Tag Archives: biomedical
Graphene and Gold Diabetic Wearable Makes the Prick Smaller
My mother is diabetic and while she has to prick her fingers multiple times per day to check glucose levels, she doesn’t have to give herself injections. For the numerous diabetics out there that have to prick fingers and give themselves insulin shots, diabetes can be a big pain. A new wearable device is in the works that will make diabetes easier to manage.
The device is made using graphene infused with gold particles. The stretchy band monitors blood glucose level using the wearer’s sweat. When high glucose levels are detected, it uses microinjections to deliver metformin, a medication that controls glucose levels.
The patch consists of a heater, temperature, humidity, glucose and pH sensors and polymeric microneedles that can be thermally activated to deliver drugs transcutaneously.
The catch is that the device needs to be ramped up to deliver human size doses of medications. For now, it only delivers tiny doses that work in mice. In the future, the wearable might both monitor glucose levels and deliver meds automatically when needed to control them.
[via Popsci]
Kickstart Kinetic Orthosis Aims to Help Disabled Walk Again
Helping people who can’t walk walk again is an admirable goal, and that’s what the Kinect Kinetic Orthosis is supposed to do. It’s specifically designed for people suffering from neurological disorders that affect the strength of their legs.
The Kickstart Kinetic Orthosis from Cadence Biomedical will store kinetic energy from the legs and dispense it to propel the foot forward during the extension phase of locomotion. It was inspired by horses, whose long tendons span multiple joints and allow for a highly efficient walking and running. It’s not bulky nor does it have heavy batteries, giving its users more freedom.
https://vimeo.com/46660319
It’s aimed at people who suffered from strokes, incomplete spinal cord injuries, ALS, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis. Cadence is currently conducting clinical studies aimed at quantifying Kickstart’s benefits and will report this data in 2013. There’s no word yet when it will be available.
[via Medgadget]