Biosensors

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Move over, “Fantastic Voyage”. Scientists at the University at Buffalo (UB), Buffalo, NY, are developing miniaturized sonar technology to be used inside the human body to treat diseases like diabetes and heart failure in real time, without shrinking scientists to enter a patient’s bloodstream.
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Chemical engineers at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, have discovered that they could combine layers of flexible electronics and pressure sensors to create a wearable heart monitor thinner than a dollar bill and no wider than a postage stamp. The flexible skin-like monitor, worn under an adhesive bandage on the wrist, is sensitive enough to help doctors detect stiff arteries and cardiovascular problems.

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Artificial skins and new sensor technologies being developed by European scientists could help make robots more sensitive to tactile stimuli and improve their ability to communicate and cooperate with each other and with humans. The EU-funded project, “Skin-based technologies and capabilities for safe, autonomous and interactive robots” (ROBOSKIN), has developed new sensor technologies and management systems that give robots an artificial sense of touch, which had been an elusive quality.

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According to a recent report from ABI Research, a market intelligence company specializing in global technology markets, while the market for disposable wireless Medical Body Area Network (MBAN) sensors within professional healthcare is in its earliest stages, the foundations to support adoption are now in place. They also report that there is a tremendous potential for adoption. So much so that by 2018, they predict that nearly 5 million disposable sensors will be shipped even though the sensors will have still barely penetrated the addressable market.

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Scientists at Princeton University in New Jersey used silk strands and tiny gold wires bundled with graphene to create a removable tattoo that adheres to dental enamel and could eventually be used to monitor a patient’s health with unprecedented sensitivity.

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There are two parts to a blast created by an improvised explosive device: a shock wave traveling at supersonic speed, and compressed air, which travels in front of the shock wave. Both can cause considerable damage to the human body, but the exact effects are unclear. To prevent injuries to soldiers and provide better care to those who are injured, the U.S. military wants to understand how blasts impact the human body. So it is working with the Georgia Tech Research Institute to develop a system that measures the physical environment of an explosion and collects data that can be used to correlate what the soldier experienced with long-term medical outcomes, especially traumatic brain injury.

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A new 3-D motion detection system could help identify baseball pitchers who are at risk for shoulder injuries, according to a new study by scientists at the Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL. The laptop computer-based system can be used right on the field.

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Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) measurements typically involve time-consuming skin preparation, lead application, conductive gels, and even shaving of body hair. More recently, dry contact sensors have come into use in some sports and home health monitoring units, but these frequently experience contact problems, particularly in users with dry skin.
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NASA Technology

You wouldn’t find a big bowl of spaghetti served on the International Space Station (ISS). In microgravity, it would be a complete mess. There is, however, something like spaghetti on the ISS: the wires that connect electrodes for an electrocardiogram (EKG). They can be just as much of a nuisance for the crew members.
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Strain Measurement Devices Inc., Wallingford, CT, announces a new line of ultrasonic, air-in-water sensors for medical applications. The A230/240 air-in-water sensor is based on proprietary, digital, non-invasive, ultrasonic bubble sensing technology to accurately and reliably detect bubbles in a wide variety of fluids and tubing materials. In addition to standard parts, Strain Measurement Devices will work with the customer to develop custom sensors to fit their application.
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Measurement Specialties, Hampton, VA, a global manufacturer in sensorbased measuring of pressure/force, position, vibration, temperature, humidity and fluid properties, has released the KMA36, a digital position sensor for precise rotational and incremental measurement of magnetic field fluctuations. The KMA36 is a system-on-chip that features an integrated analog-to-digital converter and signal processing capabilities, making it useful in laboratory research and medical equipment.
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A tiny, paper-thin skin patch to collect vital information, called the Bio-patch sensor, has been developed by researchers at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology. It is inexpensive, versatile, and comfortable to wear.

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Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Cambridge, MA, have developed an inexpensive tactile sensor for robotic hands that is sensitive enough to enable a machine to handle objects with sensitivity and dexterity. Designed by researchers in the Harvard Biorobotics Laboratory, the sensor, called TakkTile, is intended to put what would normally be a high-end technology within the grasp of commercial inventors, teachers, and robotics enthusiasts.

