Research Terms
This omnidirectional, wireless helix antenna provides power to implanted medical devices and capsule endoscopes, while allowing these devices to better relay health information for easier diagnosis and treatment. Every year in the U.S., more than $85 billion is spent on implanted medical devices, including $5.5 billion and $4.5 billion on defibrillators and pacemakers, respectively. These implanted devices and other medical technologies, such as wireless capsule endoscopes, need to be able to communicate information back to healthcare providers who use this data to diagnosis illnesses and make treatment decisions. Wireless capsule endoscopes allow for better visualization of the gastrointestinal tract than traditional endoscopes. Their performance, however, suffers from antennas that provide spotty coverage. University of Florida researchers have addressed this problem by developing a durable dual mode antenna with improved efficiency and omnidirectional radiation capabilities and wireless power transmission.
A wireless, rechargeable antenna that facilitates the communication of health information by implanted medical devices and capsule endoscopes
Researchers at the University of Florida have designed a dual-functional helix antenna with wireless communication and power receiving capabilities for medical implants. The antenna is designed on a flat liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) substrate and rolled up into a cylindrical shape. This cylinder operates as a far-field antenna for wireless communication and also serves as an inductive element for near-field wireless power transmission. The antenna can be used to charge the sensor using the wireless charging station or a cellphone with wireless power delivery capability such as near field communication (NFC).
This mouth guard uses sensors to provide real-time data readout of vital signs and potential injuries sustained while playing sports. The market size for wearable fitness monitors, mainly wristbands and smartwatches, has increased by 90 percent in recent years. Although these devices monitor certain vital signs such as heart rate, they cannot record health information near the head such as concussions and heat stroke. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur in sports and recreational activities annually. University of Florida researchers have created a wearable device that aids the identification, quantification, and management of head, heat, and heart-related injuries that may occur during physical activity. This device could include a software counterpart for data display and cloud storage for user tracking, and could help physicians noninvasively collect samples to test for diabetes and cancer.
Smart mouth guard that collects data on many common sports injuries and prevents serious aliments
This device utilizes 11 sensor channels to collect data regarding the user’s heath. This data can be sent to a master device such as a smart phone, tablet, or computer where it can be viewed and analyzed in order to ensure the safety of the user. Most wearable impact technology uses only a 6-axis inertial sensor whereas the mouth guard uses 9-axis inertial sensors to monitor lateral force and angular momentum. This allows the user to detect dangerous levels of force they may have experienced during physical activity, and it uses the Earth’s magnetic field to compensate for errors that may occur over long periods of use. The mouth guard collects data points about the user’s heart rate and blood pressure using an infrared sensor, monitors the core body temperature using a temperature sensor, measures biting force using a capacitive pressure sensor to prevent bruxism, and detects biological markers in the user’s saliva to noninvasively test for diseases.
This efficient, cost-effective device produces superior-quality nanoporous membranes and three-dimensional nanoporous structures used in medical-tissue scaffolding. Since these membranes and structures are formed by stacking directionally controlled nanofibers using the unique stamp-thru-mold process, the membranes and 3-D scaffolds can have nanoscopic morphology with microscopic size control in lateral and vertical dimension. They provide a solid structure that mimics the environment found in the human body, which is useful for human cell and tissue culture. The device uses a mechanical patterning approach rather than photolithography or other approaches involving chemicals. This powerful feature puts at the user’s disposal biocompatible materials that previously could not be employed to manufacture micropatterned nanoporous membranes due to chemical contamination concerns. Researchers are increasingly mindful of the shortcomings of 2-D cell culture and their effect on the value and relevance of their studies. The device can control the porosity of the membranes and the dimension of 3-D nanoporous structures, and can customize the composition of each layer (e.g., installing gradients to direct cell growth) at the nanofiber production stage. These superior membranes and 3-D nano scaffolds are more versatile, reliable and better suited to uses such as cell culture and tissue scaffolding. The system of production is not only faster but is also more cost-effective and manufacturable.
Device that uses stamp-thru-mold process to pattern an electrospun nanoporous membrane and 3-D tissue scaffold
Electrospun nanoporous membranes are membranes created from a substance (usually a polymer)that is electrically charged, then ejected in a pattern onto an opposite electrically charged plate. The opposite charges attract and the substance sticks to the surface of the plate in a specific pattern set by the user. The device developed by UF researchers uses a similar process with some important modifications and additional patterning processes. An electrospinning-stamp-thru-mold (ESTM) patterning technique is applied to mechanically define micro and meso patterns in the nanoporous membrane, resulting in 3-D nanoporous micro/meso scaffold, obviating the need for photoinitiators and/or solvents that may contaminate the product. The resulting stackable membranes are versatile and multifunctional, as fiber composition can be customized as needed and mimic the 3-D environment found in the human body, providing a desirable foundation for tissue scaffolding and cell culture.
