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Pulse oximetry is widely accepted as a standard measurement of a patient’s oxygen saturation and heart rate because it can give clinicians an early warning of low arterial oxygen saturation levels. But low body temperature and low blood perfusion can cause conventional pulse oximeters to report inaccurate...

On Monday, Aug. 6, University of Southern California Computer Science Professor Jernej Barbič released the world's most comprehensive library of 3D deformable modeling software for free open source download. The package, called Vega, allows users to simulate and move complex objects, bending,...

Scientists at Clemson University (Clemson, SC) have designed and built a knee simulator on which specimens from cadavers can be mounted to study the effects of different unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) alignment and ligament configurations on movement, as well as contact pressure distributions...

Thousands of veterans return to the U.S. with limb amputations, and for many, standard prosthetics are not an option due to skin issues or short remaining-limb length. These amputees require something other than the typical socket-type attachment systems. Researchers and surgeons from the University of Utah and...

Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed the world’s first device designed to map the human brain combining whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. MEG measures the electrical function and MRI visualizes the structure of the...

Engineers at Cornell have developed a new method of generating terahertz signals on an inexpensive silicon chip, that may be useful in applications such as medical imaging and wireless data transfer. Terahertz radiation, the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and...

The new Anti-Doping Science Centre in Harlow, UK, considered the most advanced drug testing laboratory in the history of the Olympics, will be conducting tests using equipment like a GE ImageQuant™ LAS4000 biomolecular imager, to detect performance-enhancing drugs during the...

Scientists at North Carolina State University have developed highly conductive and elastic conductors made from silver nanoscale wires that may be used to develop stretchable electronic devices. Stretchable circuitry has many potential uses in the medical field, such as providing an electronic...

Researchers at GE Global Research were awarded a three-year grant to develop and test an ultrasound probe and measurement techniques for NASA that could be used in space to monitor how microgravity affects astronauts' vision. The new probe will be designed to deliver real-time, 3D pictures, showing...

While medical devices that work with computing systems save countless lives, just how secure and private is the information they provide? An interdisciplinary team of medical researchers and computer scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and the University...

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA, received a $2.6 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a smart suit that could improve field soldiers’ physical endurance.

The Beach Boys sang about “Good Vibrations,” but a new wireless, musical glove, created by researchers at Georgia Tech, uses vibrations for the greater good, to help restore sensation and motor skills in people with paralyzing spinal cord injuries that resulted in limited feeling or movement...

Medical Design Briefs kicked off 2012 with a feature on neuromodulation and its current and future applications, which range from the therapeutic benefits of deep brain stimulation, to artificial pacemakers. Take a look at the full article here, and you'll quickly see why neuromodulation offers exciting...

Researchers from the University of Arizona have produced a robotic set of legs that is believed to be the first to fully model walking in a biologically accurate manner. The biological accuracy of the robot could someday help researchers understand how to help spinal-cord-injury patients recover...

Laparoscopic surgery is minimally invasive, but it is also visually constraining. In contrast to open surgery, surgeons who work on different tasks are all limited to the same view. In a small in vitro trial conducted at Brown University, surgeons with their own views performed faster...

A technique developed by engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) enables researchers to focus light efficiently inside biological tissue. While the previous limit for how deep light could be focused was only about one millimeter, the Caltech team is now able to reach 2.5 millimeters. With...

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, affects millions of Americans. Implantable sensor technology and custom-designed cartilage scaffolding systems could greatly improve quality of life for these patients. Researchers at the University of Arizona and three other universities around the world are...

Mammograms involve placing one breast at a time between two plates that compress and spread breast tissue, causing discomfort for many women. A newly developed robotic device has been designed to mimic manual breast palpations, enabling doctors to record accurate data about the underlying tissue....

By incorporating the right sensors and software, robots can be given the ability to identify different materials by touch. A specially designed robot even outperformed humans in identifying a wide range of natural materials according to their textures, in a recent study by research from the USC...

A team of Rice University students has designed a mousetrap-inspired device that could make IV-fluid delivery a "snap" in developing areas of the world. Treating dehydration among children is currently a challenge in these regions — children may be connected to adult-IV bags, and a tool like this device...

A powerful color-based imaging technique is making the jump from remote sensing to the operating room, with the efforts of scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A technique called hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has frequently been used in satellites...

Ear infections are the most common conditions that pediatricians treat. Studies have found that patients who suffer from chronic ear infections may have a film of bacteria or other microorganisms that builds up behind the eardrum; finding and monitoring these so-called biofilms are...

The development of body-powered prosthetic hands has stagnated over the past 20 years, concludes a recent study from the Netherlands. Researchers at TU Delft and the University of Groningen conducted a test comparing the results of contemporary body-powered prosthetic hands to earlier measurements...

Image-generating ability is not limited to people with working eyesight. With this phenomenon in mind, neuroscientists at the Texas Medical Center are researching a way to use the brain's image-generating ability to help some of the estimated 39 million people worldwide who are blind. The...

Cloud computing presents an array of potential uses in many engineering domains, including medical. Technology makes it possible to deliver disease screening to remote areas of the globe where conventional medical tools are unavailable — and now, that technology is taking advantage of the cloud, as...

Could the demise of the scalpel be close at hand? Researchers in Europe are developing innovative micro-robotics technology could make surgeries less complicated, invasive, and costly — benefiting surgeons and patients alike.

Migraine pain sits at the upper end of the typical pain scale – an angry-red section often labeled “severe.” At this intensity, pain is debilitating. Yet many sufferers do not get relief from – or cannot tolerate – over-the-counter and commonly prescribed pain medications. Recently, a team...

A team of Rice University students has developed a transcutaneous energy-transfer (TET) unit to power a minimally invasive ventricular assist device (VAD) being created by a Houston compay. The VAD is a tiny pump inserted into the aorta via a catheter that helps increase blood flow and...

Access to patient-specific information is key to delivering more personalized treatment. A team of biomedical engineers and hematologists at the University of Pennsylvania has conducted large-scale, patient-specific simulations of blood function under the flow conditions found in blood vessels,...