A health sensor that sends signals when a person is going to get sick is closer to becoming a reality. Biosensors have the ability to monitor ‘disease markers’ such as genes, proteins and other health related biochemical substances and can signal when things are not right.
Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of ACS, describes a project that strives to develop better artificial arms for injured soldiers. Scientists have designed a new robotic arm that has the capability to move like a human arm and is aided by a control system. The system uses a biosensor, which is implanted on the patient’s brain surface, to track the brain activity. The device is undergoing clinical trials.
Considering the importance of such devices, medical device regulators and scientists have joined together to speed up the approval of such devices. According to C&EN, scientists need to find better materials for biosensors to increase their lifespan after implantation.
Source: http://pubs.acs.org/