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An Update on Altapure’s Ultrasonic Clinical Environment Sterilization System

Scott Jung — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:42:54 +0000

Back in February, we wrote about Altapure‘s adaptation of military sonar technology to sterilize clinical environments. During our recent trip to northeast Indiana, we had the opportunity to visit Altapure’s home on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Since our last mention, Altapure has been able to not only get their product on the market, but is already working on a newer version of the device that clocks in at 1/3 the size of the current model but has the same power.

Disney’s Research Arm Develops Technology to Turn Any Surface Into a Touch Sensor (video)

Scott Jung — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:18:39 +0000

We’re all fairly familiar with “Imagineering”, Disney‘s R&D branch that develops cutting-edge theme park technology and showcases the latest in moviemaking, but it’s a little known fact that the Mouse House also runs Disney Research, a group that develops technology that isn’t necessarily entertainment related.

Their latest bit of Disney magic is Touché, a technology that greatly enhances touch sensing capabilities making iPads and Androids already feel so 2012. Touché works by turning practically anything into a touch-sensitive interface, including the human body and liquids. All that’s required is a special electrode placed on the object, which in turn becomes a touch-sensitive surface, and a single wire connected to a computer. But Touché goes beyond creating touch-sensitive surfaces; multi-touch and gestures can also be used, which opens a lot of potential interactive applications.

Philips’ ErgoSensor Monitor Tells You to Stop Slouching

Scott Jung — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 06:30:11 +0000

Improper ergonomics at your workstation can lead to a potential bevy of workplace related injuries, including back and neck pain, eyestrain, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Realizing that “work should be suited to people, and not the other way around”, Philips has released an interesting new 24″ LCD monitor. Besides being an all-around nice display to have at your workstation, the new monitor has a built-in “ErgoSensor” to promote better ergonomics.

Located in the top bezel of the display where a standard webcam would usually be found, the ErgoSensor is able to track the user’s position and distance from the monitor and provide feedback if the person is not in an ergonomically correct position, for example, if someone is sitting too close to the screen or their neck posture is incorrect. When such feedback occurs, the user can reposition him or herself, or can adjust the display using a number of adjustments in the monitor’s “SmartErgoBase”.

German Engineers Develop Wireless Power Technology for Implanted Medical Devices

Gene Ostrovsky — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:42:06 +0000

Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Dresden and Hermsdorf, Germany developed a wireless power transmission system that may one day energize implantable medical devices.

It relies on a transmitter that creates a modulating magnetic field and a receiver that has a metal bead that moves along with the changes in the field. This movement is transferred into electricity and so can power internal implants as long as the magnetic field is within range.

Silk Transformed into Bactericidal Fabric

Stanley Darma — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:07:28 +0000

Scientists from the US Air Force Research Laboratory have found a way to convert ordinary silk into an antibacterial fabric by dipping it into certain chemicals. After the coating process the silk can kill bacteria and even coated spores. The research results were reported this week in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Previous research showed that other fabrics dipped into chemical solutions could damage biomolecules. Silk was chosen because it is widely available around the world, has excellent mechanical properties and offers good biocompatibility. A chemical solution similar to household bleach was used to coat the silk. After letting it dry, the silk could kill E.coli and spores of bacteria similar to Bacillus anthracis (anthrax). Some possible applications are using prepared silk as a filter material for treating contaminated water or for cleaning air from pathogenic spores.

Sonar Technology Developed for Attack Submarines Now Used to Sterilize Clinical Environments

Gene Ostrovsky — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:50:51 +0000

Two specialty companies, ITT Exelis (McLean, VA) and Altapure (Tomahawk, WI), have developed a sterilization system that uses a uniquely different technology than other systems on the market. The device relies on a piezoelectric ceramic-based nebulizer that generates a heavy cloud of sub-micron droplets that kill everything they get to. The technology seems to be intended for sterilization of large spaces, including compromised buildings and military aircraft that serve as air hospitals.

Operating Rooms on Wheels Help Hospitals Renovate, Offer Emergency Relief When Needed

Gene Ostrovsky — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:11:06 +0000

What does a hospital do when it needs to conduct major renovations while continuing to be able to conduct surgeries? Turns out one company makes mobile surgery trucks that offer a complete surgical theater and can be setup in an hour by just a couple of people.

The Miami VA Medical Center is actually using five of these Mobile Surgical Units from MMIC (Mobile Medical International Corporation) to continue operating on patients without missing a beat. Of course, these are also useful in disaster relief and for military operations.

Corning Shows Us a Future Made of Glass

Scott Jung — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:12:10 +0000

Corning lately may be best known for their ultra-durable Gorilla Glass found on Apple products as well as other smartphones and computers, but it also has a historic and revered research and development arm that was responsible for the glass found in innovations that include the original Edison lightbulb and the first liquid crystal displays. Corning is also dedicated to supporting the life sciences industry: PYREX, for example, is a common glass found in today’s laboratories.

The 104-year old R&D research arm recently released a video of its glass-filled vision for the next 104 years. Some of the concepts presented are already in development, but one intriguing section in the middle of the video visualizes the use of Corning glass in the medical lab. We’ll start you off at the 3:07 mark and you’ll see glass used in futuristic, transparent medical terminals and tablets. You’ll also see glass (which is antimicrobial) used in a holographic examination table integrated with a cool-looking MRI scanner.

New Material Provides Extra Grip Without the Tackiness

Gene Ostrovsky — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:01:01 +0000

KRAIBURG TPE, a maker of thermoplastic elastomers based on HSBC (hydrogenated styrene block copolymers) out of Waldkraiburg, Germany, has released a new surface material that promises much greater grip during dry and wet conditions than conventional thermoplastic elastomers.

Not having to use tackifiers, chemical compounds that provide extra grip but make the surface feel sticky and tacky, can be a benefit for all sorts of medical devices where precision control is important.

Medical Students to Wear 3D Glasses for Anatomy Class?

Stanley Darma — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:35:11 +0000

We’re all familiar with the 3D glasses by now. But now the 3D technology is also going to be uses to teach medical students about the anatomy of the human body. At the New York University School of Medicine, students now can navigate through a virtual body using a computer and 3D glasses. They can dissect the virtual body, which is projected on a screen.

The virtual human body is made possible by BioDigital Systems, a medical visualization company from Manhattan that we have covered before. BioDigital makes anatomical animations for all kinds of companies and institutions, such as pharmaceutical companies, medical device makers and medical schools.