Archives: 2/2011

Telemedicine

Inaugural International “Perception Challenge” Launched to Drive Improvements in Robotic Sensing Technologies

by Scott Jung on Feb 28, 2011 • 12:00 am

jfwdgfj Inaugural International Perception Challenge Launched to Drive Improvements in Robotic Sensing Technologies
Can you design a robot that can differentiate a tree limb from a human limb? Such a distinction could be important, especially in the field of medicine, when, for example, a surgical robot must decide which blood vessel to cut, or, in assisting the elderly, which bottle is Crestor and which bottle is candy.
To encourage improvements in the way robots “see” the world, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Willow Garage, a Silicon Valley robotics research and design firm, is teaming up to launch an international “perception challenge”. The competition will debut at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Shanghai, China, on May 9-13, 2011.
The competition involves developing an algorithm that recognizes the identity and pose of 50 common household objects, 35 of which will be known beforehand.
According to the NIST press release, many algorithms already exist to identify objects, but this competition will test their robustness and versatility in new robots:

The new competition will measure the performance of current algorithms that process and act on data gathered with cameras and other types of sensing devices, explains NIST computer scientist Tsai Hong. “There are hundreds—maybe even thousands—of algorithms that already have been devised to help robots identify objects and determine their location and orientation,” she says. “But we have no means for comparing and evaluating these perceptual tools and determining whether an existing algorithm will be useful for new types of robots.”

Press release from the NIST…
Rules and background information from Willow Garage…

Ophthalmology

First Millimeter-Scale Computer Will Be Used for Glaucoma Patients

by Scott Jung on Feb 28, 2011 • 12:00 am

43563lopp First Millimeter Scale Computer Will Be Used for Glaucoma Patients
This past weekend at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, researchers from the University of Michigan presented what is believed to be the world’s first complete millimeter-scale computer.
Measuring in at just over 1 cubic millimeter, the computer features an ultra low-power microprocessor, pressure sensor, memory, thin-film battery, a solar cell and a wireless radio with an antenna that can communicate with an external reader. In all, it consumes only 5.3 nanowatts, requires 1.5 hours of sunlight to charge the battery, and can store up to a week’s worth of information.
This specific computer will be targeted towards glaucoma patients. The computer, a pressure monitor, is designed to be implanted in the eye and can continuously track the progress of glaucoma.
According to University of Michigan researchers, Bell’s Law, a corollary to Moore’s Law, presents them the challenge of developing a new line of millimeter-scale computing systems to be the future of medical sensors and monitoring devices.

“When you get smaller than hand-held devices, you turn to these monitoring devices,” Blaauw [professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at U-M] said. “The next big challenge is to achieve millimeter-scale systems, which have a host of new applications for monitoring our bodies, our environment and our buildings. Because they’re so small, you could manufacture hundreds of thousands on one wafer. There could be 10s to 100s of them per person and it’s this per capita increase that fuels the semiconductor industry’s growth.”

From the University of Michigan: Toward computers that fit on a pen tip: New technologies usher in the millimeter-scale computing era…

Art / etc.

Glass Vasculature Models That Let Researchers Watch Human Blood Flow

by Sean Duffy on Feb 28, 2011 • 12:00 am

farlowglass Glass Vasculature Models That Let Researchers Watch Human Blood Flow
A couple of your Medgadget editors recently popped down to Anaheim, CA for MDM West, a large conference for medical design and manufacturing. While wandering the convention hall, we ran into a full scale vascular model made completely of glass by a company called Farlow’s Scientific Glassblowing. For 30 years, they have been hand blowing human models of vasculature (among other products) to enable fluid dynamics experimentation without using animal models. Their flagship model, the CAM 02, has all the major arteries in the body represented and is a beautiful piece of completely functional art.
From the product page:
farlowsbrain Glass Vasculature Models That Let Researchers Watch Human Blood Flow

Farlow’s CAM 02, also known as “Mrs. Einstein,” is our flagship model and the ultimate research tool. With all the major arteries of the body represented, this model will provide your research team the best possible venue for device testing. The CAM 02 is an always-willing patient for your new device. All four chambers of the heart are placed along with the coronary arteries and veins to allow for stent and defibrillator lead placement. The cost of this model is very competitively priced in relation to animal testing and experimental exploration. The CAM 02 also serves as a visually striking centerpiece that’s ideal for marketing and trade shows.

