Gallery: Breakthrough Medical Gadgets: The Future of Healthcare Hardware
01xiaflex2
Nearly a thousand of the brightest minds in medical R&D convened in San Diego last week for the TEDMED conference. This for-profit event isn’t directly owned by the non-profit TED organization — so famous for its conference devoted to new ideas in *technology, entertainment and design* — but its management team members are reportedly, er, TEDsters, and what we discovered at TEDMED was interest-piquing to a TEDian degree. Innovative new medical gadgets and other bleeding-edge healthcare hardware ran rampant. Here are some of the more, well, *unusual* pieces of technology we uncovered after scouring meeting rooms and watching dozens of lectures. __Xiaflex Injection Trainer__ [The Chamberlain group](http://www.thecgroup.com/) makes more than 500 lifelike rubber dummy models that are used to train doctors. One of its most amusing creations is a disembodied hand that allows doctors to practice injecting an enzyme into diseased tendons. You see, quite a few elderly people develop a condition called Dupuytren's contracture, which causes one’s fingers to permanently curl. If you inject a bit of a collagenase enzyme into the right spot, it fixes the problem — but if you inject the enzyme into the *wrong* part of the hand, a whole new set of problems develops. Enter the Xiaflex injection trainer. The dummy has a set of lights: Green will light up if the needle hits the right spot. Red and yellow display if you’re off the mark. It’s a lot like playing Operation, the board game, but with real needles.
02accuvein
__AccuVein AV300 Augmented Reality Vein Viewing System__ Jabbing a needle into someone's vein isn’t as easy as it looks. Even experienced nurses run into trouble once in a while. So, to solve this problem, the [AccuVein wand](http://www.accuvein.com/products/catalog/av300-vein-viewing-system/) scans for thick blood vessels and then projects a picture of them onto the patient’s skin. It shows you exactly where to stick the needle (disclaimer: our photo doesn't do the true effect justice), but doesn't work that well on hairy arms. Push a single button and it shines a beam of infrared light onto the patient. Hemoglobin in his or her veins absorbs the light and shows the wand where the veins are. The projector lights up all of the areas where you *shouldn't* stick a needle, leaving blank areas above all of the largest veins. AccuVein is already available in more than a thousand hospitals.
03Emotiv EPOC
 __Emotiv EPOC Wireless EEG Headset__ [Emotiv](http://www.emotivlifesciences.com/) has developed a headset that makes it relatively easy to monitor electrical signals from the brain, allowing technicians to eschew the hassle of setting up a regular electroencephalogram. See, with a traditional electroencephalogram, you have to put electrodes in precise locations and coat them with a layer of conductive goo. But not so with this device. Just wet the contacts, slip on the headset, and you're ready to do some neuroscience. Emotiv hopes the headset could eventually be used to diagnose neurological disorders such as epilepsy, or identify kids who have autism.
04DuoFertility 1
 __DuoFertility Wireless Ovulation Monitor__ Are you or your partner having trouble conceiving? Help is on the way: Women can stick this [wireless sensor](http://www.duofertility.com/) under their armpits to find out when their body is in baby-making mode. The monitor runs up to 20,000 body-temperature measurements per day, and can give users a heads-up about six days before they start to ovulate. Around that time, a woman's basal body temperature will be at a monthly low point. According to the manufacturer, going at it like bunnies at *exactly the right time* is even more effective than a round of in vitro fertilization. The temperature sensor isn't much bigger than an antacid tablet, and it comes with an egg-shaped handset that wirelessly downloads the data. A strip of lights on the receiver tells the woman how many days until her next peak fertility period, and various buttons allow her to easily punch in a log of her sexual activity, menstruation, and other important reproductive happenings. All of that data can be downloaded to a computer via a USB port on the side of the handset. The device is already available in the United Kingdom, and earlier this year it garnered an investment from Qualcomm Ventures. So it should be coming stateside soon.
unknown05DNA Handheld
 __DNAe Rapid Genetic Testing System__ Genetic tests can predict how well someone will respond to a medication and diagnose inherited diseases. Unfortunately, however, most of them have excessively long turnaround times. Thus, the incredible speed of these [DNAe gadgets](http://www.dnae.co.uk/platform.htm) is game-changing. After 10 years of research, Chris Toumazou and his team from DNA electronics and Imperial College have built a genetic analyzer that's the size of a USB stick. While speaking on stage, Toumazou analyzed saliva samples from the event organizers, comparing their genetic material to DNA extracted from a banana. His demo was silly, but made a serious point. The new gadget can check people's genes in 15 to 20 minutes, far faster than the best DNA tests that can be found in hospitals today. The system makes copies of DNA using the PCR reaction, and then uses ion-sensitive transistors to measure the production of those copies. A similar technology is used in Life Technologies' Ion Torrent gene sequencing systems. The handheld DNA tester should allow doctors to make much better decisions when they're writing a prescription or trying to figure out what's wrong with a patient. For instance, some people respond very poorly to the blood thinner clopidrogrel and others can drop dead if they take the antibiotic floxicillin or the antimalarial drug primaquine. A quick genetic test could prevent those tragedies.
06Panasonic Exercise Chair
__Panasonic EU6441 Exercise Chair__ In theory, you can get an abdominal workout by riding on this [miniature mechanical bull](http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Personal-Healthcare/Exercise-Equipment/model.EU6441A) while watching TV or reading a book. As it tilts back and forth, you'll naturally correct your posture — and every time you do that, you'll burn a bit of energy and strengthen your core muscles. Unfortunately, the chair doesn't whip around violently enough to throw a sober person onto the ground. But it does seem like a neat toy. According to a Panasonic rep, these are selling quite well in Asia but they haven't caught on yet stateside. TEDMED-worthy? Eh. We're not sure. But our man in red looks somewhat, er, content.
07earlysense2
__EarlySense Monitoring System__ Plop down onto a bed that's equipped with the [EarlySense](http://www.earlysense.com/) system, and within about a minute it will be monitoring your vital signs. A piezoelectric sensor sits below the mattress, listening to your every breath and heartbeat. You don't need to attach any wires or probes to your body. In fact, the system is so non-invasive, it could be used to keep tabs on finicky seniors in retirement homes, and can cut down on the tangled mess of cables and tubes in hospital beds. It was developed by engineers in Israel, and is available in several US medical centers. In addition to monitoring vital signs, the system can also alert nurses when someone who shouldn't be walking has gotten out of bed. It can also remind nurses to adjust a patient's body position so they don't get pressure ulcers. Nice!
08Lifecomm
__Lifecomm Emergency Alert Watch__ Within a few months, seniors will be able to buy [this watch](http://www.lifecomm.com/devices.html), which is equipped with an emergency alert button, GPS, and motion sensors. Push the panic button, and you'll be immediately connected to a private dispatch team. Motion sensors inside the watch can tell when someone has fallen and can't get up. If that happens, it alerts the seniors' caregivers automatically. The GPS feature allows family members or nursing home staff to track the wearer, and alerts them if their quarry wanders off. Unlike older emergency alert systems, which connect to a base station and a landline, this one uses mobile phone networks to send distress signals. Tracking a disoriented senior's every move has never been easier.
