World’s First Optical Pacemaker
After a group of British scientists were working on developing a battery-free pacemaker about 18 months ago, a team of researchers from the Osaka University announced the world’s first optical pacemaker. The device works by sending short but powerful laser pulses to control the rhythm of the heart muscles. Read more
Bionic Eye To Restore Sight For Blind People
Researchers have developed a mini device that can restore the sight of blind people, especially for those who were hereditary affected by blindness. The “bionic eye” was developed by US-based firm, Second Sight and a Londoner team from Moorfields Eye Hospital began the treatment on UK patients. This treatment is destined to study the technology if it can indeed return sight to blind.
The “bionic eye” is called Argus II and it consists of a camera that sends a signal to an electronic receiver which is implanted in the retina. The scientist are very hopeful that the “bionic eye” will be a success but they warned that it’s very soon know for sure.
Proper Administer Your Medicine With Raisin
Humans have always “encountered” diseases and they tried to cure themselves with medicinal herbs. Nowadays we are treating ourselves with all kind of pills, tablets and syrups. The only problem is that sometimes we forget to take on time or we take our medicine too early and this increases the risk of heart attacks.
A company called Proteus Biomedical found the perfect solution for this. The researchers from the aforementioned company developed a system called Raisin that “will let you know” when it’s time to take your medicine. The pills contain microchips and a mini-battery made of vitamins which activates when it “meets” water. Raisin sends high-frequency electrical signals through the entire body when it’s activated.
The system could have more utilities like monitoring your body in order to see if the pills are absorbed and if the dosage is adequate.
Wallet MediCard to Hold All Your Personal Health Records
As science develops, more and more paper is substituted by electro-magnetic devices, because they can stock a lot more data in a more compact volume. That’s why Walletex created probably the first USB Flash Card to keep your entire medical history within, the Wallet MediCard. It can naturally fit in your wallet, so it would be easily found in emergency situations or daily use. Made of double laminated unbreakable plastic, the MediCard is water-proof and can be personalized with your name, picture or other data. In case you’ll lose it, you don’t need to worry about people knowing you entire health rhostiry, because all the data is encrypted and password protected.
X5 HairLaser Stimulates Hair Growth
The X5 HairLaser uses low level laser light to stimulate hair growth; a technique that, until now, was available only in expensive clinics. It generates 15 distinct points of coherent laser light to your scalp at the optimum wavelength and power and it has cordless design.
The treatment consists of three 10-15 minutes sessions every week and you can return the product within 6 months for a full refund, if you are not satisfied with the results. The first signs are expected to be seen in about 2 months, which is pretty quick.
Its laser light will make direct contact with your scalp, and the producers say that this is “the ultimate answer to thinning hair”. They also set a price of $300 for the item and can be delivered in 2-4 days.
Artificial Muscle That Can Power Your Devices
Researchers from the UCLA have developed an artificial muscle that is self-healing and it generates enough energy to power up a portable device like an iPod or iPhone. Qibing Pei, one of the authors of the study, said that one day this technique could be used to create walking robots.
The artificial muscle was created from carbon nanotubes which were used instead of electrodes and as a result, the new muscle could expand itself by 200 percent when the electricity comes in and there is no way that the muscle will fail because the carbon nanotubes stop spreading when put under pressure. Can’t wait to power my devices with the help of my muscles.
Tactile Wand Concept Could Help Blind People
It’s time turn our attention to a gadget that could help the people who aren’t so fortunate like us. Jin Woo Han has designed a concept destined for the visually impaired. The concept is named Tactile Wand which uses a sensor positioned in front which detects nearby objects and obstacles, also it can tell how far they are.
Most of the researchers are pleased with this idea because the current technology is not good enough – the audio sticks can’t provide enough assistance if there is too much noise around. The Tactile Wand is only at the concept-stage now, because it requires further testing in order to improve its quality.