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A team of neuroengineers based at Brown University, Providence, RI, has developed a fully implantable and rechargeable wireless brain sensor capable of relaying real-time broadband signals from up to 100 neurons in freely moving subjects. Several copies of the novel low-power device, described in the Journal of Neural Engineering, have been performing well in animal models for more than year, a first in the brain-computer interface field. Brain-computer interfaces could someday help people with severe paralysis control devices with their thoughts.
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Standex-Meder Electronics, Cincinnati, OH, announces its 3D magnetic mapping capabilities for reed sensors, which allows designers to more accurately place sensors and magnetic components within a system, eliminating issues that may result in faulty operation. 3D mapping also helps designers adjust the magnetic sensitivity of the reed sensor and/or the magnet’s size and strength. It is particularly useful in applications using more than one reed sensor or more than one magnet.
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BEI Kimco Magnetics, Vista, CA, introduces its latest generation Housed Voice Coil Actuator (VCA), the LAS28-53-00A. Engineered as an all inclusive package, the new VCA incorporates an integrated position feedback sensor with analog output for servo positioning or velocity control. It includes shielded cables and connectors that allow plug and play installation. With shaft and bearings contained in the housing, there is no need to design parts to capture the coil and field assemblies and maintain concentric position.
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Honeywell Sensing & Control, Golden Valley, MN, announced it has expanded its Zephyr™ airflow sensor HAF Series portfolio with new digital versions that provide airflow ranges of 0 to 20 SLPM (standard liters per minute) and 0 to 200 SLPM. With this new product, Honeywell has leveraged its original Zephyr building block airflow sensor via a bypass to the main flow channel of the sensor, eliminating the need for a customer- designed bypass in equipment such as ventilators. The sensors are configurable and customizable with multiple interface and package options, a variety of flow ranges, and custom calibration. Zephyr airflow sensors with the built-in bypass offer three important benefits:
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Piher Sensors & Controls S.A., Chicago, IL, has introduced the MTS-360 Mechanical Mount Rotary Position Sensor with integral PCB for fast and easy mounting. Designed with the sensor directly mounted onto a PCB, the MTS-360 Sensor/PCB Combo package allows engineers to easily install a fully featured rotary sensor without first having to design a printed circuit board for the sensor. Available with either 6 pin (dual output) or 3 pin (single output) Molex 90119 Series mating connectors.
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Breathing sensors built into onesie infant bodysuits could help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), where a sleeping infant suddenly stops breathing. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin used an integrated sensor system made from a stretchable printed circuit board (PCB) that fits to the contours of the body built into a onesie. They say that it can be manufactured using routine industrial processes.

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Tekscan, Inc., Boston, MA, has released a Wireless ELF 2 System, which eliminates wires and enables a laptop or PC to quickly capture and store force data for product research, quality assurance, and testing. Wireless ELF 2 combines ultra-thin (0.008”) piezoresistive FlexiForce single-element load sensors with a battery-operated Wi-Fi transmitter and simple software. The software displays real-time force data in pounds, grams, or Newtons.
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Electrical engineers at Oregon State University, Corvallis, have developed new technology to monitor medical vital signs, with sensors so tiny and inexpensive they could fit onto a bandage, be manufactured in high volumes, and cost less than a quarter. One potential application is heart monitoring, since the system could gather data on some components of an EKG, such as pulse rate and atrial fibrillation. Its ability to measure EEG brain signals could find use in nursing care for patients with dementia, and recordings of physical activity could improve weight loss programs.
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A medical sensor that adheres to the skin like a temporary tattoo could help doctors to detect metabolic problems in patients. Shaped like a smiley face, the entire sensor is a thin, flexible unit designed to conceal the electrodes. Designed by researchers at the Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences at University of Toronto, Scarborough, Canada, the new tattoo-based solid-contact ion-selective electrode is made using standard screen-printing techniques and commercially available transfer tattoo paper. It detects changes in the skin’s pH levels in response to metabolic stress.
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The market for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) used as pressure sensors in medical electronics is likely to grow by 7 percent this year, aided by the use of disposable devices as well as respiratory monitoring, according to iSuppli, El Segundo, CA, a global leader in technology value chain research and advisory services, now part of IHS. Their report says revenue for pressure sensors in medical electronics applications will reach $137.6 million in 2012, and growth will be steady over the next few years, with revenue projected to reach $186.7 million by 2016.

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Sensordrone Tricorder Platform for Consumers and Mobile Device Developers
Mark Wagner
Sensorcon, Inc., Buffalo, NY

The Sensordrone, an invention that dramatically extends the sensing capabilities of smartphones and tablets, came out of the Consumer Products category, but could well have been entered in almost all of the categories because of its versatility. The keyfob- sized device includes sensors that enable consumers to run a variety of medical applications — from blood pressure monitoring to temperature sensing to breath alcohol testing. But, in addition to medical uses, the device is open to a wide range of applications, depending on whether it’s for home safety use, medical use, industrial, or construction use. It could be used to monitor carbon monoxide, humidity, light, and weather, or as an altimeter, barometer, stud-finder, data-logger, and more.
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Brain-computer interfaces are at the forefront of treating neurological and psychological disorders, in cluding Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and depression. Among the most promising technologies is deep brain stimulation (DBS) — a method in which an implanted silicon chip ejects high frequency currents under the skin that are transferred to the brain through implanted electrodes that send and receive signals. Approximately 30,000 people worldwide are currently using DBS. But to ensure that the signals are properly sent and received requires a smooth interaction between the brain and the hardware.
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