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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday April 22 2017, @06:12PM   Printer-friendly
from the advances-in-proctology dept.

Everyone experiences stiff muscles from time to time, whether after a rigorous workout, in cold weather, or after falling asleep in an unusual position. People with cerebral palsy, stroke and multiple sclerosis, however, live with stiff muscles every single day, making everyday tasks such as extending an arm extremely difficult and painful for them. And since there isn't a foolproof way to objectively rate muscle stiffness, these patients often receive doses of medication that are too low or too high.

Now, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of California San Diego and Rady Children's Hospital has developed new wearable sensors and robotics technology that could be used to accurately measure muscle stiffness during physical exams. "Our goal is to create a system that could augment existing medical procedures by providing a consistent, objective rating," said Harinath Garudadri, a research scientist at the university's Qualcomm Institute and the project's lead investigator.

"Many clinical exams and procedures are very subjective and rely on measurements that are done with a physician's hands," said Andrew Skalsky, director of the division of Rehabilitation Medicine at Rady Children's Hospital. "We often make major medical decisions and diagnoses based on touch and feel. With this technology, we can start to develop objective measurements for subjective processes."


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Yet Another Sign Language Glove 10 comments

Another slow news day; yet another sign language glove. But this time it is different!

Specifically, the DailyFail covers a New Scientist report about US$100 gloves which translate ASL [American Sign Language].

It is perhaps not as medically useful as a rectal haptic logging device or stroke recovery glove, perhaps not as visionary and audacious as the 1989 Nintendo Power Glove, but perhaps some of the numerous sign language gloves can be used as ambidexterous VR gloves? Likewise, when the crypto-currency market crashes again there'll be a huge surplus of GPUs for VR.

Full disclosure: I'm easily amused; especially with purile jokes about cyber logging and stroking aids. However, in the last two months, I filed a haptics patent (which started as a purile joke). Also, I'm working on a US$300 immersive sound system and I'll have a large number of spare I/O pins.


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  • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @06:12PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @06:12PM (#498009)

    One finger goes in your mouth. One finger one goes in your ear. One finger goes in your butt.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @11:57PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @11:57PM (#498114)

      This glove can replace all medical instruments. Just grab em in the pussy.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @06:18PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @06:18PM (#498012)

    I always go for a rigorous workout because I'm social and social media is not physical enough for me. I need to see and be seen. I want to find the fittest dudes to massage their cum into my prostate.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @07:25PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @07:25PM (#498029)

      Hot.

    • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday April 22 2017, @08:17PM (1 child)

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Saturday April 22 2017, @08:17PM (#498050) Homepage

      I'm so fucking buff when I get cramps on my calves at night, even all the force of both of my arms cannot undo them -- I have to stand up and throw the entire weight of my body on my foot to stretch out the calf. Hurts like a bitch, but that's the price I pay for being a buff fuck-stud.

      The worst is when you're having sex and you get ass-cramps. Then you have to reach back and keep hitting or rubbing your ass while rocking yourself back and forth. One time I was having sex and my ass-muscles were so fatigued that my leg started jerking uncontrollably whenever I was about to come. Now that was a goddamn pain in the ass, for sure.

      Maybe I should get one of these gadgets, or perhaps eat more calcium. Mmmmm, cheese makes everything better.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @09:55PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @09:55PM (#498086)

        Have your partner pull out for a moment. Works a treat.

  • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Saturday April 22 2017, @06:58PM

    by kaszz (4211) on Saturday April 22 2017, @06:58PM (#498020) Journal

    Here's the key to how it works:

    Taped onto the palm are more than 300 pressure sensors that measure the amount of force required to move a patient's limb. A motion sensor taped on the back measures how fast the limb is being moved.

    The data produced is then transmitted via USB and most importantly the next keyword is that it's integrated. So pressure + speed => integration => muscle stiffness readout. Time for DIY?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @09:20PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 22 2017, @09:20PM (#498067)

    Turn your head and cough suddenly takes on whole new meaning.

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