Withings announced the launch of two new blood pressure monitors, the BPM Core and the BPM Connect.

The BPM Connect, available now at Apple retail stores and through the Apple online store, is an updated version of the classic Withings blood pressure monitor. It’s designed to make it simple to take and view cardiovascular readings at home and share them with medical professionals when necessary.

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Withings BPM Core is the first over-the-counter device able to measure blood pressure, record an electrocardiogram (ECG) and listen to the heart via a digital stethoscope in one device, enabling users to detect serious conditions such as atrial fibrillation or valvular heart disease. It features an LED display and advanced syncing options to make it easy to take, view, and share cardiovascular readings.

Both devices allow users to share their readings and recordings with a providers through the app, and will integrate with Apple’s personal health record system, reports MobiHealthNews.

“We are excited to be introducing BPM Core and BPM Connect, as both medical devices go way beyond simply providing people with easy access to their personal blood pressure information,” Eric Carreel, president of Withings, said in a statement. “BPM Core is by far the most sophisticated and wide-ranging at-home cardiovascular monitor yet that gives people and their physicians a detailed look at their daily heart health from the comfort of their home. On the other hand, our new BPM Connect was specifically designed to offer people that want a simple way to monitor their general heart health a user-friendly and convenient solution they can use without the need of a phone and even while on-the-go.”

Related The Improved Withings Sleep Now Offers Sleep Apnea Tracking

BPM Core is priced at US $280 (€249.99) and can be purchased exclusively from Apple Stores (or the online store) in Europe, as well as through the Withings website in Europe. It will come to the U.S. later this year.

Withings BPM Connect, the new blood pressure monitor is now available in the United States. It can be purchased from Apple, Amazon, or Withings for $99.95.

Medical device recalls aren’t very uncommon, and the consequences can be severe. According to the FDA, there have been more than 25 medical device recalls so far this year.

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Boston-based startup Soom has now launched SoomSafety, an iOS mobile app that provides patients, nurses, and caregivers medical device recall information directly from the device manufacturer and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Soom is a pioneer in using barcode and knowledge graph technologies to bridge information gaps between data sources and physical products.

“We built SoomSafety to help patients and caregivers relying on implanted medical devices and using medical devices at home answer one critical question, ‘Is this medical device safe to use?’” said Charlie Kim, President and CEO of Soom. “Our technology makes it possible to connect previously siloed medical device data, giving patients—and their caregivers—more proactive control over their health and safety.”

According to Kim, many patients are never informed of device recalls due to incomplete information in the medical device supply chain. Soom is empowering patients and caregivers to proactively manage their medical devices for improved patient outcomes and peace of mind, the company said in a press release.

SoomSafety is the first app to utilize openFDA, open-source databases that enable developers to quickly and easily use FDA data in applications.

SoomSafety users scan the barcode on a medical device, such as an insulin pump, nebulizer or apnea monitor, to automatically identify the device and store it in the app. The app also identifies and stores implanted medical devices like artificial joints, pacemakers and heart valves by scanning the barcode on a patient’s medical device identification card. If a user’s product has been recalled the system is able to give them resources on what to do next.

Read more Cellnovo Launches New Mobile App that Connects Directly to CGM Data via HealthKit

The idea for SoomSafety was prompted by Kim’s personal experience with a medical device recall that threatened the life of his youngest daughter.

“I’ve experienced first-hand what it feels like to wonder if a medical device that your loved one uses—relies on—is safe,” said Kim. “It’s a feeling that no patient, parent or caregiver should have to endure. That’s why at Soom we’re dedicated to finding new ways to use technology to ensure clarity and confidence in the medical devices we use.”

SoomSafety is available now for free in the Apple App Store.

Mendix, a Boston-based low-code software platform, has been placed as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multiexperience Development Platforms. In addition, Mendix is one of two vendors positioned furthest for completeness of vision. The company was founded in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2005 and moved its headquarters to the United States in early 2012.

Read more How to Build Magical Devices With Effective Hardware-Software Integration

The new Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multiexperience Development Platforms supersedes Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Mobile Application Development Platforms.

“This is the first Magic Quadrant for multiexperience development platforms (MXDPs), its predecessors having been Magic Quadrants for mobile app development platforms (MADPs). The change of name reflects the evolution of MADPs to serve expanding app use cases and development requirements. These requirements go beyond mobile apps to enable development of progressive web apps (PWAs), conversational apps (voice assistants and chatbots), immersive apps and wearable apps,” the company said in a report.

The Mendix application platform is based on visual, model-driven software development. It is the only low-code platform that offers true native mobile application development. Built on the React Native open source framework, Mendix enables mobile developers to deliver the genuine native experience users expect, leveraging the full interface capabilities of mobile devices including Touch ID, Bluetooth, pull to refresh, infinite swipe, the camera, geolocation, and others.

