Important Innovations Collection

DARPA May Have Found It Source:  DARPA Giving Soldiers "Superpowers" The technology comes from France's engineering school IMT Atlantique.  They've created the first standalone contact lens with a tiny, flexible microbattery.  The US Defense Departments Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA is interested in the technology to enhance soldiers' visual capabilities in the field and a lot more.  This appears to be the answer to DARPA's 10 year search for very smart contact lens. Breakthrough Smart Visual Technology This is a wirelessly connected contact lens capable of providing augmented vision assistance and relaying visual information wirelessly.  IMT has developed a flexible battery that continuously powers a LED light for several hours.  They add that graphene-based flexible electronics can enhance the smart contact lens' capabilities. Many Applications Besides greatly augmenting soldiers' capabilities in the field, this has applicati...

Tiny, Waterproof Patch with Sweat Based Sensors Source:  Northwestern University's Sweat-based Sensor Spots Health Conditions Real-Time A patch has been developed by bioengineers at Northwestern University that reads your sweat and spots medical conditions.  The sweat based sensor provides real-time information on the wearer's levels of chloride, glucose and lactate, sweat rate and pH. The device lets you know if you are dehydrated, lack oxygen, dangerously low on electro-lights, have diabetes or cystic fibrosis. Next Generation Health Tracker Today's fitness trackers gather mostly mechanical metrics.  A new generation of devices are being developed to access the person's underlying medical conditions.  Northwestern's device is a leading example. Personalized Health Care Northwestern's device is a personalized approach to fitness and health.  It is battery free, wireless and uses sensors and colorimetrics to provide results.  To put it simply...

Wireless e-Pill Delivers Drug Therapies & Monitors Real-Time Source:  MIT Medical Innovation on the Cutting Edge MIT scientists, along with Draper Lab and Brigham & Women's Hospital researchers, have done it again.  They've created an ingestible electronic pill that's controlled by Bluetooth wireless technology.  The device can be customized to deliver drugs, include sensors to monitor gastric conditions or do both.  It's cutting edge ingestible technology that the team produces by 3D printing. Smart Phone Controlled It can reside in the stomach for a month.  All the while responding to instructions from a user's smartphone and transmitting information  The scientists say it can be used to treat a variety of diseases by delivering drugs particularly over a long time period.  It can also be customized to spot infections, allergic reaction and specifically target and calibrate therapy deliveries.  And it can provide the informatio...