From delivering care to the developing world, to remote echocardiography, to hearing assessment, telemedicine has opened doors to new and potentially improved forms of diagnosis and treatment. Dermatology is one area in particular that stands to benefit greatly from this technology.

Imagine a smartphone that could act as your counselor in stressful situations, advising you on how to measure and deal with stress in your life. Researchers at Cornell University are developing just such an application, and their work is just one example of hopefully many projects that will come out...

Tablets are taking the world by storm, as they offer both beautiful displays and ease of use. But as aesthetically pleasing as these devices may be, their greatest potential may lie in their touch-based capabilities, which are now being utilized to serve as a key tool for the blind. A team of Stanford...

It's often said that truth can be stranger than fiction, but it may also be said that truth imitates fiction. Technological advances seem to be sweeping us closer and closer to a reality that toes the line between fiction and fact. For example, the ability to reconstruct a movie based on brain scans sounds like...

One of the nation's largest health insurers, WellPoint, announced today that it would develop and launch IBM Watson-based solutions to improve patient care. Ever since Watson's noteworthy performance on Jeopardy!, talk has circulated about the supercomputer's potential usefulness as a tool that physicians could use to...

As telemedicine gains prominence, the potential for misdiagnosis remains a viable concern. Whether in regard to ultrasound or ECG technology, the focus is shifting toward finding ways to make remote diagnosis as foolproof as possible even among individuals with limited expertise. It is estimated that 4 percent...

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...

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...

The IEC 62304 standard for medical device software is causing system engineers worldwide to step back and examine their software development methods with considerable scrutiny. Although at one time, software development and testing was an integral part of overall system design and...