Longevity science

Concussions should be tended to a soon as possible after they occur, but it’s often difficult to tell whether or not one has actually been sustained, without taking the person to a hospital. That’s why scientists at Indiana’s University of Notre Dame have developed a tablet-based test that detects concussions on the spot, by analyzing the voice.

The test is particularly likely to be used in sports, and requires the person to recite a variety of words once before they start playing, and then again once they’ve (possibly) been injured.

Generally speaking, people tend to dislike doing the exercises that are part of physiotherapy. Not helping matters is the fact that in many cases, patients must travel to a clinic to perform those exercises under the supervision of a trained professional. Now, researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS are developing a “telerehabilitation” system that allows patients to perform exercises at home or when out and about, while still receiving feedback from a physiotherapist.

The system consists of a mini-PC-like internet-connected “physio box,” a mobile sensor unit, and “exercise editor” software.

This snapshot is the result of using an Imagejs module to determine how fast brain cancer cells are growing.

A University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) team has developed ImageJS, a free app system that analyzes tissue images.

ImageJS is the first in a serie

It’s so obvious when you think about it. The iPhone has a microphone, a computer that can process audio, and earphones – why not use it as hearing aid? That’s just what a group of scientists from the University of Essex have done, with their BioAid app. It has the potential to replace thousand-dollar hearing aids with a free download ... as long as users don’t mind keeping their phone close at hand.

There are quite a few wearable sensors designed to provide some high tech help getting fit, such as larklife and Fitbit. But a team of designers from Salt Lake City in the U.S. is convinced there’s room for their Amiigo, a fitness bracelet project currently going the crowdfunding route. Considering how fast the project has attracted support it seems that, yes, there is room for another player in this niche.

StethoCloud low-cost stethoscope attachment for smartphones designed to diagnose conditions such as childhood pneumonia.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. and most people will have had a skin cancer screening at the doctor at some point. But how many actually receive check-ups with the frequency necessary to catch harmful lesions forming on the skin before they become lethal?

Scientists at the University of Michigan have created an app called UMSkinCheck that directs users to take photos of themselves in order to perform self-checks for different forms of skin cancer.