Ophthalmologic adapter for iPhone

Welch Allyn received clearance from FDA for its application iExaminer, which connects the iPhone to a PanOptic ophthalmoscope, providing more possibilities and useful information on examination of the fundus. This combined system allows doctors to take pictures of the eye and also save images for later review or to share with colleagues. Furthermore, the system is essentially a telemedicine product that can make possible for ophthalmologists to reach remote clinics missing an eye care specialist.

The iExaminer provides an optical alignment with the eyepiece of the ophthalmoscope and the camera of the phone and is compatible with the iPhone 4 and 4S models. There is also a complementary application of Welch Allyn to complete the package, and is available for download in the Apple App Store.

More info in the website of the product:

http://www.welchallyn.com/promotions/iExaminer/index.html

Copyright Welch Allyn

Mobile DNA analysis in real time through your smartphone

More on mobile health technology.

Biomeme, a new company from Philadelphia, is planning to launch an easy to use system that can perform a real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR is its acronym in English ) and provide results through any smartphone, without using expensive lab equipment or an expert to work in it. The goal is to provide medical professionals, regardless of their location, the ability to perform advanced diagnostics and monitoring diseases.

Biomeme platform transforms a smartphone into a mobile laboratory for advanced DNA diagnostic and disease monitoring in real time. The system includes:

- A docking station for the real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)

- A mobile application to control the system through wireless connection, analyze the results in real time and send them to the cloud

- Target test equipment for sample preparation and identification of pathogens or diseases, according to its specific DNA or distinctive RNA.

This low cost system requires no special laboratory equipment and could allow mobile inspection at a healthcare point, agriculture, monitoring of vectors, veterinary medicine, environmental monitoring, and even education.

More info here: http://bio-meme.com/


Copyright bio-meme

Building a smartscope

Smartphones are becoming more and more important in the medical sector, ranging from mHealth to medical applications which can turn your smartphone into a medical device. In this post I would like to talk about what someone has recently achieved by just using a Smartphone and some creativity: user Yoshinok from Instructables web site has managed to turn a smartphone into a microscope.

Well technically he didn't use just a smartphone. You'll need also a small box, a LED light and a laser pointer lens. With all this in place, you can increase the zoom of your smartphone 175x, allowing you to observe plant cells and details of objects, like a real microscope.

The invention seems to work perfectly. At least, in the video the user gets to see cells and details of coins, among other things. It also allows you to take a photo or video of the analyzed object... This invention only proves that when you use your creativity the possibilities are endless.

A tattooed electronic circuit to monitor your body

The materials scientist, John Rogers, and the company MC10 BioStamp have developed a temporary tattoo with flexible electronic circuits that sticks directly to the skin to monitor the user's health. BioStamp patch is a fine mesh with electronic circuits which can control temperature, hydration and strain.

So far we only knew about the physical activity monitors, which have slowly been appearing on the market. BioStamp not only can monitor your activity, but control your vital signs and physical needs. The MC10 company team is now working on the integration of wireless power sources and communication systems to transmit the collected information to a Smartphone, so the BioStamp can also warn you about your physical and health needs. As an example, imagine your son of 11 months has a fever and it's time to sleep. You can use the BioStamp to have your SmartPhone alerting you if the fever rises overnight.

Rogers himself suggests that his "epidermal electronics" could be developed for use in healthcare, to monitor patients without tying them to large machines . Another possible application might be as a patch that allows an athlete to monitor their vital signs, blood pressure... as well as to know when and how much to hydrate for optimal performance.

BioStamp of MC10 is like a temporary tattoo, flexible and comfortable, formed by depositing gold electrodes and wires that are just a few hundred nanometers thick onto silicon wafers. Previous versions were made placing a patch elastomeric afterwards as a reinforcement, but the latest prototype is applied directly to the skin using a rubber stamp. It is applied with a spray coating which makes it durable and resistant to water enough to withstand the sweat or washing with soap and water. It lasts up to two weeks before the natural skin exfoliation.

http://www.mediacrayon.com/biostamp

http://www.dezeen.com/2013/03/28/biostamp-temporary-tattoo-wearable-electronic-circuits-john-rogers-mc10/

More for the feet

As I am one of the many runners out there that use insoles to correct defective positions while walking and running, I found this quite interesting.

At the University of Utah engineering professor Stacy Bamberg recently developed a smart insole that seems to resemble the high technology Nike shoes and other Nike products for running. In this case, it goes beyond that, as this insole could help patients with prosthetic legs and people in rehab to correct walking abnormalities after a fracture or hip replacement.

The device is called Rapid Rehab and consists of a personalized gel insole embedded with force sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes to detect the way a person walks. Rapid Rehab also contains a wireless transmitter to send data from sensors to a custom application for your smartphone that tracks and provides immediate visual, audio or sensory feedback to the user. The current version specifically contains two force-sensitive resistors that track the pressure the foot exerts when it is on the ground, as well as an accelerometer and a gyroscope to measure foot position and angle.

Image: copyright U News Utah

At present, the insole Rapid Rehab is used by amputees who want to reduce the limp when using a prosthetic leg. However, Bamberg expects it to be also used by physiotherapists and their patients who have received a hip replacement or suffered a bone fracture and need to correct their gait, since Rapid Rehab has proven to be less expensive than a gait-analysis laboratory study, more accurate than subjective observations of a physiotherapist, and faster in providing feedback.

Source: http://unews.utah.edu/news_releases/utah-engineering-prof-invents-smart-insole-to-correct-walking-abnormalities/