Product page: Farlow Scientific Glassblowing…

Geriatrics / OTC / Sports Medicine

Turn Real Life Into a Role-Playing Game With GreenGoose Sensors

by Scott Jung on Feb 28, 2011 • 12:00 am

43643art Turn Real Life Into a Role Playing Game With GreenGoose Sensors
If a longer, more comfortable life isn’t enough motivation for you to make health-conscious decisions, why not turn the tasks into a game? That’s what San-Francisco startup GreenGoose plans to with its innovative lifestyle tracking platform. The company recently raised $100,000 in funding to build the platform, which uses wireless sensors attached to household objects such as a water bottle, toothbrush, or vitamin container.
GreenGoose’s service doesn’t just track the number of times each week you pick up your toothbrush; the service is part of a points-based game based on the number of healthy activities you perform. GreenGoose has developed adhesive sensors for bottles and containers, a credit-card sized pedometer, and toothbrush sensor, all which communicate with a base station attached to a broadband router. At the moment, the points you earn are not worth anything, but GreenGoose is currently developing an API and seeking partners to help develop the program.
For parents, GreenGoose could be one way to teach your kids proper lifestyle habits and encourage them to stay healthy. For seniors, it could be an enjoyable way to keep up with your medications and stay active.
And, for gamers, a level 50 Health Overlord could be only a few miles of exercise and days of flossing away!
Product Page: GreenGoose…
(hattip: Engadget)

in the news... / Neurology / Pediatrics

EEG Complexity Predicts Autism Risk

by Wouter Stomp on Feb 28, 2011 • 12:00 am

g8i2wldj EEG Complexity Predicts Autism Risk
Researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have discovered a method of identifying infants at high risk for developing autism based on their EEG. The main motivation for this research is identifying children at risk at an age when clinical diagnosis is still impossible, allowing for earlier start of behavioral interventions. They used machine-learning algorithms to determine the complexity of the resting state EEG signals in a group of 79 infants aged 6 to 24 months, of which 46 had an older sibling with autism. They computed the modified multiscale entropy (mMSE), which indicates the degree of randomness in the signal, a result of the density of neurons, the organization of their connections and the balance of short- and long-distance connections. Their system had a 80 percent accuracy in identifying high risk infants at nine months of age, with lower accuracy at other timepoints. For nine month old boys accuracy was even 100%, while declining at later intervals. Further studies to confirm the findings and to discriminate patterns between different types of autistic spectrum disorders are planned. The study was published online in BMC Medicine.
Press release: Using EEGs to diagnose autism spectrum disorders in infants…
Children’s Hospital Boston’s blog: The brain whisperer: Tracking EEG footprints of autism and mental illness…
Study abstract: EEG complexity as a biomarker for autism spectrum disorder risk…

Ob/Gyn

First Device to Prevent Hemorrhoids During Vaginal Birth Given FDA Approval

by Gene Ostrovsky on Feb 28, 2011 • 12:00 am

HEM AVERT top First Device to Prevent Hemorrhoids During Vaginal Birth Given FDA Approval
Natural child birth is famous for the vaginal pain women experience, but it ain’t no joke that the anus is also subject to a good deal of force in the process. That is why around a quarter of vaginal births result in hemorrhoids, something you really don’t want to be dealing with when you just had a baby. Nurses will often use their hand to counteract the pressure on the anus, but this can be extremely tiring as labor can take hours. David Blurton, a medical device industry veteran, became acutely aware of the problem when his wife gave birth. Confounded by the fact that there was no available solution to the issue, he developed the Hem-Avert device that effectively reproduces the actions of the nurse’s hand in preventing hemorrhoids.
Plexus Biomedical out of Oakland, TN, the company started by Blurton, has received FDA clearance for the Hem-Avert. This followed a clinical study that showed that the new device prevented hemorrhoids in all of the women that wore it during labor compared with a 25% hemorrhoid rate in the control group.
Because of the novel nature of the device, incomparable with anything else that has come before the FDA, it went through a rather rare de novo 510(k) clearance process.
bwrehss First Device to Prevent Hemorrhoids During Vaginal Birth Given FDA ApprovalMore about the Hem-Avert from the product insert:

The Hem-Avert® Perianal Stabilizer is a non-invasive instrument used to help provide continuous pressure to the anus and perianal region as a means to provide support during the labor process. Hem-Avert®
Perianal Stabilizer is a single-use disposable instrument used only during vaginal deliveries. The instrument consists of three components. The rigid polymer base is manufactured from medical grade polycarbonate. The centrally located cushioning pad is made of a laminate of medical grade polyester non-woven tape and medical grade polyethylene foam tape.
The instrument is kept in place by two lateral hook and loop fasteners (loop strips that attach to the mating hook) that are attached to adhesive tape. The adhesive tape is made from medical grade resin acetate woven fabric. The cushioning pad and adhesive strips are manufactured from materials commonly used in medical procedures.