Additionally, Mendix supports the latest multiexperience interaction capabilities such as conversational UIs including Siri and Alexa, chatbots, augmented reality, and real-time access to SAP Leonardo, IBM Watson, and other cognitive AI cloud services.

“With Mendix, developers can deliver exceptional experiences that delight their users and create powerful competitive differentiation for their brands,” said Johan den Haan, chief technology officer for Mendix. “But it takes the right architecture, the right design thinking, and intense collaboration between business and technology experts to create meaningful experiences to deliver the value these enhanced interaction schemes promise.”

Read more Upskill’s AR Software Helping Big Companies Reduce Cost and Improve Quality and Productivity

Mendix’s cloud-native, microservices-based architecture enables developers to create an expanding set of experiences tailored for each point of interaction and persona, without having to recreate the underlying business logic, data, and integrations. These personalized and often contextualized experiences are increasingly expected by users as they are exposed to new interaction schemes that are more capable, user-friendly, and relevant.

American health care company Abbott, who was sharing exciting insights about their work in diabetes at the recently concluded WT | Wearable Technologies Conference 2019 USA in San Francisco, is planning to significantly ramp up manufacturing for its lower-cost continuous glucose monitor (CGM), the FreeStyle Libre. Abbott had a major sales bump in the second quarter of 2019. The company now plans to hike production of the CGM by three to five times in the next few years, aiming to reach millions more patients worldwide, the company told Reuters.

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“When you’re making disposable diagnostic products, the more you can make, the lower the cost you can produce them at,” Jared Watkin, Abbott’s senior vice president for Diabetes Care, said in an interview.

Earlier this year the NHS announced detailed plans for increased FreeStyle Libre access in the UK, so that the device will be available for one in five people with type 1 diabetes.

FreeStyle Libre has been receiving acclaim for its positive impact on people with type 1 diabetes since it was made available in Europe in 2014. A UK study this year revealed the device reduced incidences of low blood glucose in roughly 80% of people with type 1 diabetes.

“The need to invest and bring up capacity is, we believe, going to be an ongoing activity for us,” Mr. Watkin said.

Abbott CEO and Chairman Miles White said that the system is becoming increasingly adopted by payers due to its relatively low cost and impact on health outcomes.

“We also continued to make excellent progress in the US, where Libre is now reimbursed for approximately 75% of people with private pharmacy benefit insurance,” Mr. White said during an investor’s call, reports MobiHealthNews. “Libre offers a unique value proposition, and that’s by design — it provides great clinical benefits, and we priced it to ensure affordability. Payers recognize that value and are increasingly providing reimbursement coverage for Libre, which helps lower out-of-pocket costs for patients.”

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Robert Ford, president and COO of Abbott, also commented during the call, saying:

“The standards and special controls for the ICGM, they’re very clear and they’re very transparent as it relates to accuracy thresholds, alarms, sensor shutoffs, etc. And we wouldn’t have filed an ICGM if we felt that we were going to fall short of those special controls. In fact, we were encouraged by the agency to file as an ICGM. We’re not going to speculate on an exact date here, but we expect it relatively soon.”

Biofourmis, a global leader in digital therapeutics, has entered a research partnership with Yale University-Mayo Clinic Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI). The study, which involves patients with heart failure, will leverage Biofourmis’ mobile platform BiovitalsHFTM to see if greater emphasis should be placed on functional capacity and quality of life of these individuals during drug approval process.

The Yale-Mayo CERSI is a joint effort between Yale University, Mayo Clinic and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). CERSIs are collaborations between FDA and academic institutions to advance regulatory science through innovative research, training and scientific exchanges, Biofourmis said in a press release.

“This joint project has the potential to advance the science of clinical trial design,” said Kuldeep Singh Rajput, CEO of Biofourmis. “Ultimately, this study could open the door for regulatory agencies to consider including patient-centric endpoints in the drug approval process—which could potentially speed the regulatory approval process.

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In the United States, 6.5 million people are afflicted by heart failure, and globally, this number is 26 million. FDA recognizes in its recent draft guidance, Treatment for Heart Failure: Endpoints for Drug Development Guidance for Industry, that an effect on symptoms or physical function, without a favorable effect on survival or risk of hospitalization, can be a basis for approving drugs to treat heart failure.

How BiovitalsHFTM Will Be Used in This Study

Starting in August 2019, Biofourmis and Yale-Mayo CERSI will conduct a multicenter study on recently discharged patients with heart failure. The patients will be screened and then monitored at home for 60 days.

To monitor the patients, researchers will use Biofourmis’ BiovitalsHFTM – a sensor-agnostic mobile health platform compatible with leading clinically validated, FDA cleared, and medical CE-marked wearable biosensors. The platform captures raw biosensor data and uses advanced machine learning to derive dozens of physiology biomarkers and is able to detect heart failure decompensation using multi-variate physiology analytics, weeks in advance.

