Tag: Life Science

Repetitive, monotonous work is tiring. In test labs a quarter of the working day can be lost to such tasks. When handling liquids, precision is important. Which is why a Danish company has invented a robot to ease the burden of lab workers across Europe. The pipetting machine can process several samples at once and be paired with a...

Every second is vital. In the event of a heart attack, receiving immediate treatment can be the difference between life and death. According to a Swedish research team, defibrillators could soon be delivered by drone. In emergencies they can be on the scene quickly, irrespective of traffic or terrain. Recently, the pilotless aircraft were sent out to accident sites...

Playing an instrument requires dexterity and lots of practice. People whose arm strength has been compromised, because of a stroke, for example, are often reliant on physiotherapy. Special sensors can help retrain patients' grip. But the speed at which arm strength can be rebuilt depends on the availability and cost of appointments. A research team from Imperial College, London,...

Gloves protect us from injury or the cold. The odd pair can even make sign language audible. Now, thanks to an innovative engineering team at MIT, there is a glove that can measure tactile dexterity. Equipped with microscopic gold filaments, the glove’s specially developed sensors, which use the ions from human sweat, can register even the smallest of changes....

Undergoing any sort of change requires support, be it a change of job due to physical limitations or, say, migrating to Canada. Now a US startup is launching an online platform for women entering the menopause. Users can share symptoms and receive medical support. An individual treatment plan is jointly agreed. The effects of hormonal change can be softened...

In Covid times video calls have become a staple of school life - and medical practices. Describing symptoms like fatigue and headaches is easy, but how to check vital functions? Using callers’ smartphone or computer cameras, a new state-of-the-art system employs real-time video to measure changes in how light is reflected off a person’s face, which is connected to...

If a cold front is forecast we pack a jacket. For those with epilepsy, the ability to predict a seizure would make life easier to plan for, and medication and its side effects easier to manage. In a three-year study at Boston Children’s Hospital, 69 epilepsy patients wore a sensor band on either wrist or ankle. Heart rate, body...

Plastic-free shopping and green energy are no longer the end of the story. For the environmentally-conscious among us, even death can be sustainable. We’ve seen coffins made from mushrooms; now in the US, a pioneering human-composting funeral home has opened its doors for the first time. The process, which transforms the corpse into fresh mineral-bearing soil, begins in a...