Product page: Hem-Avert …
Press release: Plexus Biomedical Inc. Gains FDA Approval of the First Medical Device to Help Prevent External Hemorrhoids During Vaginal Childbirth …

Uncategorized

Ins and Outs

by Gene Ostrovsky on Feb 28, 2011 • 12:00 am
  • Governors Scramble to Rein In Medicaid … [WSJ]
  • Past medical testing on humans revealed … [AP]
  • Mobile phone use not related to increased brain cancer risk … [University of Manchester]
  • Medicare won’t fund MRIs for patients with new MRI-safe pacemakers… [TwinCities.com]
  • Young mammal hearts heal themselves … [Nature]
  • Crisis of Abundance: Cleveland Clinic offers air travel membership service for critically ill … [MedCity News]
  • Women’s health company Hologic sees stocks jump after patent decision … [MedCity News]
  • 3M and Nuance Team to Deliver Computer-Assisted Physician Documentation … [3M]
  • Neoprobe shares soar on Lymphoseek clinical trial results … [MedCity News]
  • UNC Health Care and IBM Announce Nation’s Latest Major Health Information Exchange … [IBM]
  • Boston Scientific Launches PROMUS® Element™ and TAXUS® Element™ Stent Systems in India … [Boston Scientific]
  • Medtronic buys gel with sinus surgery prospects … [MassDevice]
  • FDA approves Edarbi (azilsartan medoxomil) to treat high blood pressure … [FDA]
  • Interview: Humana’s chief strategy officer talks mobile health … [mobihealthnews]
  • Genetically modified fungi kill malaria-causing parasites in mosquitoes … [NIH]
  • Fear Factor: Researchers on Trail of Marker to Predict Risk of PTSD … [HHMI]
  • Researchers Believe Discovery Could Lead to Testing that Displaces Colonoscopies … [University of Missouri ]
  • Unique spinal fluid proteins found in chronic fatigue, post Lyme disease syndrome patients … [Pacific Northwest NL]
  • With algae blooms hope for a long-acting local anesthetic … [VectorBlog]
  • Novel device sheds light on the beauty of science … [University of Bristol]
  • In Film, Stuttering Symptoms Reflect Current Research … [NYTimes]
  • University of Cambridge investigates: Happy children make happy adults … [University of Cambridge ]
  • Most locked-in patients ‘happy’ … [BBC]
    • Rehab

    LOPES Robotic Exoskeleton Helps Stroke Victims Walk Again

    by Scott Jung on Feb 25, 2011 • 7:11 am

    janj9r83 LOPES Robotic Exoskeleton Helps Stroke Victims Walk AgainLOPES (LOwer-extremity Powered ExoSkeleton) is a 10-year old project from the Netherlands’ University of Twente whose goal is to develop a robotic device to assess motor skills and assist in teaching stroke victims how to walk again. Unlike traditional rehabilitative devices such as leg braces, or even the upcoming ReWalk, the newest version of LOPES allows for eight degrees of freedoms, which provides the legs better movement and less confined therapy.
    LOPES researchers hope to get the device into rehabilitation clinics by early 2012, with a mid-2012 target for introduction into the market.
    Until then, the researchers are working on making LOPES more compact and easier to adjust for more personalized training and therapy. In addition to LOPES helping stroke victims, the gait data from LOPES users will be used to help design walking algorithms for autonomous exoskeletons.
    Check out the video below from the Dutch government of LOPES in action:


    LOPES Research Page at the University of Twente
    University of Twente: Relearn how to walk …
    (hat tip: Engadget)

    in the news...

    Open Minds Exhibition Puts Student Invention On Display

    by Justin Barad on Feb 25, 2011 • 5:18 am

    mdt124q0 Open Minds Exhibition Puts Student Invention On Display
    The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), in association with the Inventors Digest, is hosting its annual Open Minds showcase featuring student teams and their technology prototypes. Any technology is fair game, although this year’s teams include a fair number of health-related technology. Each team has a video posted online that can be voted on by the public until March 14th. The top 3 videos will be featured at the National Museum of American History on March 26th, where the final winner will be determined by a panel of judges.
    Some of the technology we are interested in include a CPAP ventilation system for infants, a device to prevent stress urinary continence episodes, a disposable continuous glucose monitoring patch with bluetooth, a disposable low cost antenatal screening kit, a low cast longer lasting vaccine storage solution, and a solar sanitation system.
    Vote on the videos and make or break some young inventors’ dreams here…
    Visit the competition website here…

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