In this study, BiovitalsHFTM will be used to capture multiple physiology biomarkers and physical activity continuously in real-world settings, using two wearable biosensors: a medical-grade device called Everion® and the consumer wearable smartwatch Apple Watch Series 4. Apart from using the BiovitalsHFTM patient-facing companion app for syncing physiology data from sensors, it will be used to capture electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) such as medication adherence, symptoms, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) responses, and the guided mobile-based 2-minute-step-test.

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“Biofourmis is a leader in the emerging field of digital therapeutics, and we are thrilled to be partnering with them on this important study,” said Nilay Shah, PhD, Principal Investigator at the Yale University-Mayo Clinic CERSI. “This study will not only advance science, but will also provide insights to the FDA on how these measures can be used as alternative trial endpoints.”

A clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Neurolief’s Relivion™ showed the wearable migraine treating headband provides significant pain reduction.

“The results of this study are promising for those seeking a non-invasive, drug-free therapy for migraine, with treated subjects receiving significant pain reduction,” said Stewart J. Tepper MD, professor of Neurology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, who will present the results at AHS. “The Relivion is a comfortable, non-invasive wearable therapy that can be self-administered. More importantly, it comes without side effects or contra-indications associated with medication, targets the major neural pathways responsible for migraine pain, and can learn to deliver personalized treatment to individuals to better treat acute migraine attacks.”

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The prospective, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, sham controlled clinical investigation was used to secure CE Mark for the device. It evaluated the clinical performance and safety of self-administered treatment for migraine using combined occipital and trigeminal neuromodulation (Neurolief Relivion).

The Study

A total of 55 migraine sufferers were recruited for the study. They were divided into two groups: One group received neuromodulation by way of electrical stimulation and a control group received sham neuromodulation. The sham group received electrical stimulation that feels similar to the actual treatment but is inadequate to produce a clinically meaningful effect, reports Business Wire.

Results

Two hours after initiation of treatment, 76% of the participants in the neuromodulation group experienced headache relief compared to only 31% in the control group. Additionally, 43% of treated subjects who experienced a severe or moderate level of pain before treatment reported being pain-free two hours after initiation of treatment, compared to less than 11% of subjects in the control group. No subjects reported any serious adverse events during the study.

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“We are encouraged that the results of this study suggest that the Relivion, and particularly its digital therapeutics ecosystem that adapts and personalizes treatment for each patient, will soon become a disruptive neurological therapy,” said Shmuel Shany, co-founder and CEO, Neurolief. “We know that migraine sufferers are looking for a smart, non-invasive, drug-free way to better treat their migraine attacks, so they can get back to their lives and be productive more quickly.”

This clinical data will be unveiled at the American Headache Society (AHS) 2019 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this week.

About Relivion

Relivion is comprised of a comfortable and adjustable electronic headset that provides precise modulated pulses simultaneously to six branches of the occipital and trigeminal nerves via several adaptive output channels around the patient’s head. The occipital and trigeminal nerves then conduct the stimulation directly to the brainstem (Trigemino-Cervical Complex –TCC). Prior and existing non-invasive neuromodulation devices for treatment of migraine stimulate only the trigeminal nerve, treating only part of the brain that triggers migraine. In contrast, the Relivion also modulates the occipital nerves, where the majority of migraines originate. In addition, the sophisticated cloud-enabled system connects to a proprietary mobile phone app that learns over time and in the future will deliver optimized personalized treatment for each patient.

Researchers in Singapore have devised a completely new way for wearable devices to interconnect. Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) incorporated conductive textiles into clothing to dynamically connect several wearable devices at once. This ‘wireless body sensor network’ allows devices to transmit data with 1,000 times stronger signal than conventional technologies, meaning the battery life of all devices is dramatically improved. This technology has potential applications in health monitoring, medical interventions and human–machine interfaces.

This breakthrough research was published in the journal Nature Electronics.

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Most of the currently available wearable devices such as smartwatches use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to connect to smartphones. However, these waves radiate outwards in all directions, losing most of the energy to the surrounding area. This method of connectivity drastically reduces the efficiency of the wearable technology as most of its battery life is consumed in attempting the connection, reports NUS.

So, Assistant Professor John Ho and his team from the Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (NUS iHealthtech) and NUS Engineering wanted to confine the signals between the sensors closer to the body to improve efficiency.

They enhanced regular clothing with conductive textiles known as metamaterials. Rather than sending waves into surrounding space, these metamaterials are able to create surface waves which can glide wirelessly around the body on the clothes. This means that the energy of the signal between devices is held close to the body rather than spread in all directions. Hence, the wearable electronics use much less power than normal, and the devices can detect much weaker signals.

