2. Method developed to send messages using vibrations on skin

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a method to send messages in English by using vibrations on a person’s skin. The device used works by playing a specific vibration assigned to a given English ‘phone me’ or the smallest unit of sound on a user’s forearm. For each speech trait, the device is encoded to generate distinct sensations. The device is based on Haptic technology or kinesthetic communication or 3D touch that creates an experience of touch by applying forces, vibrations or motions to the user. It is developed under the guidance of Professor Hong Z. Tan,Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Purdue University.

Source: Dailyhunt

Also Read: Ten recommendations for Digital Health Interventions

3. Pocket Scanner with Infrared Rays to Determine Food Freshness

According to United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization,about 1.3 billion tonnes of food is lost or wasted annually which is nearly one third of the food produced in the world. There are many reasons for this loss. A large factor – consumers discard food as they have trouble determining if a food item is still fresh and edible, especially for meat and other non-vegetarian items, which are sold with labels mentioning “sell-by-date” or “use-by date”. Considering this, the Bavarian Ministry of Food “We Rescue Food’ alliance has launched 17 initiatives, one of which is the Fraunhofer pocket scanner. Researchers at Fraunhofer Society, a German Research Foundation,are developing an infrared-based pocket scanner that will enable the consumers,supermarkets and other food handlers to determine if the food item has gone bad and its degree of ripeness.The scanner is based on high-precision near-infrared (NIR) sensor wherein the infrared beam is shined on the food and reflected light is measured across the IR spectrum. A comparison is done between the absorption spectrum from the food item and a known sample to determine whether the food item is still edible, its ripeness and even if it is a counterfeit, such as trout being passed off as salmon. This technique is already being used in labs, the challenge is to reduce the device’s size and cost. The scanner is still in the demonstrator stage and can currently be used to analyze the shelf life, ripeness of homogenous foods like potatoes, tomatoes but not a pizza with its many toppings. The team so far has worked with tomatoes and ground beef using statistical techniques to match the NIR spectra with the rate of microbial spoilage and other chemical parameters, to measure the germ count and the meat’s shelf life. In this process,the scan data is sent via Bluetooth to a cloud database for evaluation. The results of which are then sent to a mobile device app to show if the food item is still good, how much of its shelf life is left and tips on how to use the food if its sell-by-date limit has expired. Researchers intend to use hyper-spectral imaging and fusion-based approaches using color images, spectral sensors and other high spatial resolution technologies in later stages. A machine-learning algorithm, which will allow for better pattern recognition, is under development. Research team also claims that this scanning device will have wider application in other categories like wool, plastics, textiles and minerals.

Source: https://phys.org

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4. Epiwear – A Syringe Watch

Students at Rice University have developed a very innovative device which is not much larger than the size of a wristwatch that hides a fold able epinephrine syringe inside it to take during a life-threatening medical emergency. The watch like device is known as “EPIWEAR”. It is simple to use. In case of an emergency, the user just needs to unfold it and flick the safety lever and then push a button when he/she is ready to inject the medicine into one’s thigh. The three piece folding design of the watch makes it effectively impossible to trigger the needle by accident. Also,there are plans for a case that would prevent the button from touching anything until the shot is necessary. EPIWEAR is made of 3D printed parts. The team is still working on its refinement in terms of reducing its size further and adding more watch like features to it rather than it just acting as a watch which, in reality,is an injection dispenser. So, in a nutshell EPIWEAR is a syringe watch that puts a life saving anti-allergy injection on your wrist and you never know it may become a permanent part of a person’s wardrobe sometime in the near future.

Source: www.engadget.com

Also Read: Hackers Target Patients’ Sensitive Health Data

5. Implantable Device Powered by Heartbeats Invented

A new research study from Darmouth College has shown that the heart’s motion is so powerful that it can recharge devices to save our lives. Engineers at the Thayer School of Engineering at Darmouth College, alongside clinicians at the University of Texas in San Antonio, have invented a coin-sized device that turns the kinetic energy of the heart into electricity – to power a wide range of implantable devices. Many patients rely on defibrillators, pacemakers and other life-saving implantable devices which are battery dependent and need replacement every 5 to 10 years. This procedure is costly requiring surgery and can be a source of infections and complications. With the aim to create an effective source, so that the device or implant will serve its purpose during the entire life span of the patient without the need of surgery, the research team developed this small device.The implantable device works by adding a thin piece of polymer piezoelectric film called PVDF to devices like pacemakers and other implants to convert even a small or mechanical heart motion into electricity. Thus, an energy source is created within the body nullifying the requirement of surgery for battery replacement. The team proposes to modify pacemakers to harness the kinetic energy of the lead wire that is attached to the heart, converting into electricity to continuously charge the batteries. The device is bio compatible,flexible, light weight and low profile which is scalable for future multi functionality. The results of the three year-long study were recently published in the cover story for Advanced Materials Technologies. The first round of animal studies has been completed and the team will come out with the device’s commercialization in another five years.

