Medical
'Person-on-a-chip' grows human tissues outside the body
Researchers have developed a way of growing realistic human tissues outside the body. Their 'person-on-a-chip' technology, called AngioChip, is a platform for discovering and testing new drugs, and could eventually be used to repair or replace damaged organs. Prof. Milica Radisic, graduate student Boyang Zhang and the rest of the team are among those research groups around the world racing to find ways to grow human tissues in the lab, under cond...
Wearable mobility device developed for the blind & visually impaired
Mobility is empowering. That’s why Toyota is working to develop a wearable device for the blind and visually impaired that will help them do more with greater freedom, independence and confidence. Called Project BLAID, it reflects the company’s commitment to enrich lives by advancing the freedom of mobility for all.
Surgical tools are made smaller with origami
Brigham Young University mechanical engineering professors Larry Howell and Spencer Magleby have applied the principles of origami to engineering. Now they're applying origami skills to a new realm: the human body. The duo, along with professor Brian Jensen and their students, are working toward surgical technology that will allow for the manufacturing of instruments so small that the size of incisions necessary to accommodate the tools can heal ...
1100W medical power supply designed for direct patient contact
TRUMPower has launched an addition to its AC/DC switching power supply line-up with the TM1100 series which is comprehensively approved to industrial and medical standards. The series operates at altitudes up to 5000m over a universal input range of 90 to 264VAC and is a compact, enclosed design measuring 5.91x9.25x2.4”.
The making of a 3D printed rehabilitation orthosis
Medical 3D printing has many applications in various fields. In orthotics, industrial 3D printers are used to manufacture custom-sized orthoses, braces as well as prosthesis and parts for powered exoskeletons. First two helps patients with broken bones while the latter are used for amputees. By Marcin Traczyk, ZMorph.
Chemotherapy drug directed to tumour site through nanoparticles
The overall five-year survival rate for people with pancreatic cancer is just 6%, and there is an urgent need for new treatment options. More than 80% of pancreatic cancer diagnoses occur too late for surgery, making chemotherapy the only possible treatment. Scientists from the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a delivery system for one chemotherapy drug that greatly reduces the...
PCB mount 5W power supply meets medical standards
Available in either an encapsulated or open frame mechanical format, the EME05 series of ultra-compact, single output, 5W AC/DC power supplies have been unveiled by XP Power. Claimed by the manufacturer to be one of the smallest 5W supplies on the market, the EME05 measures just 35.6x23.7x17.6mm, taking up minimal space in the end application.
Monkeys drive wheelchairs using only their thoughts
Neuroscientists at Duke Health have developed a brain-machine interface (BMI) that allows primates to use only their thoughts to navigate a robotic wheelchair. The BMI uses signals from hundreds of neurons recorded simultaneously in two regions of the monkeys’ brains that are involved in movement and sensation.
Device could combat memory loss caused by Alzheimer's
UT Southwestern Medical Center has joined a consortium of seven leading universities to develop new technologies to improve memory in people with traumatic brain injury, mild cognitive impairment, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, UT Southwestern is part of a study with the goal of developing an implantable neural monitoring and stimulation system by the end of 2018 that would treat memory loss.
Using graphene to fight bacteria
New research on graphene oxide may one day transform our ability to fight infections acquired in the hospital and elsewhere. Scientists at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome are studying graphene oxide in the hopes of one day creating bacteria-killing catheters and medical devices. Coating surgical tools with this carbon-based compound could kill bacteria, reducing the need for antibiotics, decreasing the rates of post-operat...