“This innovation allows for the perfect transmission of data between devices at power levels that are 1,000 times reduced. Or, alternatively, these metamaterial textiles could boost the received signal by 1,000 times which could give you dramatically higher data rates for the same power,” Asst Prof Ho stated. In fact, the signal between devices is so strong that it is possible to wirelessly transmit power from a smartphone to the device itself — opening the door for battery-free wearable devices.

What’s more important is this signal boost does not require any changes to either the smartphone or the Bluetooth device – the metamaterial works with any existing wireless device in the designed frequency band.

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This method also provides more privacy than conventional methods. Currently, radio-waves transmit signals several meters outwards from the person wearing the device, meaning that personal and sensitive information could be vulnerable to potential eavesdroppers. By confining the wireless communication signal to within 10 centimeters of the body, Asst Prof Ho and his team have created a network which is more secure.

The team is talking to potential partners to commercialize this technology.

“We envision that endowing athletic wear, medical clothing and other apparel with such advanced electromagnetic capabilities can enhance our ability to perceive and interact with the world around us,” Asst Prof Ho said.

Neurolief, a Netanya, Israel based startup that develops digital therapeutics brain neuromodulation technology, received CE mark for its Relivion™ non-invasive, adaptive digital treatment for migraine. The company can now sell and distribute the Relivion device as an over-the-counter therapy within the European Union.

Related Theranica’s Nerivio Migra Wearable Gets FDA De Novo for Migraine Treatment

The Relivion is the first non-invasive, adaptive multi-channel brain neuromodulation technology that offers a highly effective therapy, without any side effect related to medications. Previously, this form of therapy was only possible with implanted devices, reports Business Wire.

The Relivion system is simple and safe for patients to self-administer at home at a fraction of the cost of surgical implants.

The system is comprised of an adjustable headset that provides precise modulated pulses simultaneously to six branches of the occipital and trigeminal nerves via several adaptive output channels around the patient’s head. The sophisticated cloud-enabled device connects to a proprietary mobile phone app and learns over time to deliver personalized treatment for each patient.

“I believe that the Relivion device from Neurolief has great potential to improve acute migraine therapy,” said Alan Rapoport, M.D., clinical professor of neurology at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (Los Angeles), past president of the International Headache Society (IHS), and the founder and director-emeritus of The New England Center for Headache, in Stamford, Conn. “Not only is it designed to stimulate both the trigeminal and occipital nerves simultaneously to help alleviate migraine without having to worry about side effects from medications, but it does so via a comfortable headset that is different from anything available today. These attributes combine to offer a therapy that migraine sufferers can feel good about using – and in turn receive consistent treatment to help them live a more disability-free, productive, fulfilling life.”

Related 4 Wearables to Fight Migraine

Amit Dar, Neurolief’s co-founder and chief technology officer, added:

“Future generations of Neurolief’s innovative technology will include embedded AI and machine learning algorithms, which will provide powerful capabilities to analyze the data collected from each user and from multiple users along with accurate migraine prediction. This will integrate in a seamless fashion to enable updates of the closed-loop personalized brain neuromodulation treatment that improves over time, providing a tailored, precise treatment for each patient. Furthermore, Neurolief is advancing toward implementation of its groundbreaking technology for additional neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders with great unmet need such as major depression.”

Drinking red wine is not only good for heart, it may help build next generation wearables that monitor your heart.

A team of scientists from the University of Manchester are using tannic acid from red wine, coffee or black tea to develop more flexible and durable wearable devices. Their research was published in the journal Small.

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By improving the durability of flexible sensors, the team has already developed wearables such as capacitive breath sensors and artificial hands for extreme conditions.

The addition of tannins improved mechanical properties of materials such as cotton to develop wearable sensors for rehabilitation monitoring, drastically increasing the devices lifespan, reports Phys.org.

Dr. Xuqing Liu who led the research team said: “We are using this method to develop new flexible, breathable, wearable devices. The main research objective of our group is to develop comfortable wearable devices for flexible human-machine interface.”

“Traditional conductive material suffers from weak bonding to the fibers which can result in low conductivity. When red wine, or coffee, or black tea, is sprinkled on dress, it will be difficult to get rid of these stains. The main reason is that they all contain tannic acid, which can firmly adsorb the material on the surface of the fiber. This good adhesion is exactly what we need for durable wearable, conductive devices.”

Repeated bending and folding can interrupt the conductivity of wearable devices due to tiny micro cracks.

This new research showed that without the layer of tannic acid, the conductivity is several hundred times, or even thousands of times, less than traditional conductive material samples as the conductive coating becomes easily detached from the textile surface through repeated bending and flexing.

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The researchers used commercially available tannins, and also tried immersing the fabric directly in red wine, black tea and black coffee solutions where they saw the same results.

This new technology can reduce the price of wearables and also improve their comfortability and robustness.

