News • Wearable
Robotic sleeve for lymphedema treatment
Microfluidic chip inflates and deflates balloons in a sleeve to promote fluid flow in the lymphatic system.
Wearables
News • Measuring gases released from skin
Future wearables could open new way to monitor metabolic diseases
Scientists have taken the first step to creating the next generation of wearable health monitors, which could monitor the body’s health by detecting the gases released from a person’s skin.
News • Covid-19 drug monitoring
Smart sensor to evaluate vaccine safety
A new study enables developers to determine vaccine safety via smart sensors that measure objective physiological parameters. This could end the reliance on subjective reports of study participants.
Article • Monitoring
Hybrid materials advance wearable devices
Researchers are developing wearable devices to catch early signs and symptoms of diseases or monitor sick patients. We spoke to wearables and medical device expert Professor John Rogers about the benefits, challenges, trends and innovation within the sector.
Article • Wearable technology
Smart textiles to help detect heart conditions
Smart textiles with built-in sensors and transmitters present themselves as a diagnostic solution as they can monitor heart rhythm over long periods and thus pick up on potential Atrial Fibrillation.
Article • Eco-friendly power source
‘Greener’ mini-batteries to power medical devices
More than 15 billion batteries are sent to landfill sites every year – technology that converts glucose and oxygen into electricity has the potential to reduce this waste and serve as a sustainable alternative power source for medical devices.
News • Deep learning diagnoses
AI detects COVID-19 from smartwatch sensors
Combining questions about a person's health with data from smartwatch sensors, a new app can predict within minutes whether someone is infected with COVID-19.
News • Sweating the small stuff
Wearable measures key stress hormone
Researchers have developed a smartwatch that assesses cortisol levels found in sweat. The device opens new possibilities for personal health monitoring.
News • Non-invasive indicator
3D-printed sensor 'sniffs' wound infection, changes colour
Scientists at Queen’s University Belfast have invented a tiny indicator that changes colour if a patient’s wound shows early signs of infection.
News • Wearable
Air sampler assesses exposure to SARS-CoV-2
A passive air sampler clip can help assess personal exposure to SARS-CoV-2, which could be especially helpful for workers in high-risk settings.
Article • Smart textiles
Haptic technology will change healthcare
At Medica 2021, Elitac Wearables exhibited its latest innovations in wearables, which feature haptic feedback and integrated sensors. We spoke with Merijn Klarenbeek, the company’s CEO, about the medical applications of wearable electronics and sensors.
Article • Subset of wearables
From the wrist into the ear – the potential of hearables
Progress in miniaturising sensor technology has opened up new possibilities for monitoring vital signs outside the hospital environment. A subset of wearables are the so-called hearables – in-ear devices that are well suited for long-term monitoring as they are non-invasive, inconspicuous and easy to fasten. Hearables offer two major benefits: their proximity to the torso and vascular system of…
Article • Remote patient monitoring
Wearables must demonstrate efficacy in respiratory care
Wearables are a trend in respiratory care and many products are being developed to monitor patients remotely. But how much can these tools really help clinicians? An Italian expert discussed current solutions and challenges to their development.
Article • Medical technology event
Overview: Compamed 2021
Since Compamed could only be held digitally last year, due to the pandemic, the event now takes place publicly again. Almost 500 registrations from exhibitors prove that there is a high level of interest from medical technology suppliers – a huge step towards reaching normality again.
Article • Pre-, post- and interoperative
Wearable devices in the surgical environment
Wearable technology has become an important part of medicine, from tracking vital signs to disease diagnosis. In surgery, wearable technologies can now assist, augment, and provide a means of patient assessment before, during and after surgical procedures. Wearable technologies are applied before the patient even reaches the operating room, for example in prehabilitation, i.e. pre-treatment…
Article • Point-of-care testing
Emerging technologies in POCT
Considerable advances in point-of-care testing (POCT) devices are emerging from lab-on-a-chip platforms, innovations in smartphone-based technology and wearable technology. Cloud-based deep learning systems herald a future revolution.
Sponsored • Smart textiles
Elitac Wearables – NeuroShirt
The NeuroShirt, developed from Elitac Wearables in collaboration with the University Medical Centre Utrecht (NL), is a patent-pending smart shirt that helps guide neurosurgeons during complicated skull-base surgeries. It connects to the neuronavigation system and continuously indicates both the distance and direction of critical structures through haptic feedback (vibrations). ‘This way,’ the…
Article • Wearables
Wearever – Incontinence undergarments
WHO: Urinary Incontinence (UI) affects 10-36% of population. International Continence Society: 120 million men and 301 million women are affected by UI. Most studies report UI prevalence at 25–45%. Prevalence increases with age (over 40% women older than 70 years).
Sponsored • iQmax® EMS & TENS Wearable technology
AFC Addresses WFH Health Issues and Paradigm Shifts
Leading functional & smart textile manufacturer Asiatic Fiber Corporation (AFC) introduces advanced wearable technology for electronic muscle stimulation (EMS) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): (EMS module / E-massage module) of the iQmax® series at the international trade fair MEDICA 2021, which will be held in Germany from November 15th to 18th.
News • Multiple biomarker detection
Smart bandage shows promise for chronic wound monitoring
A research team led by Professor Lim Chwee Teck from the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (iHealthtech), in collaboration with clinical partners from Singapore General Hospital, has developed a smart wearable sensor that can conduct real-time, point-of-care assessment of chronic wounds wirelessly…
News • Brain stimulation
Infrared light helmet might aid dementia patients
Researchers at Durham University are working on a new infrared light therapy that might have the potential to help people with dementia. In the approach, people wear a specially adapted helmet which delivers infrared light deep into the brain for six-minutes per treatment. This stimulates mitochondria that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the biochemical reaction in the…
News • A new kind of hearing aid
A 'contact lens' for the ear
Excessive noise, hearing loss, vascular constriction, old age – hearing difficulties can be caused by many factors. To help improve the quality of life of people with hearing impairment, Mannheim start-up Vibrosonic have developed a new hearing aid with an integrated loudspeaker that sits directly on the eardrum. This hearing contact lens is not an implant, and the sound quality it delivers…
News • Cardiovascular disease prevention
An ultrasound sensor to measure pulse wave velocity and blood pressure
Nanoelectronics and digital technologies company Imec presents a proof-of-concept for determining arterial stiffness, a risk marker for cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart failure, and monitoring blood pressure. Imec’s approach uses an ultrasound sensor to measure the central pulse wave velocity. Measuring pulse wave velocity closer to the heart is also a more reliable proxy for…
Article • Cardiac care to go
Wearables in cardiology: from activity monitoring to research support
Activity monitors via phones and bracelets help to assess exercise but experts question which device may really stimulate activity in cardiovascular patients, and which might be best for research?
News • Photonics21
Infrared scanner spots brain damage in babies early
A new photonics device currently in development aims to reduce unnecessary disabilities by improving the instant, real-time monitoring of newborn babies with harmless light particles.
