Recent Patents on Biomedical Engineering (Discontinued) - Volume 6, Issue 2, 2013

Advances in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), solid-state, wireless, and battery technologies have made possible the development of a new generation of portable, low-power, wireless, and high-capacity movement sensors with significant potential in a variety of medical applications. This article includes a review of recent patents focused on novel wearable movement sensors appropriate for biomedical applications in Read More

This article provides a brief review of recent patents focused on detection and quantification of human tremor. Tremor is the most common type of involuntary movement. The paper provides a discussion of recent patent publications that include disclosure directed to methods, apparatuses or systems for objective detection and quantification of tremor. Our patent search strategy reveals that over 63% of the patent publication Read More

Gait disturbance is an important symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD). This paper presents a review of patents reported in the area of computerized gait disorder analysis. The feasibility of marker-less vision based systems has been examined for ‘at-home’ self-evaluation of gait taking into account the physical restrictions of patients arising due to PD. A three tier review methodology has been utilized to synthesiz Read More

This review focuses on recent innovations and patents with the aim to allow people with movement disorders to control their environment. This particularly includes different technologies for input devices to control computers and other electronic equipment used by persons with movement disorders, enabling the empowerment of this user group. The control of such devices can be the key to social inclusion and mean impro Read More

A major problem with the clinical management of fluctuating movement disorders, e.g. Parkinson’s disease (PD), is the large variability in manifestation of symptoms among patients. In this condition, frequent measurements which account for both patient-reported and objective assessments are needed in order to capture symptom fluctuations, with the purpose to optimize therapy. The main focus of this paper is Read More

Intervertebral discs allow the spine to transfer loads and motion in the upper body. They redistribute compressive loads, resist rotational and shear forces, and at the same time impart various motions in each of the spinal vertebral segments. Pain and disability result from degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, and injuries from trauma. Reduced movement and pain are associated with these conditions and may result in Read More