Developers can utilize this improved conductivity to use more comfortable fabrics, such as cotton, to replace nylon, which is stiff and uncomfortable. This technology can also be used to make flexible printed circuit boards by printing circuits directly on to the surface of clothing.

Caretaker Medical, a Charlottesville, Virginia based wireless medical device company that develops innovative, wireless patient monitoring solutions, announced the addition of wireless ETCO2 (End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide) monitoring to its Caretaker® Finger-Cuff Patient Monitoring Platform that continuously and non-invasively monitors blood pressure and vital signs. The new feature has been integrated using the CMI Health PC900B handheld capnograph and oximeter.

Read more Current Health’s AI-Powered Remote Patient Monitoring Device Gets FDA Clearance

Using the combined Caretaker & ETCO2 solution, clinicians can monitor critical elements of patients’ respiratory status not previously possible in a wireless handheld device with remote data display and reporting. The solution displays the capnograph waveform and numeric ETCO2, FiCO2 (fractional inspired carbon dioxide), respiratory rate, and pulse oximetry on the remote Caretaker tablet App, the company said in a press release.

ETCO2 monitoring offers a breath-to-breath picture and continuous recording of ventilatory effort, endotracheal tube placement and respiratory status. The sidestream nasal cannula fits comfortably on the patient and samples expired carbon dioxide during exhalation, continuously streaming data from the PC900B to the Caretaker display platform.

ETCO2 monitoring is important for monitoring the respiratory status of patients during sedation procedures, including surgery, dental sedation, ambulatory and outpatient procedures, and emergency care.

“In surgical procedures requiring sedation or general anesthesia, it is critical to continuously monitor the patient’s respiratory status. Monitoring End-tidal carbon dioxide provides that ability. I am pleased to see Caretaker has added EtCO2 to their platform of available sensors,” said Dr. Gary H. Chan, DDS, FADSA, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon and Dental Anesthesiologist.

Read more UbiHealth Launches Remote Patient Monitoring Solution

Jeff Pompeo, Caretaker Medical’s President & CEO said:

“We continue our commitment to expanding the Caretaker wireless patient monitoring platform with additional parameters. By adding CMI Health’s ETCO2 to our existing CNIBP and Vital Signs parameters, we answered the call of clinicians who asked for wire-free monitoring of this critical respiratory parameter during sedation procedures.”

Doki Technologies, a Hong Kong-based technology company that develops innovative IoT devices for children, rolled out DokiPal, a 4G LTE enabled smartwatch for kids, with features like an AI voice assistant, video calling and location tracking.

Read more Children are Becoming Major Driving Force Behind the Wearable Market Growth in China

The watch, which retails for $179, is water resistant and includes a fitness tracking leaderboard. The watch is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 2100 chipset. Key features include video calling, location‐tracking, SOS, fitness tracking leaderboard, and an integrated AI voice assistant. This is the latest in a collection of kids’ smartwatches developed by Doki Technologies, and will serve as the essential wearable device for kids ages 5 and up.

The watch’s battery lasts up to 48 hours under normal usage, and has a standby time of 72 hours, according to Doki Technologies, reports CNet.

DokiPal’s activity tracker records steps, calories and distance. The built-in Doki App allows kids to compete with friends and earn badges, and the user’s steps are compared with those of kids from around the world in the leaderboard.

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A nano SIM card with cellular data service is required to activate dokiPal.

Parents can download the all‐new companion Doki App with a revamped user interface and updated features, available for both iOS and Android phones. The app allows parents to communicate with, track, and monitor settings of their child’s dokiPal with ease, such as presetting the watch’s contact list.

dokiPal comes in two vibrant colors: Wave Blue and Plush Pink. The watch screen is made with gorilla glass, ensuring durability even with the most active of kids. dokiPal features a 1.4‐inch TFT color display with touch‐panel.

Here are all the features:

• 4G LTE connectivity
• IP68 water‐resistance
• AI Voice Assistant (powered by Kidsense)
• Optimized location tracking
• Fitness tracking leaderboard
• Smart scheduler
• Photo editor

A good lighting is critical to the safety and efficiency of a surgery, specifically in lateral, minimally invasive and deep cavity cases.

Researchers from Texas A&M University have developed a new wireless device that allows for direct illumination during surgeries. This device can improve surgical illumination, make many existing procedures easier to perform, and potentially reduce complication rates.

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Sung Il Park, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, helped develop the device, which consists of a light within a surgical patty. Patty is a pad used during operations to protect tissues and manage fluid. The patty design allows for illumination in the exact spot where the surgeon is working, reports Texas A&M Today.

Park’s invention combats the absence efficacy of most surgical lighting devices that can’t provide high-light intensity in a specific area, leaving surgical procedures vulnerable to low-light conditions and creating the potential for complications. Not only does the new device illuminate the surgical field, it also absorbs biofluids or blood in a surgical spot.

