NEWS : TECH (NFPC)

Baby Jumper Could Prevent Crib Death

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is every new parent's worst nightmare. To keep a close eye on a sleeping baby, some parents rely on a two-way baby monitor or move the crib into mommy and daddy's room. Others stay awake all night worrying and periodically checking on their infant.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration in Berlin propose a different solution: a suit that monitors a baby's breathing.

10 Trickiest Spy Gadgets Ever

It looks like an ordinary “onesie” or “romper suit” but with a major difference: it has commercially available sensors integrated into the cloth. The circuit board for the sensors is printed on polyurethane, which is flexible, stretchable and comfortable for the child. The polyurethane circuit board is contained in a fabric cover that can be removed so that the jumper can be washed separately. 

DNEWS VIDEO: Modern Medicine and Tech

The sensors monitor the movement of the chest and stomach by checking both the distance between two points on the chest and responding to strain. If there is a problem -- if the rhythm of breathing or number of breaths is wrong -- it will sound an alarm. It isn't clear what kind of alarm would sound yet; current proposals are for some kind of visual and auditory alert. It's easy to imagine a wireless system firing off a signal to a smartphone.

The circuits themselves are made of ordinary materials and don’t need any specialized manufacturing methods, so the costs can be kept down. Since the electronics are mounted on the polyurethane sheets  rather than being stitched into the fabric, it’s easier to place the components exactly where they need to be on the circuit board.

The idea is similar the Exmobaby suit that appeared early in 2012. The difference is the use of flexible electronics and that the Exmobaby’s ad copy says it’s designed to track emotional states, not operate as a true medical device.

Baby Products Loaded With Toxins

There are still challenges to mass-producing the suit. One is that polyurethane tends to change shape during the manufacturing process. Even so a number of companies are testing out ways to build them cheaply. 

Baby safety isn’t the only idea the Fraunhofer scientists came up with for their flexible electronics: they also looked at how to make pressure bandages that tell doctors and nurses where the best place to put them is, and even a bandage that can monitor the health of kidneys.

Via Fraunhofer Institute

Credit: Fraunhofer Institute / VERHAERT Masters in Innovation

---

Email:

---

Electrical Current Releases Happiness

Totally trippy: A group of neuroscience researchers succeeded in releasing natural opiate-like substances from the brain using a constant low electrical current. This gives self-medicating a new meaning.

A group from the University of Michigan, Harvard, and CUNY led by senior researcher Alexandre DaSilva and Dr. Jon-Kar Zubieta, experimented with an application called "transcranial direct current stimulation" or tDCS. They studied a patient with severe chronic facial pain, first administering a radiotracer and then applied electrodes that stimulated a specific area of the skull with a very small current for 20 minutes.

Brain in a Dish Flies Plane

DNEWS VIDEO: MODERN MEDICINE AND TECH

That current released the brain's natural painkillers known as endogenous opioids. One session improved the patient's pain threshold by 36 percent, according to an article (full article link) the researchers published recently in the journal Frontiers in Neuropsychiatric Imaging and Stimulation. A PET scan during the session showed what was happening.

While that first session didn't alleviate the clinical pain, the researchers think that repeated sessions would have a lasting effect. According to Michigan University's news service, another study on more patients was just completed and initial results showed that more tDCS did help.

Brain stimulation might have crazy uses beyond treating pain. The BBC's Tom Feilden reported last year that tDCS has the potential to enhance overall cognitive performance, depending on where the current is applied. Try that one on for size.

First Human Infected with a Computer Virus

For now, though, I think it's good that scientists are focusing on tDCS for people who have mind-melting pain. Imagine being able to book tDCS sessions instead of taking strong medications, which have all kinds of side effects and can be addicting. Maybe our brains already contain the cure.

Photo: An example of a positron emission tomography (PET) brain scan. Credit: TRIUMF Lab

---

Email:

---

Mussels Inspire Sensitive Tooth Treatment

If you have sensitive teeth, it's usually because the enamel and dentin on the surface is worn away, exposing the tissues -- and nerves.

Going sugar-free can help a bit, and there are toothpastes and mouth rinses that help alleviate the sensitivity. But enamel isn’t made up of living cells, so once it’s gone from a tooth, it’s gone for good.

Immortality for Humans by 2045

Quan-Li Li, Chun Hung Chu and a team at the Anhui Medical University and University of Hong Kong may have hit on a way to rebuild enamel and dentin even after enamel wears away completely. They used a substance similar to the one mussels use to stick onto rocks -- dopamine.

