Today the AP reports that “a robotic hand has been successfully connected to an amputee, allowing him to feel sensations in the artificial limb and control it with his thoughts,” thanks to a group of Italian engineers. The “LifeHand” experiment lasted over a month and is a significant step forward in the sphere of prosthetic limbs. [AP]

For more on robotic limbs, read about the work of Yoky Matsuoka.

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Tags: Biomedical, Electrical, Mechanical

Doctors and nutrition scientists have long warned us about the potential dangers of meat. The over-consumption of animal fats – especially red meat – has been linked to such problems as obesity, heart disease, and cancer; and the harvesting of livestock puts a serious strain on the environment. So beyond limiting one’s meat intake (and following food journalist Michael Pollan’s advice to “eat food, not too much, mostly plants”), what’s a burger-loving person to do?

As it turns out, the future of your Thanksgiving feast might just lie in a test tube.

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Filed under: Agricultural, Biomedical, e-News | 1 Comment »

Tags: Agricultural, Biomedical

Sandy Hawkins is an acoustical engineer, which means he spends much of his time figuring out how to make useful sounds and to reduce unwanted ones. Lately Hawkins has received acclaim for his invention of the Lung Flute, a plastic tube that, when blown into, vibrates to the same frequency as the cilia responsible for clearing out our lungs (16Hz). This forces the tiny, hairlike cell parts to move in unison, thus loosening up congestion in the lungs. Video after jump. [PopSci]

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Filed under: Biomedical, e-News | 7 Comments »

Tags: Biomedical, Music

The students at Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove, CA have been busy lately with an important engineering project: making solar-powered medical briefcases to help save lives in 3rd-world clinics, where electricity and resources are often scarce. [SacBee]

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Filed under: Biomedical, e-News, Environmental | Comments Off on High Schoolers Build Solar Suitcases

Tags: Biomedical, Environmental, Giving Back, Green Technology

Bioengineers are working on a new medical adhesive inspired by the glue-like substance secreted by the sea-dwelling sandcastle worm. This waterproof glue would be ideal for mending broken bones and fractures that are too delicate to fix with metal pins. [Gizmag]

Watch an incredible video of the sandcastle worm at work here.

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Filed under: Biomedical, e-News | Comments Off on Worm Glue to Heal Broken Bones?

Tags: Biomedical