Tag: Assistance

In future, edible drones could be used to reach inaccessible locations. Now a Danish research team wants to equip large sea vessels with fully autonomous drones. If someone falls overboard, the drone is immediately dispatched complete with an inflatable life jacket that sends a GPS signal. This improves the person’s survival chances and enables lifeboats to locate them quickly....

A pillow jacket warns deaf people of dangers at night. Meanwhile in Toronto a research team has combined with international partners to develop a vest that could enable a deaf-blind woman from London to safely scale Mount Everest. The vest translates her guide’s hand gestures into vibration signals. These are created through the presence of four motors, one on...

A ring can control light switches and air-conditioning units. Now for people who rely on working dogs comes a British research team’s wireless control for household devices. Born out of the team’s extensive experience of working with charities and dogs, the blue auxiliary device is easy for owners’ canine companions to recognise. They can be trained to switch it...

A nature-inspired gripper works particularly well on uneven surfaces. Endoscopic surgery, in which suspicious tissue is removed for safety reasons, relies on doctors’ ‘touch’. But touch is a precarious thing. Enter a US research team and its soft sensors that can measure force during minimally invasive procedures. The sensors are 3D-printed, moulded and made from silicone. Each contains tiny,...

Smart visors adapt to sunlight, while intelligent helmets are equipped with indicators and warn cyclists of approaching traffic. Now a German company is supporting cyclists with normal helmets to receive the help they need in an emergency. Together with a Swedish technology partner, the team has developed a smart, retrofittable buckle for chinstraps. Using an accompanying app, important medical...

A robot glove compensates for reduced gripping capacity, while a joystick helps stroke patients strengthen their arms. Now, an Italian startup is aiming to enhance patients’ upper body motor rehabilitation through its certified exoskeleton. Encompassing a chair and attached joints for both arms and shoulders, it allows patients to work on all their upper limbs at once. Sensors determine...

Elephant trunks have inspired a microhydraulic robot. Meanwhile a research team in China has taken its lead from the ancient lamprey fish’s mouth to create its new hybrid suction disc, complete with a soft silicon lip which doubles as a seal on the outer edge. Instead of teeth the disc calls on the knobs of a Shape Memory Polymer...

Even jellyfish have culinary potential. But those undergoing radio- or chemotherapy often lose their sense of taste and smell. Enter a Swiss startup aiming to support those affected, in the process reducing the risk of malnutrition and helping cancer patients rediscover their love of food. An olfactory kit first establishes which aromas and scents patients can still perceive and...