Teeth are layered. The outer part is the enamel and underneath is the dentin, which is the white part. To restore enamel that has worn off, it’s necessary to get minerals to stick to the dentin. That’s where the dopamine comes in.

Most people think of dopamine as a chemical in the brain, but it also works as a strong glue for mussels.

The researchers dipped bits of human teeth in an acid solution to wear away the enamel. Then they put them in a solution of dopamine. After they dried them off, they immersed the tooth bits in a solution of calcium carbonate, phosphate and fluoride. The result was restoration of the enamel surface after a week of immersion in the calcium carbonate mixture.

The dopamine, as it happened, allowed the minerals to bond to the dentin better and restored some of the hardness of the teeth, though not all of it.

Oldest Toothache Found in Reptile

There is still some work to do on checking whether there is any toxicity -- the researchers say it shouldn't be too much of a problem, though, since the amounts are small. Thus far the tests have been on pieces of tooth in the lab rather than in a mouth. But if it works it could end up being a relatively simple treatment for all those folks for whom drinking hot tea or eating sugar is painful.

The team’s results were published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Via American Chemical Society.

Credit: Albert Bridge / Wikimedia Commons

---

Email:

---

Detector Alerts Asthmatics to Nasty Air

Asthmatics often feel like we're gambling, discovering triggers a breath too late. AT&T Labs recently developed a prototype for a device that can detect nasty air and alert us before things get bad.

Some asthma are blatant and obvious, and yet every once in a while I've been blindsided by an attack that seemingly comes out of nowhere. Volatile organic compounds or VOCs are a common asthma trigger found all over the place but they can be tricky to spot. AT&T Labs might have a solution.

Crystals You Drink Every Morning: Big Pic

A prototype for a trigger detection device, led by head of communications technology research Bob Miller, can pick up on the presence of cleaning products, fragrances, smoke, and even troublesome carpet. Then the portable device can wirelessly transmit data to an online health network so my doctor could potentially spot patterns over time.

DNEWS VIDEO: ROBOTIC SNAILS MAY SAVE LIVES

Although the device hasn't been publicly named yet and there are no images available, AT&T Labs did indicate that it will contain a VOC sensor, a microcomputer, a battery and a Zigbee wireless modem. The VOC sensor contains a chip that is heated by a small current.

Talking to Technology Review's Susan Young, Miller said the device could prevent asthmatics from staying in a place where the trigger level is too high. Miller added that one day it might even be connected to a home network and automatically start up the furnace blower to clear the air.

Top 5 Scariest Bioweapons: Photos

Asthma is so prevalent in the U.S. that one in every 12 Americans has it. Better prevention means fewer ER visits, fewer absences from school, fewer sick days from work. A device to prevent that first ominous wheeze could help us all breathe easier.

Credit: Jonathan Kos-Read

---

Email:

---

These Cuffs Will Shock The Hell Out Of You

These handcuffs are truly shocking. And that's only a fraction of what they're capable of.

According to U.S. Patent Application 20120298119, Scottsdale Inventions, LLC of Paradise Valley, Arizona has invented a pair of high-tech handcuffs that appear to be a Swiss Army knife of torture restraint.

PHOTOS: Top 5 Scariest Bioweapons

For starters, the cuffs are capable of administering high-voltage, low amperage shocks that will immobilize uncooperative detainees. Inspired by invisible fence technology that not-so-subtly reminds dogs where their boundaries are, these cuffs are a part of a programmable system that uses radio transmitters to corral prisoners. Step beyond the designated perimeter and the cuffs could issue various warnings, such as audible signals, vibrations, a flashing light or a mild electric shock, before a more severe zap would restore order.

DNEWS VIDEO: IS IT FUTURE YET?

As well, the cuffs could include an accelerometer, inclinometer, potentiometer, location sensing device, microphone, camera, a biometric sensor or a combination of devices that would allow guards to more closely monitor their prisoners.

If there's any mercy to be found, the cuffs do include safety cutouts to prevent fatal jolts. However, developers also envision the cuffs being able to release gases, liquids, dyes and even sedatives that could be injected into the prisoners. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, syringe-equipped handcuffs.

But wait there's more. If you're still not convinced that these cuffs are the most fully loaded, less-lethal weapon this side of Joel Braun's little ray of sunshine, Scottsdale Inventions wants to remind you that this system could also be incorporated into ankle cuffs, restraining belts, straitjackets, harnesses, facial restraints, helmets or neck collars.

