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Up to Blog Posts in Medical Device Design & Equipment Development

Medical Device Design & Equipment Development

5 Posts tagged with the embedded tag
Cabe Atwell
1

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Image that was controlled via Kinect during operation. (via Microsoft)

 

The Kinect imaging sensor has been used in some technically innovative projects such as Queen’s University’s 3D video conferencing system to Microsoft’s own augmented reality MirageTable. It’s even found its way into the medical field with a recent successful operation involving the repair of an aneurism at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in London.

 

Surgeons involved in complex operations occasionally need to refer to reference material to help them through certain procedures. This is typically done by using an assistant to bring up the materials on a laptop so the doctor can remain at the operating table without having to waste time re-scrubbing because of contamination. This is where a new 3D imaging system that was developed by Microsoft Research Cambridge with Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital can be invaluable as it was used for the first time by assistant surgeon Tom Carrell to perform heart surgery.

 

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Promotional image of the Kinect during surgery. (via Microsoft & St. Thomas' Hospital)

 

The system was used to compare a 3D model of an aorta with a live-feed 2D image of the patient's by using a fluoroscopic x-ray camera to help Carrell navigate through the delicate procedure. The 3D model could also be manipulated through a series of minimal gestures that include the ability to rotate the image using the palm of your hand and placing a marker simply by pointing and using a voice command. These simple gestures can be performed using only one hand leaving the other to continue the surgery while others, such as panning, rotating or zooming in/out need the use of both hands. Not only can the system be used in confined spaces commonly found in operating theaters, it also saves valuable time in eliminating the need to take a break to consult reference material.

 

Cabe

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53 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: medical, embedded, microsoft, industry, test, innovation, measurement, sensor, prototyping, research, automation, medtronic, hmi, mro, kinect, surgery, cabeatwell
Cabe Atwell
1

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(via The Institute for Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR))

 

Technology that helps robots navigate and interact with their environment may soon help blind people in much the same way. A new type of glasses that takes advantage of 3D navigation that some robots use are currently being designed by Edwige Pissaloux and his team from the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics located in France. The design uses a headset imaging system that takes 3D images and sends them to a handheld device that converts it to braille that the user can read which gives the blind a different way to see their environment. The headset consists of two cameras mounted on either side of the wearer which in tandem takes 3D images. A processor then analyzes the images and identifies various objects in the cameras field of view such as walls and other objects and builds a 3D map of the area. A series of accelerometers and gyroscopes monitors the user’s location and speed to determine the wearer’s relative position in relation to the 3D map. The compiled data is then sent to a tactile feedback display that produces a constant 3D map in braille form (at a rate of ten maps per-second) the gives the user a way of ‘seeing’ their environment in real-time.

 

The IISR team in France is also looking to combine their system with software being developed by engineers at the University of Nevada that was initially used to tell robots how far they have travelled based on its sensors (accelerometer/gyroscope). Their system uses smartphones internal sensors along with available 2D in-door maps and synthetic speech (SIRI?) to help the blind navigate. In order for the system to be effective, the phone must be calibrated to the users stride. This is done touching a series of stationary markers such as walls, hallway entrances and other obstacles. Both systems combined would greatly benefit the user’s ability to navigate just about anywhere in an urban environment. As to when this system/s will become readily available is anyone’s guess but then again ‘seeing is believing’.

 

It seems the scientific community is bent on technology returning sight to the blind. Read about more efforts in the area after this link.

 

Cabe

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235 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: design, medical, embedded, industry, test, innovation, sensor, prototyping, university, research, robot, medtronic, hmi, robotics, robots, technology_for_the_disabled, cabeatwell
Cabe Atwell
0

(repost)

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(Left) Concept of the system (Right) Drawing of the MEMS generator (Via Purdue University)

 

A new medical pressure sensitive implant, microelectromechanical system (MEMS), is out that uses sound as a power source. This MEMS device is a sensor that monitors the pressure of the urinary ladder and in the sack of blood vessel damages by an aneurism. Purdue University researches invented the MEMS to one day treat people with aneurism or incontinence due to paralysis patients.

 

The MEMS device uses a vibrating cantilever that is connected to the bottom of the heart by a thin. The cantilever vibrates when music is within the range of frequencies of 200-500 hertz. When the cantilever vibrates it generates electricity, and that charge is stored in a small onboard supercapacitor. When the frequency falls out of the useful range, the cantilever stops vibrating and will automatically send the electrical charge to the sensor. At the same time, the system will take the pressure readings and transmits the data wirelessly.

