If you’re familiar with our Mission Accomplished section, you may already know about the many ways that NASA-funded research has translated to medical applications right here on Earth. The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) is involved with many of these projects, including some that...

The Tacit, a haptic sonar glove that helps a visually impaired person navigate complex environments, has been released as a public prototype. The invention uses ultrasonic sensors to sense objects from about 1 inch to 10 feet away, and translates that information into pressure on the user's wrist.

Last June, Analog Devices wrote an article in Medical Design Briefs about the increasing need to engineer devices that provide healthcare in the home. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlights one technology that fits into this trend: a small purse-sized device, developed by Awak Technologies of Singapore, that would...

Engineers are taking important steps toward a future in which skin-mounted electronics could monitor individuals in a natural environment and even offer the potential for human-computer interfacing — all with the flexibility and comfort of a temporary tattoo.

Just like any other device that relies on a wireless connection, medical devices like insulin pumps and implants may be vulnerable to attack. In cases like these, a breach in security is not just an annoyance or financial liability — it may be a matter of life or death. Recently, at the Black Hat Technical Security...

Finger pricking may be a means to an end for diabetics who need to track their blood glucose levels, but it's a pain — both literally and figuratively speaking. They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and the necessity for a better alternative to the finger-pricking method is...

Some of today's mobile applications are becoming so sophisticated that they stand to transform mobile devices into medical devices — and should be regulated accordingly. Hoping to clarify which mobile applications are expected to adhere to regulations like any other medical device, the FDA has just...

Advances in prosthetics technology are usually more applicable to the developed world than a country like Afghanistan, even though it has one of the highest amputation rates. With this in mind, U.S. Army Task Force Spartan soldiers have produced a simple and easily reproduced prototype prosthetic leg...

North Carolina State University researchers have developed a memory device that is soft, functions well in wet environments, and features “the physical properties of Jell-O,” according to Dr. Michael Dickey, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC...

An article from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society calls attention to a recent study published in Ergonomics in Design, "Using Storytelling to Elicit Design Guidance for Medical Devices." In the study, human factors/ergonomics researchers evaluated the use of storytelling as a qualitative research...

MIT researchers are developing a simple device that can clip onto an ordinary smartphone (or smart device such as an iPod) that can diagnose cataracts within minutes. The standard test for cataracts in an ophthalmologist's office assigns a score on a scale of 1 to 4 — from no cataracts to completely blocked vision....