirectly results in a whole lot less investment where innovation is concerned. Jake Evill is one to do something about the situation after being saddled with a plaster cast for a few months himself, where the “smelly and itchy plaster” bothered him so much, he decided to think of a solution of his own. Voila! A 3D-printed brace which would now be able to follow the contours of the arm.
This 3D printed brace might remain a concept as at press time, but Evill’s Cortex (as he has called it) might just have an extremely bright future ahead of it, thanks to it being an injury-localized exoskeleton which is not only lightweight, but washable, ventilated and recyclable to boot.
Evill was inspired by nature to churn out this design after doing some research on the human bone, and realized that the trabecular – tiny lattice-shaped structures which form the inner tissue of a bone, is the design he had been looking for all this while. Evill said, “It was this honeycomb structure that inspired the Cortex pattern because, as usual, nature has the best answers. This natural shape embodied the qualities of being strong whilst light just like the bone it is protecting within.”
Hopefully this denser, less ventilated material will become more and more mainstream and accepted in medical circles in the future, and when that happens, we own Jake Evill a big round of applause and thanks.
Source
[ 3D Printed Cast could assist in recovery process copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jul 03
Jul 03
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