REX Helps Paraplegics Walk Again

A new pair of exoskeleton legs was unveiled in New Zealand this month. Called REX its designed to assist paraplegics to walk again. The legs weigh 84 pounds or nearly 40 kgs and are designed specifically for each user. After 7 million dollars worth of development costs its expected the end product will cost around $150,000.

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Touch Bionics Launches iLimb Pulse

Touch Bionics has come out with a new model of it's i-LIMB hand called the i-LIMB Pulse. According to the press release the i-LIMB Pulse is a significant advance for the i-LIMB product line, with a host of enhancements, including pulsing grip strength, software-enabled grip patterns and robust aluminium features for improved strength.

When the i-LIMB Pulse closes on an object, the user has the option to use the pulsing feature to apply significant additional grip force, allowing the device to grasp an object more tightly. These high-frequency electronic pulses are very important in everyday activities for users, such as tying shoelaces or doing-up a belt. With an aluminium chassis, the i-LIMB Pulse's robust design features make it Touch Bionics' toughest prosthetic device yet, capable of carrying a load of up to 90kg.

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Second Hormone used in Artificial Pancreas

JDRF who are working on an Artificial Pancreas for type 1 diabetes have announced they successful tested for safety and efficacy the use of an extra hormone 'glucagon', in addition to insulin. Glucagon is a naturally occurring hormone that raises blood sugars in response to hypoglycemia and is impaired in people with type 1 diabetes. The addition of glucagon to the closed-loop system was designed to more closely mimic the physiology of a person without diabetes. The trial was completed by researchers from Boston University and Massachusetts General Hospital.

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The Power Loader Exoskeleton Prototype

This exoskeleton is being designed in Japan for the construction industry. Its called the Power Loader and allows the wearer to effotlessly lift 220lbs or 100kg. Although its still a prototype, you get a sense of what the final version will look like. The makers hope to be testing it on construction sites by 2015.

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CardiacAssist reports 2,000th case for TandemHeart

The TandemHeart® extracorporeal circulatory support system has now been used in 2,000 cases. CardiacAssist who make the TandemHeart have said that it is being used in 90% of the “Best U.S. Heart Surgery Hospitals” as ranked by U.S. News World Report. More than 100 additional U.S. hospitals are considering TandemHeart purchases in this calendar year.

Michael Garippa, CEO said "Since becoming commercially available in 2004, two thousand of the most dire cardiac patients at a vast majority of the finest hospitals across the United States have benefited from TandemHeart availability. About 35% of these patients have been treated for ventricular dysfunction in a highly emergent setting, while approximately 65% have benefited from TandemHeart support during high-risk surgery or the riskiest of cardiac interventions.

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Artificial Pancreas - MiniMed Paradigm and REAL-Time Revel

The MiniMed Paradigm® REAL-Time Revel™ is made by Medtroncs and is available for sale in the United States. The system is designed to make the lives of diabetics easier by monitoring and delivering insulin automatically. This closed loop system can be thought of as an artificial pancreas. The system also predictively alerts the wearer of high or low glucose events so they can take early action if required.

The artificial pancreas has been around for a while, however its not been very reliable mostly due to algorithms which control them. The innovation of giving early warning of hypoglycemia, is a great relief for patients and simplifies the complexity of diabetes management with easy-to-use features.

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Boston Dynamics PETMAN Walking Robot

Boston Dynamics has developed this walking robot prototype called PETMAN. The final version is due to be completed in 2011 and will be able to able to walk and crawl for simulating combat suits.

Although this is being developed for military testing, the natural heal-toe walking could make some good human like bionic legs. Or the auto stabilization software applied to existing exoskeletons could one day allow for disabled and elderly people to walk again.

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View the product page at http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_petman.html

Heartware Ventricular Assist System

Heartware is an Australian company that manufactures a Ventricular Assist System. It's designed to help patient's with weakened hearts by removing blood from the left side of the heart and pumping the blood into the aorta.

A miniaturized centrifugal pump called the HVADTM is designed to rest inside the chest and can generate up to 10 liters per minute of blood flow. Two small motor stators inside the pump housing cause an impeller within the device to rotate, pumping blood through the system.

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The Xfinger by Didrick Medical

Didrick Medical have developed the X-Finger. It's is the world’s first active-function artificial finger assembly designed specifically for partial finger amputees. The device allows users to regain complete control of the flexion and extension movements of an artificial finger in a self-contained device. An optional silicone sheath can be fitted over the mechanics to reveal a realistic looking finger that was never lost.

The Xfinger is not powered, but rather relies on the movement of the remaining muscle. However the simplicity and no need for power is what makes the device so comfortable and natural.

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Cancer Implant Device Offers Continuous Tumor Monitoring

Monitoring a tumor for weeks or months after the biopsy, tracking its growth and how it responds to treatment, would be much more valuable, says Michael Cima, MIT professor of materials science and engineering, who has developed the first implantable device that can do just that. Cima and his colleagues recently reported that their device successfully tracked a tumor marker in mice for one month. The work is described in a paper published online in the journal Biosensors & Bioelectronics in April.

Such implants could one day provide up-to-the-minute information about what a tumor is doing -- whether it is growing or shrinking, how it's responding to treatment, and whether it has metastasized or is about to do so."What this does is basically take the lab and put it in the patient," said Cima, who is also an investigator at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT.

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