Archives: June 2013

Exercise Science Links

Here are the latest links from the Curtin Exercise and Sports Science scoop.it.

  • E-health made easier – and more comfortable

    The future of health care could be found in a tiny, paper-thin skin patch that collects vital information. The Bio-patch sensor developed by researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology is inexpensive, versatile and, best of all, comfortable to wear.

     

    Geng Yang, a researcher at JRC iPack centre at KTH, says that the Bio-patch measures bioelectrical signals through the skin, gathering data on different parts of the body depending on where it is placed.

     

    “On the chest it provides electrocardiography (ECG), on the skull it measures brainwaves (EEC), and on the forearm it can measure muscle response to stimulation from the nervous system (EMG),” he says. It also has a built-in sensor that constantly monitors body temperature.

     

    With a wireless connection, the patient can analyse the readings in their smartphone, or send the data via internet to a healthcare professional for diagnosis.

     

    The thinking behind Bio-patch is that health care can be moved out of the hospitals and into the home, Yang says. “Bio-patch is a step towards what is known as self-care, which is valuable especially for patients discharged after an operation, or for the elderly living unassisted,” he says.

     

    Bio-patch has resulted in several publications in prestigious scientific journals and successful development of a prototype. Yang says several companies have already shown interest in the product.

      

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Exercise Science Links

Here are the latest links from the Curtin Exercise and Sports Science scoop.it.

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Exercise Science Links

Here are the latest links from the Curtin Exercise and Sports Science scoop.it.

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Exercise Science Links

Here are the latest links from the Curtin Exercise and Sports Science scoop.it.

  • An ultrasonic body area network for implants

    Researchers at the University at Buffalo aredeveloping a “body area network” using ultrasonic waves and sensors to wirelessly share information between medical devices implanted in (or worn by) people to treat diseases such as diabetes and heart failure.

     

    “This is a biomedical advancement that could revolutionize the way we care for people suffering from the major diseases of our time,” said Tommaso Melodia, PhD, UB associate professor of electrical engineering.

     

    The idea of creating a network of wireless body sensors, also called a “body area network,” currently links sensors together via electromagnetic radio-frequency waves — similar to those used in cellular phones.

     

    Radio waves have drawbacks such as the heat they generate, and because they propagate poorly through skin, muscle and other body tissue, they require relatively large amounts of energy, he said.

     

    Ultrasound may be a more efficient way to share information, Melodia said, because roughly 65 percent of the body is composed of water. This suggests that medical devices, such as a pacemaker and an instrument that measures blood oxygen levels, could communicate more effectively via ultrasound compared to radio waves.

     

    “Think of how the Navy uses sonar to communicate between submarines and detect enemy ships,” Melodia said. “It’s the same principle, only applied to ultrasonic sensors that are small enough to work together inside the human body and more effectively help treat diseases.”

     

    Another example involves connecting blood glucose sensors with implantable insulin pumps. The sensors would monitor the blood and regulate, through the pumps, the dosage of insulin as needed in real time.

     

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Exercise Science Links

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