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MIT researchers develop new navigation system for visually impaired people

Computer scientists have been working for decades on automatic navigation systems to aid the visually impaired, but it's been difficult to come up with anything as reliable and easy to use as the white cane, the type of metal-tipped cane that visually impaired people frequently use to identify clear walking paths.

31 May 2017

Innovative software allows deaf-blind persons to enjoy television content without intermediaries

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Telefónica and FASOCIDE presented the PervasiveSUB technology, ground-breaking software which allows deaf-blind persons to receive and enjoy television content without intermediaries at the same time as the people around them.

19 May 2017

Brain makes new connections in blind people to enhance compensatory abilities

The brains of those who are born blind make new connections in the absence of visual information, resulting in enhanced, compensatory abilities such as a heightened sense of hearing, smell and touch, as well as cognitive functions (such as memory and language) according to a new study led by Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers.

23 Mar 2017

Learning complex tactile tasks activates the visual cortex

Biology lessons teach us that the brain is divided into separate areas, each of which processes a specific sense. But findings to be published in eLife show we can supercharge it to be more flexible.

15 Mar 2016

Braille maps created to help blind, visually impaired people navigate local training center

Using a high-tech 3-D printer, a Rutgers undergraduate and his professor created sophisticated braille maps to help blind and visually impaired people navigate a local training center.

27 Feb 2016

KNFB Reader named winner of Best Assistive iOS App of the year

The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce that KNFB Reader has been chosen by the AppleVis community as the winner of the Best Assistive iOS App of the year for the second year in a row.

4 Jan 2016

Mechatronic engineers create bracelet that makes mobility simpler and safer for blind people

The technological development has international recognition and has sparked interest for industrial production by a manufacturer in the medical sector.

22 Nov 2015

Brainpaths neurological device stimulates brain‘s sensory cortex

Brainpaths is a BREAKTHROUGH: a Neurological Medical Device that stimulates the sensory cortex of the brain; Brainpaths Medical Device is non-powered, approved for home use and can be purchased without a prescription for under $40.

25 Jun 2015

OIB Program helps older Californians with blindness to live and work independently

More than ever, older Californians are facing the threat of blindness from age-related eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma.

12 Feb 2015

ETH Zurich researchers demonstrate promising method to fabricate cellulose-sheaths for implants

Artificial implants such as pacemakers often cause complications because the body identifies them as foreign objects. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now demonstrated a simple method to fabricate cellulose-sheaths for implants, whose micro-structured surface makes them especially biocompatible.

19 Jan 2015

Biomedical engineering professor wins prestigious 2014 Early Career Achievement Award

Qi Wang, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, recently won the prestigious 2014 Early Career Achievement Award from the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS).

12 Aug 2014

Study provides new knowledge about EphA2 receptor involved in several forms of cancer

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have headed a study that provides new knowledge about the EphA2 receptor, which is significant in several forms of cancer. This is important knowledge in itself - but just as important is how this study, which is published in the highly respected journal Nature Methods, was conducted.

8 Jul 2014

Passive stimulation improves sense of touch and motor skills in stroke patients

A team headed by PD Dr Hubert Dinse and Prof Dr Martin Tegenthoff has successfully treated a number of patients suffering from stroke-related impairments. Their report has been published in RUBIN, the Ruhr-Universit-t's science magazine.

25 Feb 2014

Neuroscientists develop stimulation glove for patients suffering from stroke-related impairments

Improving the sense of touch and motor skills without active training - what sounds impossible, does actually work. Neuroscientists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have developed a glove that uses weak electrical pulses to stimulate the nerve fibres that connect the hands with the brain.

24 Feb 2014

Innovation leads to faster drug therapies, increased understanding of proteins on microscopic level

Membrane proteins are the "gatekeepers" that allow information and molecules to pass into and out of a cell. Until recently, the microscopic study of these complex proteins has been restricted due to limitations of "force microscopes" that are available to researchers and the one-dimensional results these microscopes reveal.

17 Dec 2013

Unique approach to help discover how cell changes shape in response to topographies

Cells in the human body change shape as they crawl, split, or cling to other surfaces, but while the scientific literature is filled with examples of how cell shapes shift in response to things they touch, little is known about the rules that govern these changes. And there has been no high-throughput way to systematically test different topologies against different types of cells to optimize the surface of something like a medical implant.

24 Oct 2013

Haptics improve outcomes in people with visual prosthetics

Normal vision is essentially a spatial sense that often relies upon touch and movement during and after development, there is often a correlation between how an object looks and how it feels. Moreover, as a child's senses develop, there is cross-referencing between the various senses. Indeed, where the links between the senses are not made, there may be developmental problems or delays. This should be taken into consideration when training new users of visual prosthetics, artificial retinas, or bionic eyes, suggest researchers in Australia.

2 May 2013

Researchers use atomic force microscopy technique to read information encoded in gut lining

A new technique based on atomic force microscopy was developed at the Institute of Food Research to help 'read' information encoded in the gut lining.

15 Apr 2013

Scientists map sensory nerves in mouse skin

Johns Hopkins scientists have created stunning images of the branching patterns of individual sensory nerve cells. Their report, published online in the journal eLife on Dec. 18, details the arrangement of these branches in skin from the backs of mice.

20 Dec 2012

Skin vibrations convey information to the brain much the same way as auditory system

When you walk into a darkened room, your first instinct is to feel around for a light switch. You slide your hand along the wall, feeling the transition from the doorframe to the painted drywall, and then up and down until you find the metal or plastic plate of the switch. During the process you use your sense of touch to develop an image in your mind of the wall's surface and make a better guess for where the switch is.

12 Dec 2012