Wednesday, 22. April 2009, 07:22:30
User Interface, robotics, medical technology, prosthetics
Exmovere Holdings is presenting a series of demonstrations of a self-balancing, hands free concept vehicle called the Chariot. The Chariot is a wearable, sensor-activated pod designed for use by amputees and others who have difficulty standing. The demonstrations are being held at Exmovere's McLean, Virginia headquarters from April 7th until April 10th.
Unlike other self-balancing vehicles, the Exmovere Chariot is controlled by subtle movements of the lower torso and hips. Sensors inside the cocoon-like shell of the vehicle predict the intended motion of the wearer. The Chariot requires no manual dexterity, minimal physical effort and allows wearers to closely approach and reach objects. The upright form of the Chariot allows its wearer to make direct eye contact with others. The Chariot is battery powered and can travel up to 12 miles per hour.
Source:
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090407005848&newsLang=en
Friday, 20. February 2009, 09:30:06
BCI, robotics, medical technology, prosthetics
Researchers at USF have created a wheelchair with a robotic arm that is operated by capturing the user’s brain waves and converting them into actions, such as typing. This is just another example of a string of recent successes that heralds the coming revolution in brain computer interfaces (BCI) that is steadily underway.
In addition to a BCI controlled robotic arm, the wheelchair also includes a 3-D joy-stick, keypad, and touch screen, demonstrating the increasing versatility and functionality that technology can deliver to the disabled. As pointed out in our recent post about the Immaculate Prosthetic Arm, the day will eventually come when these limbs, tools, and attachments will actually exceed the abilities of normal human physiology. At this point prosthetic arms and wheelchair attachments for the disabled would quickly move into the domain of “normal” people, used to enhance completely normal body parts and functions.
Source:
http://singularityhub.com/2009/02/11/researchers-develop-brain-controlled-wheelchair-robotic-arm/
Monday, 9. June 2008, 06:45:04
network, computing, medical technology, supercomputer
With the dog in the MRI machine, the supercomputer prepared for surgery.
The procedure was the culmination of three years of research and development into the algorithms, computer codes, imaging technology, and cyberinfrastructure that would allow a supercomputer in Austin to perform a minimally invasive laser treatment on a canine in Houston, without the intervention of a surgeon. The scientists took a collective breath.
“We had a fifteen minute window in which a million things had to go right for this treatment to be successful,” explained David Fuentes, a post-doctoral student at The University of Texas at Austin’s Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES), and the central developer of the project. “There had to be no flaw, no silly bug, everything had to go perfectly. And if that wasn’t complicated enough, you add the complexity of a living animal. This is a pretty formidable problem.”
And yet, in April 2008, when the researchers performed the first full run of the system on a canine subject, the coordination went off without a hitch, proving the potential of supercomputers for patient-specific treatments and blazing a path to next-generation cyber-surgical methods.
Source:
http://www.tacc.utexas.edu/research/users/features/dynamic.php?m_b_c=laser
Friday, 14. September 2007, 08:01:49
tricorder, medical technology, ultrasound
A stretcher races through the entrance of a busy hospital. The car-accident victim lies on top and grimaces in pain. While surface injuries looks gruesome, the real medical danger is invisible - internal organ damage caused by being crushed against the steering wheel.
This isn't a scene from Seattle Grace Hospital, the set of the popular television drama Grey's Anatomy, but from its real-life model, Harborview Medical Center. Engineers at the University of Washington are working with Harborview doctors to create new emergency treatments right out of Star Trek: a tricorder type device using high-intensity focused ultrasound rays. This summer, researchers published the first experiment using ultrasound to seal punctured lungs.
"No one has ever looked at treating lungs with ultrasound," said Shahram Vaezy, a UW associate professor of bioengineering. Physicists were skeptical it would work because a lung is essentially a collection of air sacs, and air blocks transmission of ultrasound. But the new experiments show that punctures on the lung's surface, where injuries usually occur, heal with ultrasound therapy. "The results are really impressive," Vaezy said. He cautions that this is still in the early stages and the technique is not yet being tested on humans.
Source:
http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=36364
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