Scientists in Australia are gearing up for clinical trials of a brain implant that may restore limited sight in blind people. Developed at Monash University in Melbourne, the Gennaris system involves bypassing the eye completely and targeting the vision center of the brain. A person would wear a pair of glasses outfitted with a camera that, via a computer, feeds what it is seeing to the brain implant. The wireless implant is positioned on the surface of the brain and…
Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed an ultra-low-cost hearing aid, for which all the components cost in total less than $1. Designed to be worn by people with age-related hearing loss, the technology provides much of the functionality of conventional hearing aids, but at a tiny fraction of the price. The device may represent a lifeline for hundreds of millions of people worldwide who need a hearing aid but can’t afford one. Age-related hearing loss is very common, and it…
Arriving as quickly as possible to the site of a medical emergency is a critical goal for any paramedic. It may be easy enough in urban and even rural areas, but when someone is stuck high up a mountain there are often no expedient options. Drones may offer help in certain cases, such as delivering external defibrillators for bystanders to use, but nothing can replace having a professional medic onsite. England’s Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), which operates in areas where…
