HeartLander gets at those
hard to reach places
Photo: Robotics Institute,
CMU |
A
heart-worming invention
PITTSBURGH — Keyhole heart surgery is in for a
change thanks to a device ambitiously described by some
as a robotic caterpillar — although it looks more
like an inchworm. In the spirit of minimal invasiveness,
the HeartLander, unlike other keyhole tools in certain
procedures, doesn't require the heart to be stopped.
In fact, the HeartLander sticks to the heart, despite
uninterrupted beating, using a pair of 'sucker feet'
— each hooked to an external vacuum. By alternating
between front and back foot suction, motors — also
external to the patient — drive the HeartLander
to expand and contract from end to end, accomplishing
a solid 18 cm/minute pace. Its applications include
drug injection and medical device implantation, which
have been successfully accomplished in live pigs. Future
uses, planned by the team of Dr Cameron Riviere at Carnegie
Mellon University, include the deployment of a radiofrequency
probe to destroy poor-functioning heart tissue. The
tool's progress along the heart's surface is currently
monitored using x-ray video, but it may soon sport a
miniature camera.
Wizzybug: a motor vehicle
for 5-and-unders
Photo: Bath Institute of
Medical Engineering |
Wizzybug:
kids' cooler ride
BATH, UK — Childhood disabilities can significantly
reduce a kid's ability to get around and explore. With
that in mind, Bath Institute medical engineers, in collaboration
with the UK charity Whizz-Kidz, have developed a buggy
with more toy appeal and less of an institutional wheelchair
look to it. The result: Wizzybug, 31kg of cruising ease
for kids aged five and under, with a top speed of 3.2
km/h. Equipped with adjustable "memory foam" seating
and a programmable joystick, it can be operated by the
user, or remotely. The Wizzybug's development took over
three years, and involved consultation with occupational
therapists, parents and, of course, the kids themselves.
Although designed as a buggy for children with disabilities,
design engineer Simon Halsey told BBC news that every
kid that sees it wants one. Being a charity, Whizz-Kidz
intends to sell the Wizzybug at cost (around $4,000
CAD).
Monica pregnancy monitoring
system
Photo: Monica Healthcare
Ltd. |
High-tech
baby monitor
NOTTINGHAM, UK — Parents don't have to wait nine
months to hear their baby anymore. Researchers from
Nottingham University's School of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering, and School of Human Dev-el-opment, under
the banner of Monica Healthcare Ltd, have developed
the Monica AN24 antenatal surveillance device to listen
to fetal heartbearts. Nearly 10% of pregnancies are
considered high-risk, and monitoring them is no small
task. The cellphone-size AN24, which is currently in
clinical trials, could help alleviate this burden: it's
user-friendly and allows monitoring of a fetus' heart
from home.Transmitting information from heart readings
wirelessly to a nearby computer or hand-held device,
the device's biggest feat is separating out the fetal
heartbeat signal from that of the mother. It can even
determine fetal position in the womb.
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