Source: www.inshorts.com

Also Read: Study: Awareness about Hypertension Very Low

6. ‘The Pod’ Made for Better Sleep at Night

It is a known fact that human body temperature changes during the night, and to comfort the sleeper throughout the night, an American company Eight Sleep, world’s first sleep fitness company has launched a smart bed called “THE POD”. The smart bed changes its temperature all through the night to provide better sleep to the user. The bed is based on artificial intelligence and has bio-feedback sensors which helps it to determine the best temperature for undisturbed sleep between 55 to115 degrees Fahrenheit through out the night.The bed is also equipped with an adaptive foam which consists of four distinct layers that allows it to adapt to any sleeping position to further comfort the user. The smart bed is divided into two sections, each side of the bed has its own temperature control and bio-metric tracker. The temperature is controlled through water cooling. The pod has an inbuilt reservoir known as the Hub that lets the bed – warm and cool -as per the user’s specifications with a temperature range mentioned above.An alarm can be set to wake-up the user by using the thermo alarm in the bed. The Pod seems to be a very useful equipment in healthcare space and is surely there to stay in times to come, providing ease of sleeping to disturbed sleepers.

Source: www.5thvoice.news

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7. Air Pressure and Artificial Intelligence Used to Move Fingers on the Robotic Hands

Festo, German Electrical Automation firm has developed a soft and flexible robotic hand that manipulates fingers by using air pressure and artificial intelligence. The fingers have tactile sensors with a flexible circuit board and is made up of 3-dimensional knitted fabric using elastic and high strength fibres. The bellows inside the fingers move the joints as they fill and empty with air. At the base of the thumb and index fingers,pneumatic swivels allow the movement of the fingers from side to side and nearly two dozen proportional peizo valves in the hand that makes the wrist work as a part of the total hand movement. There is freedom of 12 degrees that allows the hand to manipulate objects with dexterity.The hand uses self-learning technology powered by artificial intelligence to learn to move its fingers and has successfully learnt to roll a dice without dropping it. Once the engineers give the robot an objective, 3D cameras and depth sensors create a virtual copy of an object. The Bionic soft hand’s AI then runs myriad simulations to help it figure out what action needs to be taken. Thus,the fingers of the robotic hand are manipulated by air pressure wherein AI is only a part of the project which fastens the learning ability of the hand. The Bionic soft hand can easily interact with humans due to its soft texture, but it will take time to make its commercial presence in the market as it still needs refinement and broaden its functional capabilities.

Source: www.engadget.com

Also Read: IoT can truly Transform Rural Healthcare in India

8. Kerala Students Have Finger-Sized Water Purifiers to Their Credit

Lamaara Technologies Private Limited, are cent start-up registered in the name of two engineering students from Kerala, Anto Biju and Thomas Cyriac, has made its name due to its innovation of organic purifier that filters dirty water.The unique features of the filter – it is finger-sized,low cost, uses activated carbon cartridge which costs INR 60, needs replacement only every five years. The purifier eliminates foul smell, harmful metals and color from the water and requires no electricity.These purifiers have been approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards and had recently raised INR 4.5 crores. The two young innovators had also made a pen that could detect the elements present in water to list out its impurities. Thus, it was only an identifying instrument and not a solution to impure, dirty water. In order to improve upon their efforts, the duo later made this purifier which proves to be problem solver in a country like India where clean drinking water is still a far-fetched dream in most remote areas. Its USP is the organic make, unlike other purifies made from synthetic fibers. These small purifiers were put to testing during the Kerala floods of 2018 where around 200 purifiers were donated to relief camps in the flood affected areas. This innovation is surely here to stay and save millions of lives by providing the basic amenity of clean drinking water to all.

Also Read: Indian Healthcare Roadmap

9. IKEA Becomes Innovative for Differently Able

Swedish furniture maker IKEA has an Israel arm which has collaborated with non-profit organizations, Milbat and Access Israel to make a series of 3D printed furniture items that make it easier-to-use for the differently-able. The furniture line known as “THISABLES” is a line of 3D printed add-ons for IKEA furniture and it includes 13 items like easier to grab door handles and bumpers to protect cabinets. The available 13 designs slip over IKEA’s existing furniture and accessories to overcome hiccups like turning small button into a giant one or lift a couch couple of inches from the ground to aid in getting up.The items or the 3D printing files can be downloaded for free from the project’s website and can be 3D printed anywhere globally. For assembling the furniture item,detailed instructions are available on the website. Installation methods for 3D modifications are available and demonstrated on IKEA Israel’s YouTube page. The web page also has a column for welcoming suggestions to add more products to these 13 items.

Source: www.theverge.com

Also Read: Effects of Mobile Phones on Children’s Health

Also Read: Top 8 healthcare innovations for the month of October to Decemer 2019

How can IoT deliver the much- needed booster shot to people living in the far-flung areas and hinterlands of the country?

Imagine rural folks sitting in front of an Internet-connected screen, listening to a doctor sitting in a Metro hospital who, basis on their heart test results, gives them sane advice to either go for specialty tests or resort to prescribed medicines easily found in the vicinity; or envision a city-based doctor looking at a patient’s chest X-ray and decides on the next course of action – all via connected network of IoT devices.