Mini LEDs – The Next Generation In Lighting Applications
Researchers at the Tyndall National Institute, Ireland, have developed a miniature LED which could run about 80 years with the help of a battery the size of a coin. The project is called FLAME which means – future lighting applications for miniature entities
This LED measures about 15 microns across, which is very small considering the fact that conventional LEDs measure 300 microns. The mini-LED could be used in various domains thanks to the fact that the light of LEDs is cooler than the light of standard LEDs, but the chips in the back of the diode get hot. The scientists are working to improve this technology because there are some problems that hadn’t been resolved yet – they could wear out, are not very safe and tend to get very hot.
Some specialists think that this LED technology could replace conventional lights in a few years, but only if they manage to fix the problems. I should mention that the mini-LEDs might be used in medical area as a substitute of laser.
Silicon Womb To Help Women Get Pregnant
Researchers in the UK have developed a device that could produce better and stronger embryos and will reduce the harvesting of eggs from infertile women in order to help them get pregnant. The scientists are currently testing the “silicon womb” by introducing it into the female uterus. Anecova, the Swiss company that produces the “silicon womb”, made a few and inconclusive trials in Belgium.
The silicon device measures 5 mm in length and less than 1 mm in width. The walls of the tube are punched with 360 holes of 40-microns area.
CARE Fertility, Nottingham, UK, will begin the tests on 40 women – from every women will be harvested between 8 and 12 eggs, half of them will be incubated into the new device and the other half in the lab, afterwards they will compare the results between the two different techniques, in vitro and in vivo.
I think that this is huge step medical science and it really could help the couples that really want a baby.
Scientists Develop Artificial Neural Networks
A research team from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have managed to “build” a mini-system made of human nervous cells. According to their studies, soldiers will be able to control the battlesuits with the help of their own nerve impulses and cyber-sex could go to the next level, the participants will feel the same pleasure as the one during “normal” sex.
This technology also has a good side – it could regrow human nerves and to repair potential damaged nerves. The first tests were made on rats, were successful, but they also tested it on humans and the results were amazing. They managed to grow neurons which lived for three months in a special “growth chamber”.
It’s no wonder that this could happen, the future is looking promising with these technologies.
Regrowing Neurons, The Technology To Cure Alzheimer
German researchers have found a way to regenerate brain cells after a traumatic brain injury. They tested this technology on mice and until now they got amazing results. This idea could be used to help people which suffer from Alzheimer disease – the idea is to replace neurons just like they did with the mice, but for now the methods are “not so perfect”.
A report in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science says : “Magdalena Götz and colleagues found that cells called astrocytes expand and multiply after brain injury. The authors induced brain injury in mice, then observed as quiescent astrocytes activated themselves and became reactive, causing reactive gliosis, which is the universal cellular reaction to brain injury. The researchers found that the reactive astrocytes remained astrocytes in the cerebral cortex, whereas in a cell culture they could be coaxed to switch to different brain cell types, including neurons. These results identify astrocytes as a source of stem cells in the injury site and show that other types of brain cells do not have this potential. The authors conclude that the cells provide a promising cell type to initiate repair in humans after brain injury.”
Digital Tattoo Implanted Under The Skin
This is one of the coolest inventions in the world ever discovered. A Bluetooth device implanted under human skin which looks like a tattoo. It was developed and designed by Jim Mielke and it has many advantages – you can answer your phone by pushing a button on your arm and while your speaking, a digital video with the caller pops up and when you are finished the tattoo vanishes.
The tattoo doesn’t have any adverse effects on the human body and as an addition it monitors your blood to alert people in case they suffer from blood disorders. This gadget is waterproof and it can transmit data to all wireless devices. What more do you need to know? Definitely gonna get one of these!
Partially-Sighted and Colorblind
For the people with poor eyesight, the video-glasses-looking device called SightMate can improve the sight, featuring a 2 megapixel camera with a 3x zoom placed in the middle of the outer frame. The glasses sport two 640×480 displays that get images from the camera.
Also, the SightMate can compensate colorblindness, getting people vision of 20/20 to 20/40 from 20/70 and 20/200 accuity. Unfortunately, the device is quite expensive and there’s a notice that you shouldn’t use it while driving. You can already order it for $3,500.
