The U.S Food and Drug Administration has granted Expedited Access Pathway status to the Wearable Artificial Kidney (WAK) after the device performed successfully in its first U.S. clinical trial, at UW Medical Center in Seattle. Despite technical issues that halted the trial early, the FDA signaled its support for keeping research and development of the device fast-tracked as its components are redesigned. More than 600,000 Americans have end-stage kidney disease, whose annual mortality rate is...

A startup called Trequant has set out to help tremor patients by tracking and reporting tremor incidence. Waterproof and able to travel with you anywhere you go! The Kanega watch is a self-contained watch and is not dependent on a connection to a home-based system or a smartphone, so you can get assistance at home or on the go in one simple, stylish watch. Voice Controlled for Ease of Use No buttons to press – speak to it by its name, and it speaks to you. It’s that easy. On-call Emergency...

Mobile Foodie Survival Kit: The Mobile Foodie Survival Kit is a travel-sized spice pack that makes sure you don't have sub-par food. Anywhere you go, you are stocked with organic herbs and spices.   Nightlux Handpowered Lamp and Flashlight: Its lightweight and compact design makes this lantern perfect for traveling; its handpowered or recharges via USB, has two brightness modes, and easily shifts from flashlight to lantern. Reborn by X Zhichao: Reborn is a multi functional ...

Aroma Travel Pillow: The Aroma Snoozer travel pillow combines comfort with the aromatherapy oils; it can be a great pillow for car or airline travel. Casamista Portable Humidifier: Design by Alan Wisniewski for Umbra, this house shaped portable humidifier works with any water bottle or glass. It comes with purifying filter and can be powered by a USB cable connected to your notebook.  Zip It Passport Socks: with these you can keep your passport and cash securely in this zippered sock. ...

Studies have shown that spending a long time in space has a negative impact on the immune system of crew members. Medical scientists are particularly concerned about disruption of the development of white blood cells  which are our first line of defense against illness. The BONEMAC investigation analyze some defense cells from mouse bone marrow, and find that their numbers increase a lot faster during space flight than on the ground.  Space flight also has an impact on coagulation, or blood c...

Recently scientists and researchers at Johns Hopkins University developed an assessment technology that is much better at predicting arrhythmia risk than the blood pumping test. The team performed pre-implant MRIs from patients who were determined to need defibrillator implants. They used the MRIs to create personalized, virtual 3-D hearts. They then used the 3-D models to simulate the electrical processes in the heart to predict the likelihood that the virtual heart would develop arrhythmia. If...

Speedy terahertz-based system could detect explosives Spectroscopic system with chip-scale lasers cuts detection time from minutes to microseconds. Terahertz spectroscopy, which uses the band of electromagnetic radiation between microwaves and infrared light, is a promising security technology because it can extract the spectroscopic “fingerprints” of a wide range of materials, including chemicals used in explosives. But traditional ...

Robot unfolds from ingestible capsule, removes button battery stuck to wall of simulated stomach In experiments involving a simulation of the human esophagus and stomach, researchers at MIT, the University of Sheffield, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have demonstrated a tiny origami robot that can unfold itself from a swallowed capsule and, steered by external magnetic fields, crawl across the stomach wall to remove a swallowed button battery or patch a wound. The new work, which the ...

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS, also written as micro-electro-mechanical, MicroElectroMechanical or microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems and the related micromechatronics) is the technology of very small devices; it merges at the nano-scale into nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and nanotechnology. MEMS are also referred to as micromachines in Japan, or micro systems technology (MST) in Europe. The AKU151 and AKU350 ultra high performance MEMS microphones from Akustica ...

Using its internet of things (IoT) thermal imaging sensor, Optimet has developed a thermal Wi-Fi camera that the company says is 35% less than the lowest cost comparable thermal image sensor. The thermal imaging is also used in a computer vision-enabled thermal imaging device, called the HemaVision that the company expects to offer at a sixth of the price of typical thermal imagers. The imaging system automatically enhances images for the diagnosis of building and equipment problems. HemaVisi...

Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of their birth, their current age and other demographic factors including sex. The most commonly used measure of life expectancy is at birth (LEB), which can be defined in two ways: while cohort LEB is the mean length of life of an actual birth cohort (all individuals born a given year) and can be computed only for cohorts born many decades ago, so that all their members died, period L...

Research shows naps increase performance. NASA found pilots who take a 25 minute nap are 35 percent more alert and twice as focused. Research by NASA revealed that pilots who take a 25-minute nap in the cockpit — hopefully with a co-pilot taking over the controls — are subsequently 35 percent more alert, and twice as focused, than their non-napping colleagues. Little siestas helped people across a whole host of measures. Improved reaction time, fewer errors… NASA found that naps made yo...

Medikey™, a health data aggregator that empowers consumers and employers to take greater control over healthcare costs, today launched a partnership with Teladoc (NYSE:TDOC) and eDocAmerica to offer underinsured and uninsured consumers unprecedented access to quality, affordable medical care online or by telephone. A benefit once available only through employers and health plans, consumers can now access directly from Medikey™ this type of convenient, non-emergency care from board-certified phys...

The Sensoria Smart Socks for runners are made from high-tech running friendly fabric, an electronic anklet magnetically attaches to the sock and an app monitors and guides you through real-time audio cues while you run. Working along with your smartphone, it lets you know the speed, altitude, cadence, foot landing and more. The Beddit is flat, and can be placed under the bed sheet; it measures sleep cycles and quality of it by measuring various other factors. This non-wearable smart devi...

speeCup Portable Bluetooth Speaker: The speeCup is a Siri/S voice activated portable Bluetooth speaker. This portable 8" tall speaker connects via Bluetooth, has a range up to 30 feet and can also be connected using auxiliary cable directly to your car or home stereo system. It also features gesture control and plays music and functions as a handsfree speakerphone in your car. urv Guitar: This stringless digital guitar lets you to learn and play songs using touch, gestures and more. The d...