BLOG: Foam Stops Internal Bleeding

I don't know about you, but if the image of an inmate writhing in agony, compliments of his or her shock collar and/or facial restraints, is enough to send you to the dark and troubled side of life, feel free to join me. I'll be hanging out with the Carters on the bright and sunny side. As our current news cycle continues to seethe, I think we could all use a little Vitamin D.

via Gizmag

Credit: USPTO

---

Email:

---

Gun-Control Petition Demands Congress to Act

In the wake of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a somber nation came to a conclusion over the mournful weekend: Something needs to change.

How and where that change will take place was the hot topic on everyone's lips, from the pundits and politicians on the Sunday talk show circuit, to strangers sharing public transportation. Calls for stricter gun control laws and better treatment for the mentally ill ignited a new round of debate that isn't likely to extinguish anytime soon.

NEWS: Can Gun Laws Save Lives?

DNEWS VIDEO: CYBORGS, WIRELESS INTERNET, EXOSKELETONS, SYNTHETIC LIFE AND MORE …

Many citizens took to the Internet to spur direct action. A petition asking President Obama to immediately address the issue of gun control with congressional legislation became the most popular petition ever posted to the White House's "We the People" website in less than 48 hours.

Filed hours after the shooting in Newtown, Conn., that left 27 people dead, including 20 children, the petition collected more than 120,000 signatures as of 1 p.m. Sunday. The petition currently has over 141,000 signatures and rising.

"Powerful lobbying groups allow the ownership of guns to reach beyond the Constitution's intended purpose of the right to bear arms," the petition states. "Therefore, Congress must act on what is stated law, and face the reality that access to firearms reaches beyond what the Second Amendment intends to achieve."

NEWS: How To Talk To Your Kids About Killings

Any petition posted to We the People that obtains more than 25,000 signatures is guaranteed a response from the Obama administration. Prior to Sunday, the site's most popular petition was one seeking permission for Texas to succeed from the union. That petition has just over 120,000 signatures.

The merit of some petitions that pass We the People's 25,000-signature threshold is questionable, at best. Most recently, one petition demands construction of a Death Star by 2016.

However, nearly two dozen petitions seeking tighter gun control laws have been filed since the Sandy Hook massacre. It's pretty safe to say those where filed without any tongue-in-cheek overtones. 

 via Mashable, Nextgov

Credit: Tim Clayton/TIM CLAYTON/Corbis

---

Email:

---

Sensor Corset Monitors Movement, Improves Rehab

Today's younger generation is getting quite accustomed to the idea of electronic apparel. There are jeans with built-in keyboards, t-shirts that can recharge phones, vibrating suits that help improve athletic performance and glasses that augment reality. But older folks need not feel left out. Wearable computers are being developed to monitor health and improve rehabilitation.  

Take this device, developed by a group of Italian researchers led by Michelangelo Bartolo. It's a kind of lightweight corset equipped with battery-powered sensors that monitor the way the wearer moves and send  the data via Bluetooth to a computer.

DNEWS VIDEO: GPS Shoe Hotfoots Your Location

This kind of intelligent biomedical clothing, the researchers say in their paper, could give doctors a better look at what the muscles in the trunk are doing during therapy. Those muscles are important to balance and even limb movement.

The team presented their work in the journal BioMedical Engineering Online.

Stretchy Electronics Made From 'Stiff Islands'

The sensors are made from stretchy conducting materials called conductive elastomers. They are piezoelectric, so they generate current whenever they're bent or stretched, and they're printed onto the fabric, keeping it lightweight. The garment itself zips up the front and has velcro strips on the side to adjust for different body sizes. A set of suspenders holds it up over the shoulders.

Sexy Microphone Dress Doubles as a Hearing Aid

The scientists had a subject move around in the corset, and then gathered data that showed it was possible to monitor movement and exercise while it was being worn. It won't provide high-precision measurement, but it's enough to see whether a patient is moving and the direction they are bending and flexing in. That's likely good enough for most physical therapists -- who will have better data and know if a person is doing the exercises correctly. 

Image: Paolo Tormene

---

Email:

---

Foam Stops Internal Bleeding

If you've ever used a can of Great Stuff, you know what an amazing job the foam insulation does sealing up gaps and cracks around the house.

In similar fashion, The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed their own spray foam; only their version can be injected into a wounded soldier's abdominal cavity to help stop internal bleeding.

When soldiers are wounded on the battlefield, getting them to advanced-level treatment facilities within the first 60 minutes of injury often makes the difference between life and death.

