Medical Design Briefs - February 2023 - 56

n Smart Jumpsuit
Monitors Infant Motor
Development
A novel wearable for infants
provides reliable assessment
of motor abilities
A novel wearable for infants provides reliable
assessment of motor abilities. (Credit:
University of Helsinki)
during early development.
The smart jumpsuit, called
MAIJU (Motor Assessment
of Infants with a Jumpsuit),
is a wearable medical device
equipped with multiple movement sensors, which assist in assessing
and predicting children's neurological development.
The development of the MAIJU wearable required a technical
breakthrough in the development of machine learning
algorithms for this purpose. This was achieved by combining
a new kind of motility description with state-of-the-art deep
learning solutions.
The research shows that it is very possible to assess the motor
development of an infant outside of a hospital or special laboratory
setting. A particular advantage of the MAIJU methodology
is the fact that it allows clinicians to carry out developmental
assessments in the natural environment of the child, such as a
home or daycare.
The methods can be scaled for wide use and adapted for developing
wearable solutions to help other patient groups, such
as older children or elderly people.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0223/jumpsuit.
n Device Diagnoses,
Treats H. pylori
Researchers have deClinical
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test Ramanometry
for H. pylori (CAST-R-HP). (Credit: Liu Yang)
veloped a medical instrument
called Clinical
Antimicrobial Susceptibility
Test Ramanometry
for Helicobacter pylori
(CAST-R-HP) that
holds promise as a powerful
new tool in the diagnosis
and treatment
of H. pylori infections.
The device performs
rapid pathogen identification
as well as metabolism
inhibition- based
antimicrobial susceptibility tests, and high-quality single-cell
whole-genome sequencing for unveiling antimicrobial resistance
mechanisms. The approach provides greater than 98 percent accuracy
and is successful at precisely one-cell resolution working
directly from biopsy samples.
The core technologies, called D2O-probed Ramanometry
and Raman-activated Cell Sorting and Sequencing (RACS-Seq),
are integrated in the CAST-R-HP instrument. The team will explore
ways to further accelerate the CAST-R-HP, for example, by
developing a microfluidics-based chip to enrich the trace number
of cells directly from the H. pylori infected biopsy tissue.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0223/pylori.
56
The tool enables surgeons to feel tissues dur ing
an operation. (Credit: NYU)
n Tool Brings Touch
to MIS Procedures
Researchers have developed
a simple, yet
effective approach for
on-demand tactile sensing
in minimally invasive
surgery, overcoming
a key limitation
- the inability of surgeons
to feel tissues
during an operation.
The tool uses off-theshelf
sensors integrated into a laparoscopic grasper.
The Smart Laparoscopic Forceps (SLF measures in real time
the grasping force and angle of the grasped tissue using a force
sensor on the grasping jaw and an angle sensor at the handle.
The data is analyzed using a microcontroller, and the grasping
feedback is displayed on a monitor.
Based on the deformation parameters captured by the two
sensors, this smart tool gives the surgeon a relative stiffness
index of the tissue on top of the applied force magnitude to
help with decision-making throughout the surgery. Using this
approach, conventional surgical tools can be made smart with
tactile feedback features, on demand, and in plug-and-play
configuration. Future work will focus on developing even
more precise ability to mechanically discern subtle differences
in tissue stiffness and texture.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0223/touch.
n Waterproof Fabric
Converts Motion into
Electricity
The NeuroString probe in a mouse colon.
(Credit: Jinxing Li/Bao lab, Stanford)
Scientists have developed
a stretchable and
waterproof fabric that
turns energy generated
from body movements
into electrical energy.
A crucial component
in the fabric is a polymer
that, when pressed
or squeezed, converts
mechanical stress into
electrical energy. It is also made with stretchable spandex as a
base layer and integrated with a rubber-like material to keep it
strong, flexible, and waterproof.
In a proof-of-concept experiment, the team showed that tapping
on a 3 × 4 cm piece of the new fabric generated enough
electrical energy to light up 100 LEDs. Washing, folding, and
crumpling the fabric did not cause any performance degradation,
and it could maintain stable electrical output for up to
five months.
The scientists envision that their prototype could be woven
into T-shirts or integrated into soles of shoes to collect energy
from the body's smallest movements, piping electricity to mobile
devices.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0223/fabric.
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs, February 2023
http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0223/jumpsuit http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0223/touch http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0223/pylori http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0223/fabric http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs - February 2023

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