 

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MEMS generator (via Purdue University)

 

The cantilever beam is a ceramic based lead zirconate titante material, a piezoelectric (PZT)element. The sensor is about two centimeters long. Researcher even tested the device in a water-filled balloon to see if still worked, and the test was a success. To get this device powered you can use batteries or an external transmitter.

 

The four genres tested with the MEMS were rap, blues, jazz, and rock. Among the four genres of music tested, rap rise above all when being the most effective. "Rap is the best because it contains a lot of low frequency sound, notably the bass," Purdue professor Babak Ziaie said. In rap, the vulgar words and the deep bass are put together for the listener to understand the true power of the message, which does not give the rap genre the best reputation. Soon, doctors using the device will understand the true power of Tupac songs.

 

Cabe

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43 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: design, medical, embedded, communication, industry, test, innovation, measurement, sensor, prototyping, university, research, energy, hmi, mro, mems, alternative_energy, generator, medical_portable, on_campus, cabeatwell, implant
Cabe Atwell
0

DNA nanorobot from Wyss Institute on Vimeo

 

 

Star Trek's "Borg" use nano-probes for cell-repair and to fight unwanted intrusion inside their human/robot bodies. It sounds like an effective way of fighting damaged cells, but it is science fiction. However, this Star Treks technology may be brought into reality for fighting off diseased cells (cancer) with the help of DNA origami. Designed by Paul Rothemund at CIT (California Institute of Technology), DNA origami is the folding of a single DNA strand into various two and three dimensional shapes.

 

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Programmable DNA nanorobot concept model. (via Wyss Institute & Campbell Strong, Shawn Douglas, and Gaël McGill using Molecular Maya and cadnano)

 

These can be made into a different number of things such as miniature images or even a programmable robot. Harvard University's Wyss Institute researcher Shawn Douglas, and his team, have created a barrel-like nano-robot that can deliver a dose of medicine to diseased cells. The ‘barrel’ is held shut by two DNA ‘latches’ that only release and introduce the medicine when they encounter specific cell proteins found in cancer. The team has tested this application with both leukemia and lymphoma cells that were mixed in with non-diseased cells. The nano-robots were programmed to seek out and deliver their payload known to kill those disease cells respectively. After a three day test period, the robots effectively killed around half of the cancerous cells without harming the healthy ones. Think of it as a super-mechanical white blood cell that homes in on cells that are in distress and targets them for termination.

 

This method is by no means and end-all to the cancer problem as it is still in the development stage and has not been run through clinical trials. The team has encountered some challenges along the way as to programming, shape of the nano-robot, method of medicine delivery and a host of other problems. However, any hope for an effective treatment for battling cancer is excellent news and should be viewed as such.

 

Cabe

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43 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: design, medical, embedded, industry, test, innovation, measurement, sensor, prototyping, transportation, university, research, robot, hmi, robotics, technology_for_the_disabled, cabeatwell
Eavesdropper
0

 

The Department of Chemistry at Pennsylvania State University may have just built the future power plant for inner-human body robotics. At just 3.6 micrometers long, a rod consisting of copper (Cu) and Platinum (Pt) acts as both a battery and a motor. Researchers Dr. Ran Liu and Professor Ayusman Sen both believe this nanomotor-battery could be a different way to control drug administration.

 

The Cu-Pt rod, when placed in a solution of bromine or iodine (an oxidant), the Cu portion acts as an anode (with oxidizing) and the Pt part functions as a cathode. As the battery discharges, electrophoresis begins forcing the rod to move. In other words, the battery is short-circuited and the current produced is then changed to mechanical force.

 

The nanomotor effect continues until the Cu portion is completely oxidized. Adjusting the length of Cu changes how long or fast the rod moves. In the experiments, the movement lasted 40 seconds to 1 minute. Shorter lengths of Cu makes the motor move faster, but for a shorter time. The opposite is true for longer segments. By polishing one side of the Co end, the rod will act like a rotor. Making an asymmetrical end causes the rod to rotate up to speeds of 170 rpm (in bromine). 

 

The team's next step is to see if the battery/nanomotor can be recharged or reused. This is definitely smaller than the current alternative.

 

Eavesdropper

305 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: medical, embedded, innovation, university, robot, medtronic, robotics, on_campus, eavesdropper