“The lighted surgical patty is a multilayer patty, wherein one of the layers includes a lighting apparatus,” Park said. “Two outer layers of the lighted surgical patty include nonabsorptive fibers woven near their borders to form a uniform surface that sandwiches together a center lighted layer. The center lighted layer has an LED light encapsulated in a biocompatible layer. The center lighted layer may also contain a number of LED lights arranged in various formations so as to provide a unique lighted environment for various surgical settings.”

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For this project, Park is working closely with Clinton Morgan, neurosurgery resident. He said the device could eliminate the need for extra surgical patties and lighting devices, and could ultimately reduce surgery time and costs.

“We filed an international patent in 2017,” Park said. “Kogent Inc., one of the biggest surgical tool companies, agreed on the license and is looking into a path to commercialization. Hopefully, we can see the light apparatus being used for surgeries by next year.”

We all face hardships at one time or another. But for people with disabilities, barriers can be more frequent and have greater impact. Aside from a physical environment that is not accessible, disabled people experience a lack of relevant assistive technology such as assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices. A University of Sydney researcher is now developing wearable technology that people with disabilities can use to control devices, receive information and even register sensation.

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Anusha Withana from the University’s School of Computer Science, along with colleagues, is developing a super-thin, hyper-flexible sticky tape that can have electronic circuits printed onto it. Once applied, people could use it to control devices, receive information and importantly, register sensations through mobile phone-like vibrations. This could have benefits in robotics, education, game-playing and for people with disabilities, reports The University of Sydney.

Withana’s device, dubbed Tacttoo, is a printable electronic fake tattoo that can be personalized to specific needs. The Tacttoo is screen-printed with a circuit made from polymer-based conductive inks which can stretch and move with the skin, while all connections between the skin and the electronics are printed in skin-safe silver ink.

The sticky tape is only half the thickness of a human hair, making it the thinnest wearable tactile device to date. They are very cheap too. If mass-produced, it would cost less than 1 cent each.

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“We want people to be able to wear it today and remove it tomorrow – and we want people to be able to create it themselves,” Withana says. “A broader user goal is to allow people with vision impairment to explore graphical information and more fully comprehend objects in museums and parks. This is something we’re looking at with a team from Monash University.”

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Autodesk, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, and many more.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have created a tiny robot that mimics the jellyfish, plopping up and down within a liquid medium. This research holds great potential when investigating the impact of environmental changes in the ocean’s ecosystem. Another aim is for Jellyfishbot to be applied in the treatment of cancer.

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“The idea behind this project was twofold,” says one of the researchers Dr. Metin Sitti, Director at the MPI-IS and head of the Physical Intelligence Department.

“We learn and take inspiration from a range of biological systems to create tiny bio-inspired robots. We use them to study and better understand biological systems. But more importantly, such newly created robots could perhaps one day solve the critical scientific and technological challenges we face in healthcare and environment, helping to improve the welfare of our society.”

The scientists named their invention “Jellyfishbot”. The untethered robot features an umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tentacles, just like its natural model, reports Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems.

As Jellyfish are one of the most common species in the ocean ecosystem, and are a key component in the food chain, their population greatly depends on their survival during their early life-cycle. Therefore, the scientists decided to investigate the ephyra jellyfish – the juvenile of this species – and studied its swimming, predation, and bio-mixing behavior.

They discovered that the jellyfish uses a paddling motion to propel itself forward. When swimming, it actively creates a fluidic flow around its soft body. It does so to catch prey by pulling and trapping small organisms under its umbrella while moving about.

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These jellyfishbots could also be used to deliver drugs inside human body. “A possible application scenario is to control the robot to swim inside the bladder under the guidance of ultrasound imaging, and to patch to a target, such as cancerous tissue, to release the cancer drug for a long time in controlled dose,” says Xiaoguang Dong, a Ph.D. student in the Physical Intelligence Department. “This could have a huge impact for patients. It could reduce the discomforts brought by conventional treatment procedures and increase the treatment efficiency.”

EVER Pharma, an Austria-based pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development, and commercialization of products in the areas of neurology, critical care, anesthesia and oncology, launched D-mine® Pump for people with Parkinson’s disease. The D-mine Pump, which recently received European CE approval, is specifically designed to provide precise continuous subcutaneous drug delivery for Parkinson´s patients in a compact, simple to use and patient friendly package.

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“CE approval of the D-mine Pump and the launch, is an important milestone for our product portfolio in Parkinson´s disease. EVER Pharma is now able to deliver an enhanced and comprehensive package of care with its Parkinson´s disease medication Apomorphine and its own Medical Devices,” explains Dominic Benning, Head of Dopaminergic Therapy at EVER Pharma GmbH.

Primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are shaking, tremor, slowed movement and rigid muscles. Hence, these patients often have great difficulty controlling anything that requires delicate handling. The D-mine Pump has only a few, easily pushed buttons, and an easy to read display, reports MedGadget.

While developing the D-mine Pump, EVER Pharma’s primary goals were ease of handling, safety and intuitive use. Leveraging special micro-rotary pump technology, minimal buttons and a bespoke menu screen interface, the device is conveniently compact and easy to use. It also features automatic drug filling, multiple languages, data storage, and does not require complex flow rate calculations.

Related Flytta Smartwatch: A New Approach to Parkinson’s Care

“With the development of the EVER Pharma D-mine Pump for Parkinson’s therapy, we have realized a very ambitious project with challenging requirements. This considerable investment in this product is a clear statement of the spirit of EVER Pharma to put focus on patients’ needs and support with customized solutions. EVER Pharma delivers a complete package with its Parkinson´s disease portfolio, from medication to means of administration with innovative Medical Devices,” explains Georges Kahwati, General Manager at EVER Pharma GmbH.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Autodesk, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Multek, a Guangdong, China-based technology company is one of the companies exhibiting at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco. The company will showcase its printed circuit board technologies at the event.

Multek offers a range of PCB engineering and manufacturing expertise for the medical device and wearables industries. Its capabilities include high density interconnect, rigid, flexible and rigid-flex printed circuit and assembly solutions.

Related Body- Hugging Elastic Printed Circuit Board Allows Measurement of Heart and Lung Function Directly on the Skin

Leadership in complex multi-layer PCB processing has been a core Multek competency for over fifteen years. The company invests continuously in innovation, capital equipment, and engineering expertise to enhance its technology capacity and capability, from early prototypes and New Product Introduction (NPI) to mass production scale.

Multek’s rigid PCB mass production capabilities include: stacked, blind and buried microvia technologies applied in High Density Interconnect (HDI), and high layer count, using high-speed/low-loss capability materials for increasing product and sub-system requirements that span across all major consumer, telecom, commercial, and industrial market segments, according to the company.

Multek’s product solution encompasses Wearables, Telecommunication, Computing, Mobile, Consumer electronics, Energy, Healthcare, Automotive, Aerospace-Defense, and more.

Telecommunications, networking, and data communications equipment makers are constantly under pressure to constantly innovate, lower costs, and improve speed-to-market. Multek helps you achieve these goals through low-cost, high-volume manufacturing capabilities that can support even the most complex 4G, 5G, optical, thermal management, exotic high-speed materials, and signal integrity requirements.

Related OKI’s New Stretchable FPC Offers Flexibility, Mountability and Elasticity

High-reliability is a top priority in the Medical field. Multek provides the best printed circuit boards (PCBs) and flexible circuits for a complete range of products, from simple consumer disposables, to high-end lab or hospital equipment, and new areas like wearables.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Autodesk, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

A new report by Research And Markets suggests E Ink should invest in R&D to retain market dominance. The report detailed separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the rest of the world.

The report titled “e-Paper Display: Global Market Analysis, Trends, and Forecasts” also provides estimates and forecasts for the period 2016 through 2024. Also, a five-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research.

Read more Toppan Printing’s Electronic Paper Display Is Powered by Energy Harvesting Technology

The report analyzes the use of e-Paper display in e-Readers, Signage/Poster devices, Mobile phones and others.

The report discusses in detail about Select e-Readers Available in the Market, Key Trends in the E-readers Market, Growing Preference for Linux-based E-Readers, Audiobooks on e-Readers, e-Readers in full color, Shift towards a larger screen size, Wearable technology, Smart cards, Price labels, digital signage, e-paper displays in unusual places, and more.

Some of the 31 companies profiled in the report are:

• BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Display Innovations (UK)
• Displaydata Ltd. (UK)
• E Ink Holdings, Inc. (Taiwan)
• Kent Displays, Inc. (USA)
• LANCOM Systems GmbH (Germany)
• Liquavista B.V. (The Netherlands)
• Opalux
• Pervasive Displays, Inc. (Taiwan)
• Plastic Logic Germany
• Plastic Logic Germany (Germany)
• Visionox
• Xerox Corp. (USA)
• Zikon, Inc. (USA)

More information about this report can be found at: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9hh6j2

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Autodesk, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have truly revolutionized nucleic acid analysis. While Illumina leads this booming decade-old sequencing market, others in this field are Oxford Nanopore, Ion Torrent, Qiagen, BGI, and Pacific Biosciences.

Read more New CRISPR-Chip Detects Genetic Mutations in Minutes

DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. The advent of rapid DNA sequencing methods has greatly accelerated biological and medical research and discovery. The rapid speed of sequencing attained with modern DNA sequencing technology has been instrumental in the sequencing of complete DNA sequences, or genomes, of numerous types and species of life, including the human genome and other complete DNA sequences of many animal, plant, and microbial species.

