A treadmill developed at NASA Ames Research Center more than a decade ago for exercising in space has seen more athletes than astronauts lately.
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AlterG, a Fremont, Calif., startup, has sold more than 200 of the “anti-gravity” physical therapy and training treadmills, which are based on the NASA prototype, at $75,000 each. The buyers have mainly been sports teams, college athletic departments and hospitals, but the maker hopes to eventually push prices down to where individuals could own one.
A new model, the M300, costs $24,500 and is starting to be acquired by physical therapy clinics and nursing homes, where they are used for exercise without the risk of falling.
PhysOrg.com) — What started out as ‘blue-sky’ thinking by a group of European researchers could ultimately lead to the commercial mass production of a new generation of optoelectronic components for devices ranging from mobile laboratories to mobile phones.
Allowing doctors to field-test patients and, thanks to a highly portable laboratory, come up with quick results leading to an immediate diagnosis is one of the medical community’s most sought-after goals.
Projects have been launched all over the world to explore possible ways of doing this, with new methods of miniaturising components very much a key part of developing what is increasingly being called a “lab-on-a-chip”.
(PhysOrg.com) — Tiny devices made possible by combining the latest advances in mechanical and electronics technology could be at the heart of next-generation personal navigation and vehicle stabilisation tools thanks to European researchers.
Clinical informatics is a method of organizing information in the health care industry. It blends information technology, computer science and biomedical informatics. Clinical informatics is a field that is constantly striving to make information more accessible in the simplest way. It involves storing, managing and accessing important health records.
Clinical informatics uses technology and computers to store data at an institution such as a hospital, doctor’s office or other health care facility. Since there are so many papers and files to process at any medical setting, an efficient system for keeping track of it all is required. Medical informatics becomes a way to organize and process the information. Examples of information stored in health informatics include disease research, patient backgrounds, statistics and treatment plans.
Biomedical informatics, as a scientific discipline, has its roots in the early 1970s. It encompasses the fields of bioinformatics, medical imaging, health informatics, and several other disciplines. In recent years, this biological field has experienced explosive growth, due to public access to massive amounts of data generated from the Human Genome Project. A host of other complementary research efforts have also contributed to the knowledge base. This synergistic blend of multiple branches of biology, combined with information technology and knowledge, has enabled researchers and clinicians to utilize an array of information to advance biological research and healthcare.
A biomedical equipment technician has three areas of responsibility: maintaining the equipment, completing equipment related orders, and teaching. A biomedical equipment technician can be found in a wide range of hospitals, medical centers, and diagnostic clinics. Typically, a biomedical equipment technician has a dedicated workspace, where all the portable equipment is stored. He or she has a specially designed workbench and the tools available to make required repairs.
In order to become a biomedical equipment technician, post-secondary education is required. Most technicians have completed a two- or three-year program from a community or career college. The primary focus of this program is on the calibration, set up, installation, and repair of specialized biomedical equipment.
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