This fashionably wireless stethoscope can pick up early signs of degenerating joints

When you say stethoscope, the first thing that comes to mind is an age-old instrument a doctor uses to auscultate a patient’s heart and lungs. The design of a doctor’s stethoscope hasn’t seen a lot of aesthetical alterations since I saw the first one – it’s been decades! Now that there is some innovation – it’s not really for the first intended purpose. The Auvis here is a digital stethoscope that is structured to detect early signs of arthrosis. The instrument has built-in sensors to catch sounds emitted by joints, making it easier to pick up degenerating cartilage inside them.

Arthrosis that this digital stethoscope intends to detect is a non-inflammatory degenerative condition that’s mainly associated with aging. It occurs as a person grows older and the joint cartilage becomes rugged and begins to wear out. Since, the designer says, “cartilage degeneration, the starting point of arthrosis, can neither be seen on X-Ray nor MRT,” the Auvis presents itself as a viable med gadget. Degenerating cartilage tends to generate sounds that the sensors on the Auvis can pick up to let a physician interpret the feedback and give the diagnosis. Like an ordinary stethoscope, Auvis also comprises an examining tool and a neckpiece – the only difference being, these are wirelessly connected and offer an unrestricted opportunity to examine various joints on the body.

Designed by Lara Laddey of Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel University, Auvis stethoscope’s conception is based on a 2019 technology developed by German researchers that can detect the sound emitted by joints. This study is the base of the Auvis which besides its medical benefits is for one a stethoscope young medicos will love to flaunt outside of the operation theater.

Designer: Lara Laddey

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The Stethoscope Just Got Smarter

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The Steth IO smartphone case modernizes the 200-year-old stethoscope! The design merges the technology, display, and microphone on a smartphone with the time-tested geometry of a stethoscope to create a powerful handheld medical device.

The case captures audio sounds made by the lungs or a heartbeat and converts them into a visualization on the screen. Rather than just listening to a heart rhythm like they would using a traditional stethoscope, medical professionals can hear the heartbeat, visualize it, record the data, and review it anytime. Something impossible with a standard stethoscope!

Designer: TACTILE

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“It was imperative that the aesthetics of the case reflect the quality of the product. The Steth IO isn’t a decorative phone case; it’s a $150 medical device with powerful functionality,” design studio Tactile told YD.

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“We made sure it was easy to insert and remove a phone from the case, testing the effect of different materials on critical acoustics, and minimizing part count. We discussed manufacturing techniques early on, which meant by the time we started manufacturing, we didn’t have to compromise the design because we already knew what kinds of materials were possible and what weren’t. The medical environment uses harsh chemicals and cleaners to wipe down devices, which was also an important consideration in choosing materials.”

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A Smarter Stethoscope

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After 200 years without change, the U Scope finally introduces some much-needed improvements to the stethoscope!

First, the chest piece is ergonomically designed to perfectly fit both the patient’s body and physician’s fingers. The ear piece is designed so that air doesn’t escape from the diaphragm, resulting in incredible sound quality and a sharp reduction in sound decay. For convenience, the design easily folds to a compact size capable of fitting in one’s pocket or coat. Better yet, physicians will experience enhanced comfort thanks to a 30% reduction in pressure of the ear pieces.

In lux finishes like champagne gold, white, silver, and black, there’s one to match and enhance every doctor or nurse’s scrubs or white coat!

Designer: Classico

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Stethee Bluetooth Digital Stethoscope Lets You Hear, See and Feel Heartbeats

This year saw the explosion of wearable fitness devices, with many of them able to detect and track your pulse alongside their other capabilities. So why would you get a device that can do only that? Medic8Health claims that its Stethee digital stethoscope is more accurate than wearable devices. Its app also has features that could make it useful not just for personal use but for professional medical purposes as well.

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Stethee can be used just with a pair of Bluetooth headphones. It has a pair of LEDs that not only indicate its status but can also pulse in time with the patient’s heartbeat and other internal sounds. It can also serve as an indicator if there’s something irregular with the detected sound, and a motor that vibrates in time with the sound being taken.

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But if you want to get the most out of Stethee, you should use it with its app, which will be available for iOS, Android and Windows mobile devices.

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The app archives sounds and can send it to Medic8Health’s servers to be analyzed, providing medical data right from the app itself. Finally, you can share archived sounds over the Internet, which could be useful to field workers and communities that don’t have medical facilities nearby.

Pledge at least $249 AUD (~$200 USD) on Kickstarter to receive a Stethee as a reward.

Optical Heartbeat For Better Diagnosis

The Optical Stethoscope is a nifty piece of technology that acts as assistive device for doctors. Through graphic representation on its knob, it shows doctors the heartbeat, or stomach fluid sounds in waveforms. Basic info like heart rate and pulse is displayed for faster comprehension. The basic idea behind the concept is to aid doctors in making faster and accurate diagnosis.

Medical students who are not yet familiar with the sound of internal organs, will find it easy to use this device, especially in an emergency situation.

Designers: Seobin Oh & JoonHee Kim

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(Optical Heartbeat For Better Diagnosis was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Heartbeat visualizer lets your ticker power a light show (video)

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It may look like something that'd be at home in iTunes, but this visualizer developed by NYU student Phan V is linked to something even more unique to you than your music collection. With the aid of a mic'd up stethoscope, it's able to visualize a person's heartbeat in a manner that has quite a bit more punch than the usual means -- the person's pulse rate determines the speed of the animation, while the volume of the heartbeat captured determines the brightness. Practical? Maybe not, but you can check it out in action in the video after the break.

Continue reading Heartbeat visualizer lets your ticker power a light show (video)

Heartbeat visualizer lets your ticker power a light show (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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