PHOTOS: 10 Trickiest Spy Gadgets Ever

DNEWS VIDEO: MODERN MEDICINE AND TECH

During this "Golden Hour," internal bleeding -- particularly in the abdominal cavity -- is life-threatening because there is little that can be done to stop the bleeding. Internal wounds can't be compressed like external wounds, nor can they be treated with tourniquets and hemostatic dressings, which require a medic to access to the injury in order to dress it.

DARPA hopes their new foam can help the wounded survive until they get to treatment facilities. Designed by Arsenal Medical as part of DARPA's Wounded Stasis Program, the polyurethane polymer foam can be injected by a field medic in two liquid phases, a polyol phase and an isocyanate phase. When the liquids mix, they expand to 30 times their original volume.

BLOG: Spy Agencies Predict Megahumans By 2030

As it expands, the foam fills the abdominal cavity and conforms to the surface of the injured tissue and organs. The foam then hardens, providing resistance to intra-abdominal blood loss. DARPA says the foam can even expand through pooled and clotted blood.

During tests, removal of the foam took less than one minute after an incision by a surgeon. Only minimal amounts of the foam remained in the abdominal cavity and no significant amount of tissue stuck to the foam.

No human tests have been conducted yet. However, tests on swine did show that the foam raised survival rates for liver injuries after three hours from eight to 72 percent and reduced blood loss by six fold. DARPA recently awarded Arsenal Medical a $15.5 million contract for Phase II of the project to continue development in hope of future FDA approval of a prototype device.

via Gizmag

Credit: DARPA

---

Email:

---

No More Loud Commercials!: DNews Nugget

Ad Blasts Now Thing of the Past: Ever been irritated when you're watching your favorite show and then an ad comes on and it's MUCH LOUDER THAN THE SHOW YOU WERE WATCHING?

Well, no more. Starting today, the Federal Communications Commission is barring broadcasters and pay TV providers from airing loud commercials. According to the new regulation, commercials must now be broadcast at the "same average volume" as the programs they accompany.

The regulation is a long time coming. The FCC started receiving floods of complaints about the phenomenon to its consumer call center in 2002. Congress took up the cause and established the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation, or CALM, Act in 2010. The FCC deadline for compliance is today:  Dec. 3, 2012.

Unlike other matters (such as all things related to the fiscal cliff), the CALM Act enjoyed broad bipartisan support. It passed the Senate by unaminous vote and got a quick pass in the House through a voice vote. (If only all legislation were so easy.)

Now it's up to you to ensure that broadcast companies comply. The FCC will not be monitoring the issue, but will be open to viewer complaints, which can be filed by using the FCC's online complaint form, 2000G, at http://www.fcc.gov/complaints.

via CNN

GET MORE MUST-READS HERE!

---

Email:

---

Alzheimer's Patient Gets Brain Pacemaker

By 2050, the number of Americans living with Alzheimer's is expected to triple -- from roughly 5.2 million to potentially 16 million people. While there is still no cure for the disease, researchers continue to forge ahead with the belief that their innovative methods could lead to medical breakthroughs.

The latest effort comes from researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and neurosurgeon William S. Anderson, M.D. who recently implanted a pacemaker-like device into the brain of an early-stage Alzheimer's patient. The device, which has already been used to treat people with Parkinson's disease, provides deep brain stimulation in the form of low-voltage electrical charges to boost memory and reverse cognitive decline.

BLOG: Immortality For Humans By 2045

DNEWS VIDEO: MODERN MEDICINE AND TECH

Preliminary safety stages of the research began in 2010, when similar devices were implanted in six Canadian patient's afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that over a 13 months, patients showed sustained increases in glucose metabolism, which indicates neuronal activity. In most Alzheimer's patients, glucose metabolism decreases over that same time frame.

The most recent surgery performed at Johns Hopkins Hospital was one of the first such operations in the United States.

The procedure involves drilling holes into the patient's skull and implanting wires into the brain's fornix, the pathway essential to bringing information to the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of the brain where learning begins and memories are made. It's also where the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's start to appear.

BLOG: Does Easter Island Hold Alzheimer's Cure?

Wires connected to the "brain pacemaker" emit small electrical impulses 130 times a second. Patients don't even feel the current, according to Paul Rosenberg, M.D., an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

"Recent failures in Alzheimer's disease trials using drugs such as those designed to reduce the buildup of beta amyloid plaques in the brain have sharpened the need for alternative strategies," Rosenberg said in a press release. "This is a very different approach, whereby we are trying to enhance the function of the brain mechanically. It’s a whole new avenue for potential treatment for a disease becoming all the more common with the aging of the population."

via Extreme Tech

Credit: ABK/BSIP/Corbis

---

Email:

---