This amazing 3D piece of silicone dotted with electronics looks like something out of the future—because it is. In fact, this potential pacemaker replacement fits over the human heart and is capable of monitoring and, soon, responding to, its vital signs.
     |
Reports that medical devices implanted in patients or used for their treatment may have dangerous vulnerabilities are not new, but a new “safety communication” is focusing more attention on the issue. Ars Technica points out that the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) group that works along with private industry to protect the nation’s infrastructure issued its own alert alongside the FDA’s, focusing on the many embedded devices that are protected only by hard-coded passwords.
The ICS-CERT message recommends restricting physical access to sensitive hardware, improved designs that are more resistant to potential attacks and increased network security. The FDA lists various vulnerabilities it’s become aware of like network connected devices being infected by malware, mobile devices being targeted to access patient data, the previously mentioned hard-coded passwords issue and more. Going forward, the FDA is collecting reports of “adverse events” to determine if security has been compromised, and will issue new guidelines on mobile health technology later this year. We’ve seen examples of potential security solutions for pacemakers in the past, and the more connected healthcare devices become we’re sure patients expect any potential vulnerabilities to be addressed as well.
Filed under: Wearables, Internet
Source: Ars Technica, FDA, ICS-CERT
Most of us know that a pacemaker needs to be powered by a battery of some sort, but what happens when there is an infinite loop of energy – that is, a pacemaker which is powered by your heartbeat? US researchers are looking into this potentially game changing possibility, where the device will harness energy from a beating heart in order to produce and even store adequate amounts of electricity so that the pacemaker will keep on going like a Duracell bunny. Currently, repeated operations are required so that the batteries in pacemakers would be replaced, although I do wonder why can’t they come up with some sort of wireless charging capability. Initial tests for this heartbeat-powered pacemaker show the potential of one’s heartbeat producing up to 10 times the amount of juice required.
Still, before it is released to the masses, the British Heart Foundation did mention that clinical trials were imperative to show that it would be safe for patients and not harm them in any way. I guess the tricky bit would be to find a willing volunteer to give this device that has been built into a commercial pacemaker a go. Will surgeons who make a living out of surgery earn less in the long run with the implementation of this new pacemaker, since on average, it takes around 7 years before a battery replacement procedure is required?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New bandages are removable sans pain, Electric pants might just prevent bedsores,
Pacemakers save millions of lives, but a security researcher has shown that they can be used to kill on a massive scale as well. Speaking at the Breakpoint security conference, Barnaby Jack of IO Active reverse engineered a pacemaker transmitter – a device like this one used to monitor installed pacemakers – eventually enabling him to wirelessly deliver 830v shocks to a pacemaker using his laptop. Yikes.
Image Credit: Library Mistress
Even worse, Jack warned that a hacked transmitter could control all pacemakers within 30ft. Aside from jolting people, the compromised device could also be used to read and write patient data or load infected firmware into a pacemaker. These infected firmware could even be made to jump and infect other pacemakers, extending a malicious attackers’ range and possibly resulting to mass murder. Jack says he demonstrated this flaw in order to warn pacemaker manufacturers to step up the security of their device. Let’s hope they do.
[via SC Magazine via DVICE]
Discover Magazine has an amazing story about how a woman needed to be carried upside down in order to stay alive. It sounds crazy but it’s real. The reason she had to be held upside down was because her pacemaker had become disconnected from her heart and holding her upside down led the pacemaker to be reconnected. More »
There’s a whole sea of jellyfish out there ready to sting indiscriminately. So, why do we keep trying to make them? Scientists from Harvard and Caltech have a pretty good reason for creating fake jellies — they hope to mend broken hearts by adapting their ‘pumping’ style of movement. Much like our own vital organ, the creatures are a mass of muscle adept at shifting fluid, meaning the research has several medical applications, such as bioengineered pacemakers for busted tickers. In creating the Medusoids, the team used a silicon scaffold coated in functional rat cardiac tissue, copying the muscle layout of a real jellyfish as best they could. When immersed in salt water and treated to bursts of current, the cells contract and cause the silicon sheet to move in a way eerily similar to the real thing. Next step for the team? An autonomous version that can move and potentially feed without their influence, of course. And, after seeing the little swimmers in action, we’ve certainly got palpitations. See what we mean after the break.
Continue reading Fake jellyfish made from rat cells have a place in our hearts (video)
Filed under: Science
Fake jellyfish made from rat cells have a place in our hearts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
The Register | 
Nature Biotechnology | Email this | Comments
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
