Atom-Based Magnetic Sensor Measures Human Brain Activity

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

[caption id="attachment_27708" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Atom-based magnetic sensor developed at US NIST"][/caption] A miniature atom-based magnetic sensor developed at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been used to measure human brain activity. The scientists used the sensor to measure alpha waves in the brain. The measurements were compared with ...

Soft Robots Bend, Stretch and Crawl under Barriers

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

Research in robotics tend to focus on making robots as similar to humans as possible. Robots are even supposed to communicate like humans (a recent study looked at how robots can learn to sound more like us). Some researchers are taking a step back and looking for inspiration in animals. ...

Biosensor Technology Detects Presence of Viruses

Friday, February 17th, 2012

[caption id="attachment_26985" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A technique developed at University of Leeds can detect the presence of Adenovirus."][/caption] A biosensor technology developed by researchers at the University of Leeds can lead to a noninvasive diagnostic for Adenovirus, a virus that causes many illnesses, from the common cold to gastroenteritis. The technology can ...

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 ...