Rap Music Powers Medical Pressure Sensor

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

[caption id="attachment_26805" align="alignleft" width="271" caption="This implantable medical sensor can be powered by music."][/caption] At the IEEE MEMS conference in Paris this week, Purdue researchers introduced an implantable sensor that can be powered by exposure to music, according to a Purdue press release. Music within 200-500 Hz causes a cantilever in the device ...

Technique Introducing Nanosensors to Living Cells Could Reduce Need for Animal Research

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

[caption id="attachment_26484" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The yellow nanosensor signal in the overlay image (right) shows that the cells are active. If they were unhealthy, they would appear much redder. Center: the indicator dye signal. Left: the reference dye signal."][/caption] Animal research continues to be a controversial topic in medical research. In Germany ...

German Engineers Develop Sensor Chip for Tumour Monitoring

Monday, August 29th, 2011

Medical engineers at Technische Universität München (TUM) have developed a sensor chip that can be implanted and used to monitor tumours, according to a university press release. The electronic chip measures the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the tissue surrounding the tumour. A reduction in oxygen content in the tissue ...

Electronic Tattoos Could Be Used to Treat Wounds and Monitor Brain Activity

Monday, August 15th, 2011

[caption id="attachment_24313" align="alignleft" width="123" caption="Photo courtesy: John Rogers"][/caption] Researchers at the Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois, USA) and the University of Illinois (Champaign, Illinois, USA) have developed electronic tattoos that can be used for sensing, diagnostics, treatment and communications. The ultrathin, stretchable electronics are mounted on a thin sheet of plastic and ...

Next-Generation Prosthetic Arm Can Be Controlled by Brain Power

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

A new kind of prosthetic arm has the potential to one day change the way amputees experience the world. The device is using neural decoding, brain control and tactile sensory feedback to create a prosthetic arm as natural as possible, according to a Rice University press release. The four-year project ...

Sensirion Introduces Bubble Detector for Biomedical Devices

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

[caption id="attachment_23605" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The LG01 sensor from Sensirion detects liquid flow and bubbles."][/caption] Sensirion AG has launched a new microflow switch for ultralow liquid flow rates and bubble detection. The LG01 sensor is designed for integration into biomedical devices and makes fluidic systems more reliable by enabling the detection of ...

Release the “Terminator” in You and let Stretchable Electronics Report How You Feel

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Remember the Terminator movies? Where robots of liquid metal traveling back in time would deform beyond recognition? And although twisting, folding and stretching fragile conventional electronics is not yet possible, a researcher from Uppsala, Sweden, has devised a wireless sensor that can actually stand to be stretched. For example, the sensor ...

McGill University Students Develop Video Game Glove for Stroke Patients

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Students at McGill University of Montreal, Canada, have developed a biomedical sensor glove for stroke patients, according to an article in the Engineer. The glove is designed to help stroke patients recover hand motion by playing video games. It was created in response to a design request from the startup ...

New Infrared Thermometer Has Double Laser Sighting

Monday, April 25th, 2011

A new infrared thermometer with a high precision resolution is available from Optris GmbH. The Optris CSlaser LT is used for the measurement of small temperature differences, starting from 0.025K. CSlaser LT has a double laser sighting. Two emitters follow the infrared optical path to mark the accurate size and ...

ZMD AG Introduces Low-Power Wireless Data Communication Module

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

Zentrum Mikroelektronik Dresden AG (ZMD AG) has launched the ZWIR4512, a low-power wireless data communication module for sensors and other small devices. ZMD AG implements full data networking based on the IPv6 Internet Protocol. It integrates a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 processor with a complete communications software solution and an integrated ...

Newly Developed Catheter Could Speed Up Process of Mapping Electrical Problems in the Heart

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

A newly developed surgical tool could dramatically reduce the time needed to map electrical problems in the heart, according to a Technology Review article by Katherine Bourzac. The tool, an inflatable catheter with stretchable, biocompatible silicon electronics, was developed by John Rogers, cofounder of the startup MC10 and professor at the ...

Striding Towards a New Dawn for Electronics

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

Conductive polymers are plastic materials with high electrical conductivity that could revolutionise a range of products including biomedical sensors. A team of McGill University researchers now reports how to visualise and study the process of energy transport along one single conductive polymer molecule at a ...