Medical
Is there a computer in the house?
Steve Rogerson looks at how the IoT is affecting the medical industry and asks whether the days of the human doctor may be numbered. One of the most prominent areas being impacted by the Internet of Things (IoT) is medical technology, with the promise of remote patient care and people being treated at home whilst being linked to medical staff over various communications links.
Components attracting attention
Imaging systems represent the largest sector of the medical electronics industry. Among the range of imaging modalities in continuing development, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners are one of the most significant, as Knowles explain.
How is the IoT improving healthcare?
The Internet of Things (IoT) has applications that range all the way from automated manufacturing, to controlling the temperature of residential air conditioners. One particular area where IoT is hugely beneficial is in the medical equipment industry.
3D-printed ‘Sneezometer’ will help asthma patients breathe easy
Research from the University of Surrey has led to the development of the world’s first ‘sneezometer’, an airflow sensor or ‘spirometer’ that is sensitive enough to measure the speed of a sneeze. For use in diagnosing a variety of respiratory conditions, the sneezometer is twice as fast and more sensitive than any other available device.
Machine makes prescription drugs 'on demand'
Scientists have created a compact machine that can churn out thousands of doses of prescription medication in a day—putting the capabilities of a drug-manufacturing plant into a device the size of a kitchen refrigerator. Experts said the advance could eventually allow on-the-spot drug production in special circumstances—on the battlefield, during epidemics, after natural disasters, or in cases where a drug is needed for a rare medical...
Patient infotainment terminal features capacitive multi-touch display
ARBOR Technology is pleased to announce the availability of ARBOR M1860, an 18.5" patient infotainment terminal based on the TI OMAP 4470 Cortex-A9 CPU, to complement its growing line-up of patient healthcare products. With the introduction of the M1860, Android 4.1.1 joins Windows Embedded and Linux as the available operating systems for ARBOR’s patient infotainment terminals.
High efficiency 3x5” medical power supply delivers 250W
TDK Corporation announces the introduction of the TDK-Lambda CUS200M series of AC/DC power supplies. With efficiencies up to 94%, the series can deliver 200W with convection cooling or up to 250W with 1.5m/s airflow. The units, packaged in the industry standard 3x5” footprint, have both medical and ITE certification to the IEC 60601-1 and IEC 60950-1 regulatory standards.
Illuminating the inner 'machines' of bacteria
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have tracked how microscopic organisms called cyanobacteria make use of internal protein 'machines' to boost their ability to convert carbon dioxide into sugar during photosynthesis. With global food and energy security one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, the new findings could help inform the design and engineering of new nanotechnologies to improve crop yields and biomass production.
A way to improve effectiveness of antibiotics
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, have discovered that antibiotics can continue to be effective if bacteria's cell-to-cell communication and ability to latch on to each other are disrupted. This research breakthrough is a major step forward in tackling the growing concern of antibiotic resistance, opening up new treatment options for doctors to help patients fight against chronic and persistent bacterial infections.
'Antimemories' could revolutionise neuroscience
One the most intriguing physics discoveries of the last century was the existence of antimatter, material that exists as the "mirror image" of subatomic particles of matter, such as electrons, protons and quarks, but with the opposite charge. Antimatter deepened our understanding of our universe and the laws of physics, and now the same idea is being proposed to explain something equally mysterious: memory.