Illumina’s sequencing technology is by far the most widely used because it is suited for many applications, and the company has developed dedicated instruments for different uses (i.e. low/medium/high-throughput sequencing), reports MicroNews.

Illumina’s research field include Cancer, Microbiology, Agrigenomics, Complex disease, Cellular and molecular biology, Reproductive health and Genetic health.

The human body contains trillions of cells that belong not to us, but to microbes. The next generation sequencing is revealing the mysterious world of these microbes. Researchers are now discovering that these microbes play a critical role in human health and disease. However, microbes dwell not only in our body but in our homes, oceans and soil. With the aid of next-generation sequencing (NGS), scientists are now rigorously investigating this immense, microscopic universe. Using NGS, researchers are investigating the genomes of microbes to improve our understanding of human health, disease, and microbial evolution.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Autodesk, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

More than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One of the most worrying side effects of this disease is the risk of the development and spread of ulcers and infections on patients’ feet. In the US each year, around 70,000 people lose their legs because of diabetic foot amputation.

Related Exeter Researchers Develop Self-Powered Graphene-Based Wearable Sensors for Monitoring Vital Signs

Linh Le, Founder and CEO of Bonbouton began tackling the problem of undetected diabetic foot issues using his background in chemical engineering. Bonbouton is a NYC-based technology platform for preventative diabetic health care. Le has an MS in chemical engineering from Columbia University and a PhD from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Previous research has shown that skin temperature monitoring reduces the risk of developing diabetic ulcers in high-risk patients. Skin infrared thermometers and scales with temperature sensing elements are available in the market, but they’re impractical methods for monitoring foot health status.

Drawing on his education, Le began working with graphene, a very strong, thin, and flexible material. Graphene is about 100 times stronger than the strongest steel. It conducts heat and electricity very efficiently and is nearly transparent. Le and his advisor devised a way to print graphene metal onto virtually any surface, reports glu.

Using graphene, Le’s company Bonbouton developed smart insoles and companion mobile application that allow patients, caregivers and providers to monitor foot health status in real-time, enabling earlier preventive treatment.

Related ICFO Develops Graphene-Based Wearable Health Monitoring Devices

“We can print on this table, we can print on the wall, we can print on everything,” Le said. “Due to the fact that the graphene metal material is very flexible, it would print on insoles.”

The technology is simple. Graphene can be used to make chips and sensors that detect changes in heat, like the heat generated by a foot injury. Le’s graphene-laced insoles can detect this heat, measure changes in body temperature against a reference point and provide early warning for the development of diabetic foot ulcers.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Autodesk, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

BraveHeart Wireless Inc., a New Hampshire-based leading innovator in clinical-quality biometric wearables, received FDA clearance for its BraveHeart Life Sensor Cardiac Monitoring system.

Related Stretchable E-Tattoo for Long-Term Uninterrupted Heart Monitoring

Intended for use by health care professionals within a health care setting, the Life Sensor Cardiac Monitoring system captures heart rate and EKG data using a Life Sensor electrode affixed to a patient’s skin. The system then transmits the data from the electrode to an application on an iOS device, where the data can be reviewed by health care professionals.

This milestone product is the first of its kind to be built on the BraveHeart Wireless Internet of Things (IoT) “open” platform. BraveHeart Wireless continues to develop additional health-related products on this platform as it works closely with key partners to configure its platform for targeted use models.

“Prior to the Life Sensor, people with the need for truly wireless heart-monitoring had limited options. Now, health care professionals can use the Life Sensor to quickly and wirelessly receive relevant, clinical-quality and actionable heart rate and EKG data—even as a person is waiting to be admitted to a health care facility,” said Steve McCalmont, CEO of BraveHeart Wireless Inc.

Related Cambridge Heartwear Announces Release of ‘Heartsense Monitor,’ the First AI-Driven Wearable Heart Monitor

The Life Sensor Cardiac Monitoring system introduces a proprietary and pioneering set of features to the cardiac monitoring segment, including these key features:

• Everyday-wear form factor. The Life Sensor Cardiac Monitoring system is the smallest, most comfortable, clinical-quality sensor patch on the market.
• Patent-pending technology. The Life Sensor Cardiac Monitoring system employs both passive and active sensors. Initial patents have been filed on BraveHeart Wireless’s critical method of multiplexing multiple sensors on a single patch.

“The Life Sensor has the potential to significantly and positively impact patient care,” said Dave Shimkus, Vice President of Operations at BraveHeart Wireless Inc. “The FDA ensured the Life Sensor cardiac monitoring system meets the FDA’s regulatory requirements for safety and effectiveness. We look forward to seeing the BraveHeart Life Sensor platform widely used in a variety of health care settings, and to working with our partners to develop additional products.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Autodesk, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19