The benefits of IoT are multifold – in providing telemedicine, personalized healthcare, video-based consultations and future wellness strategies – without the patient leaving the village sans emergency.

The IoT infrastructure needs is reliable internet, low-cost IoT devices, security and data analytics and India is slowly picking up on these fronts.

Thanks to the 4G revolution, better Internet connectivity has reached most of the parts in the country, helping the stakeholders in the healthcare industry aim for the last-mile connectivity.

As far as low-cost devices are concerned, several IoT health start-ups have now come to the fore, and are set to change the course of the healthcare industry.

Since IoT is a concept of devices talking to one another, there is a lot of data transfer happening.

To make sense of the data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)-capable solutions are already here which – with the agility, scalability and security of cloud – can give predictive analysis of a patient’s data in a jiffy to the doctor.

India’s IoT market size is expected to expand to $9 billion by 2020, according to market research firm Deloitte, and healthcare sector is going to be the main beneficiary.

In a country like India, building state- of-the-art hospitals at every nook and corner is a daunting task. Telemedicine, where patients sitting in remote areas are brought face-to-face to a city doctor via a laptop is the best option.

Therefore, a heart patient can begin talking to a specialist working in a super- specialty hospital in New Delhi, discuss reports, and together work towards whether the patient needs to visit a nearby District Hospital for further check-ups and come to the Capital for advance check-ups or medical procedures.

Once back after a medical procedure or a surgery, the rural patient need not go back again for follow-ups.

Now bring low-cost IoT devices into the picture and the data that is being generated, goes in the Cloud and reaches the doctor faster. This helps the specialist better understand the case and build an online repository of research for future references. The process of well-documented research has today made telemedicine very efficient.

In rural India, nearly 37 per cent of people have access to In-Patient Department (IPD) facilities within a 5-km distance and only 68 per cent have access to an Out-Patient Department (OPD).

Most patients in rural areas do not have access to specialists. Thus, several big hospital chains are offering remote consulting services in rural villages using IoT network capabilities. The doctors can see and interact with patients in remote telemedicine centers, with the case history and medical data automatically transmitted to the doctor for analysis. With the advent of new technologies, various state governments are now leaning towards IoT.

Take the example of the Telangana Government which is using Microsoft’s Cloud-based advanced analytics IoT solution to screen children from birth to 18 years of age for major conditions affecting their health. The data is useful to safeguard rural population. It provides the capability of applying ML and AI to cardio-vascular health records to develop an Indian-specific heart risk score. This data can provide rich insights to doctors on treatment plans and early diagnosis. Such solutions for diagnostics in rural India, with the help from Machine Learning algorithms, can accurately diagnose and predict conditions.

In a paper “IOT in Healthcare: A Study,” M Surya Prabha and B Sarojini from Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women University in Coimbatore mention that IoT devices are being used in many hospitals for patient care and get their health details in India.

“IoT healthcare system connects all the available resources as a set of connections to perform healthcare activities such as diagnosing, monitoring, and remote surgeries over the Internet,” they note. The monitoring of the patients has become possible through the wireless solutions connected through the IoT. These solutions help to securely capture a patient’s health data from a variety of sensors, apply complex algorithms to analyze the data and then share it through wireless connectivity with medical professionals who can make appropriate health recommendations. IoT devices also boost patient’s confidence and satisfaction by allowing patients to get connected with their doctors virtually.

The concept of IoT, say the researchers, has been comprehensive to cover more type of devices such as Global Positioning System and mobile devices. Smartphones (India has over 450 million smartphone and over 700 million feature phone users) can be used to build an inclusive IoT network.The mobile devices can aid healthcare workers to diagnose, track and control infectious diseases.

There are now apps to help rural population. India’s largest online health camp called “myUpchar” recently launched a “Saathi” app. “myUpchar” partners in operating villages along with volunteers and support staff who collect basic details of the patients such as weight, height, blood pressure, glucose, pulse and temperature, and shares those on the app with the doctor.

A recent study published in the journal Nature found that people can make use of apps that employ the phone’s camera to interpret test results, and send them to local clinics or healthcare workers before being uploaded to a central online database.

Globally, the healthcare IoT market is expected to reach $72.02 billion by 2021. According to Nutanix, a global leader in cloud software and hyper converged infrastructure solutions, the healthcare organizations need to address a variety of critical IT needs, which include a need for increased security, protection of sensitive patient data and meeting regulatory compliance. From a patient’s and clinician’s perspective, adopting a cloud model, hybrid or otherwise, also allows for providers to undergo a digital transformation of healthcare delivery.

Infrastructure innovations allow hospitals to manage different appli- cations and data types, take advantage of automation and create new service lines such as telehealth or remote monitoring, thus leading to improved patient engagement. Healthcare companies outpace the averages for certain applications, such as data analytics and Internet of Things (IoT). The fact is that India has always looked to provide a premier healthcare system for its citizens. Thus, investing in the next generation IT and IoT infrastructure is the first step in preserving the current quality of care and bringing healthcare to all.

About the author

Meenakshi Iyer is a New Delhi-based freelance journalist covering health, technology and latest innovations. With more than 15 years of experience, she has worked with top media publications in the country.