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A team of researchers co-led by the University of Pennsylvania has developed and tested a high-resolution, ultra-thin device capable of recording brain activity from the cortical surface without having to use penetrating electrodes. The device could open the door to a new generation of...

Systems for monitoring vital signs while driving could help measure stress levels, among other health parameters — effectively "driving" the concept of multi-tasking to a new level. By integrating sensors into the steering wheel, scientists at TU Muenchen Chair of Micro Technology and Medical Device Technology (MiMed) have...

3D printers have the potential to quickly produce complex structures and materials — including bone scaffolds, if Washington State University scientists have their way. An interdisciplinary team of chemistry, materials science, biology, and manufacturing researchers produced a bone-like material using a 3D printer.

Swedish researchers at Chalmers University are developing new techniques of cancer diagnosis and treatment that utilize the power of microwaves. One method is an alternative to mammography. The other method aims to treat tumors by heating the cancer cells. Eventually, they hope to combine the two methods into one...

In yet another example of how medical technology designed for humans in space can also benefit humans on Earth, Radisens Diagnostics (Cork, Ireland) recently announced that it will be working with the European Space Agency to develop a blood testing device. According to the press release, the ESA contracted the...

In 2009, the first wireless pacemaker was implanted in a patient in the U.S., but there is still a lot of work that remains to be accomplished. About a year ago, Medtronic offered a sneak peek of a leadless pacemaker under development, and other medical device firms and startups have also announced similar...

Aneurysms can occur in any blood vessel in the body and usually cannot be detected unless there is a rupture or leakage. About 33,000 North Americans suffer a rupture every year, leading to stroke with up to a 60 percent fatality rate and permanent disability in about 50 percent of survivors. Now,...

A team of computer scientists, physicists, and physicians at Harvard have developed a simple yet powerful method of visualizing human arteries that may result in more accurate diagnoses of atherosclerosis and heart disease. The prototype tool, called “HemoVis,” creates a 2D diagram of...

The magnetic resonance imaging process usually requires patients to lie still in the machine for up to 45 minutes. Now, that scan time could be cut to just 15 minutes, with a newly developed algorithm from MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics.

A recent patient study from Cambridge Consultants indicates user experience and satisfaction are particularly important in the success of drug delivery and combination devices. Furthermore, investing time and effort into increasing the ease-of-use of these devices can pay off — 77% of patients...

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...

Researchers at Cornell are exploring the possibilities of a well-established imaging technology called multiphoton microscopy, as they work toward developing a next-generation endoscope that would minimize the need for biopsies altogether, and also allow doctors to examine surgical margins at high...

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and University of Colorado Boulder (CU) have developed a low-power microchip that uses a combination of microfluidics and magnetic switches to trap and transport magnetic beads. This chip may have applications in biotechnology and...

The concept of a "one size fits all" medical device sounds attractive in theory, but in practice, it isn't very likely that one device can be developed to meet every patient's unique needs. This is particularly true when it comes to pediatric devices, which may not receive as much attention or funding as...

A team of researchers from the University of California, Davis has transformed everyday iPhones into medical-quality imaging and chemical detection devices. Though they are not the first to tweak the smartphone in this way, this represents a simpler and more affordable method. Using materials...

The same piezoelectric effect that ignites a gas grill could one day power sensors in the body via human respiration. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a piezoelectric polymer, to develop a host of biomedical devices that could monitor blood...

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...

The list of potential applications for ultrasound is impressive, ranging from non-invasive surgery, to pain therapy, to Alzheimer's treatment. Most recently, doctors in Glasgow, Scotland — the city in which ultrasound was pioneered as a diagnostic tool in the 1950s — started using the technology to...

In the months after a heart attack, certain patients are particularly vulnerable to sudden death due to irregular heart rhythms. The problem is not a shortage of information about those heart rhythms, but rather, that doctors need a better way to sift through the patterns to detect danger signals....

Researchers at Tel Aviv University were recently able to implant a robotic cerebellum into the skull of a brain-damaged rodent — and effectively restore its capacity for movement. Could robotic cerebellums benefit humans with motor control disorders, too? That's the plan, researchers say.

Is it possible that in vitro models will someday become so sophisticated and thorough that they are able to predict biocompatibility as well as an in vivo model — saving time and money (not to mention providing some relief to our furry friends)? Dr. Joel Gorski, Director of Research and Development for North...

Lasers are already very important tools in patient diagnostics, and it's highly likely that their usefulness in medical applications will only continue to grow over time. Recent findings suggest that they also hold the potential to advance neuron regeneration for the treatment of diseases such as...

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...

According to an interview published in MIT Sloan Management Review, innovation expert Eric von Hippel argues that product innovation comes, fundamentally, from users who improvise and improve upon existing products — not companies that manufacture those technologies. It may be the case...

Universities are a breeding ground for innovation, but in order for those innovations to benefit the public, they must progress beyond the theoretical or prototype level — which requires adequate funding. A promising development was recently announced in California: Five teams of scientists from the...

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...

Tufts University chemists have announced the development of the world's first single-molecule electric motor — a mind-boggling concept in and of itself, but even more so when you take a look at the hard numbers. The new motor measures a mere 1 nanometer across — 200X smaller than the current world record...