Everykey: Everykey is a stylish wristband that replaces keys and passwords; it utilizes AES 128-bit encryption to grant access to key and password enabled devices. This Bluetooth enabled band gives immediate access to your password-protected gadgets, physically locked items including doors, car doors, bike locks, and more. It works with Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Nudge: Nudge is the nifty notification wristband that notifies you about important work email, or a phone call tha...

Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center have developed diagnostic mapping system for making and recording differential measurements of periodontal structures of a dental patient. The invention employs first and second ultrasonic sensors controlled by a dental hand-piece to make measurements of the cemento-enamel-junction (CEJ) of each tooth and the depth of the periodontal pocket or cavity of the tooth relative its CEJ. These measurements are visually displayed, recorded (or mapped), and c...

Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities. It is also used to save lives in critical care and emergency situations. Although there were distant precursors to telemedicine, it is essentially a product of 20th century telecommunication and information technologies...

Retinal Light Processing Using Carbon Nanotubes The Vision Chip is targeted to treat Age-related Macular Degeneration, and other degenerative diseases of the retina by replacing a compromised retinal photoreceptor system with an array of equivalent external photoreceptors and carbon nanotube (CNT) "towers" (bundles of CNTs) that provide a pathway to transmit signals from the external photoreceptors to an active layer of retina. NASA has patented a new technology called the Vision Chip, an ...

With Lumify, high-quality portable ultrasound is available almost anywhere. Just subscribe, download the Lumify app, plug in the transducer, and you're set. Meet patients at the point-of-care, make a faster diagnosis, and deliver care whenever it's needed. https://youtu.be/HRLHtnza2jM Royal Philips launched the Lumify smart ultrasound device, offered as part of a “novel subscription model.” Customers with subscriptions, which Philips said start at a monthly price of $199, receive equipm...

Cochlear Implant A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.   Deep brain neurostimulator Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical procedure involving the implantation of a medical device called a neurostimulator (sometimes referred to as a 'brain pace...

The International Space Station is a big, climate-controlled environment that houses six people at any given time. As you can probably imagine, these humans produce odors just like the rest of us. So how do NASA and other space agencies make the International Space Station a decent-smelling place to live for those stuck there for months at a time? There is no washer or dryer on board the International Space Station; no cosmic laundromat waiting to take astronauts' quarters each Saturday morni...

New measurements from a NASA satellite have allowed researchers to identify and quantify, for the first time, how climate-driven increases of liquid water storage on land have affected the rate of sea level rise. A new study by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and the University of California, Irvine, shows that while ice sheets and glaciers continue to melt, changes in weather and climate over the past decade have caused Earth’s continents to soak...

PositiveID develops biological detection systems for America’s homeland defense industry as well as rapid medical testing. PositiveID is focused on the development of microfluidic systems for the automated preparation of and performance of biological assays in order to detect threats at high-value locations, as well as analyze samples in medical environments. PositiveID’s microfluidic technology alleviates all existing problems by replacing robotics with integrated microfluidics, reducing cos...

NeuroLife, was invented at Battelle, which teamed with physicians and neuroscientists from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to develop the research approach and perform the clinical study. Ohio State doctors identified the study participant and implanted a tiny computer chip into his brain. Device allows paralyzed man to swipe credit card, perform other movements. That pioneering participant, Ian Burkhart, is a 24-year-old quadriplegic from Dublin, Ohio, and the first person...

Animals in space originally only served to test the survivability of spaceflight, before manned space missions were attempted. Later, animals were also flown to investigate various biological processes and the effects microgravity and space flight might have on them. To date, seven national space programs have flown animals into space: the Soviet Union, the United States, France, Argentina, China, Japan and Iran. Can fish swim in microgravity? Do bees make honey in space? Can ant farms exist ...

EDGAR is a tele-presence robot optimised to project the gestures of its human user. By standing in front of a specialised webcam, a user can control EDGAR remotely from anywhere in the world. The user’s face and expressions will be displayed on the robot’s face in real time, while the robot mimics the person’s upper body movements. EDGAR can also deliver speeches by autonomously acting out a script. With an integrated webcam, he automatically tracks the people he meets to engage them in conve...

For the first time, an international team of astronomers from MIT, the University of Liège in Belgium, and elsewhere have detected three planets orbiting an ultracool dwarf star, just 40 light years from Earth. The sizes and temperatures of these worlds are comparable to those of Earth and Venus, and are the best targets found so far for the search for life outside the solar system. The results are published today in the journal Nature. The scientists discovered the planets using TRAPPIST (TRAn...

In recent years, the use of nanomaterials for water treatment, food packaging, pesticides, cosmetics and other industries has increased. Such particles, like silver nanoparticles deployed as a pesticide, are used to suppress the growth of harmful microorganisms. The increased use has led to concerns that these toxic particles could end up in food designed for human consumption. One study showed that artificial silver nanoparticles from polyethylene films destined for package of such foods as ...

Nanoparticle treatment developed by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder could provide an effective means of fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria including Salmonella, E. Coli, and Staphylococcus, based on results in a laboratory environment. In testing with a lab-grown culture, the nanoparticles killed 92 percent of drug-resistant bacterial cells while leaving the other cells intact. The treatment consists of light-activated therapeutic nanoparticles called "'quantum dots". Th...