Walmart has partnered with Zipline to deliver health-related products directly to customers. “We are teaming up with Zipline to launch a first-of-its-kind drone delivery operation in the U.S.,” says Tom Ward, Senior Vice President of Customer Product at Walmart. “The new service will make on-demand deliveries of select health and wellness products with the potential to expand to general merchandise.”
Walmart will begin testing drone delivery early next year near their Arkansas headquarters. Zipline specializes in delivering medical supplies and other critical products for businesses via its unique drone technology. So far the company has made 58,436 commercial deliveries so far.
“Zipline will operate from a Walmart store and can service a 50-mile radius, which is about the size of the state of Connecticut,” said Ward. “And, not only does their launch and release system allow for quick on-demand delivery in under an hour, but it also eliminates carbon emissions, which lines up perfectly with our sustainability goals. The operation will likely begin early next year, and, if successful, we’ll look to expand.”
“As we continue to build upon the foundation of innovation laid for us by Mr. Sam, we’ll never stop looking into and learning about what the next best technology is and how we can use it to better serve our customers now and into the future.”
Technological advances of recent years have made the pandemic much more tolerable than pandemics of the past. We have access to each other via multiple digital platforms, from social media to video chatting. We have access to news through the internet and social media so we know what’s going on in the world, good and bad. We have access to whatever supplies we need to shelter at home, from a new couch all the way down to basic needs like food. Everything we need or want is available at the touch of a button, including medical care.
Telehealth and telemedicine have really been bridging the gap throughout the duration of the pandemic. There are subtle differences between the two, though. Telemedicine is specifically the practice of medicine through remote means, such as when you have a video conference with your doctor to discuss whether a new medication is working.
Telehealth encompasses telemedicine but also encompasses several other types of practices, as well. When medical providers meet to discuss latest techniques or a patient diagnosis virtually, that is a function of telehealth.
When a hospital does patient outreach and education virtually, such as a parenting class via video meeting, that is also a function of telehealth.
Telehealth covers all the virtual aspects of healthcare that are taking place now more than ever in an effort to keep vulnerable patients safe and extend access to healthcare to those who aren’t able or comfortable with going to the doctor’s office in person.
These electronic breakthroughs are not without risk, though. Regulations have been relaxed during this time of pandemic to make it easier for patients to receive medical care through any means possible, including unsecured video conferencing. The downside here is that patient personal information can be accessed when it is sent over unsecured channels, but right now the need to keep patient access flowing outweighs the need for privacy.
Medical providers also have reservations about this type of healthcare in the long term because of concerns about accuracy and privacy.
But for now, telehealth and telemedicine are popular options. As more medical providers equip themselves with the specialized equipment and apps to provide higher quality remote medical care, people who have mobility issues, are immunocompromised, or those who live in rural or remote areas will begin to have greater access to healthcare.
Technology for remote healthcare is improving rapidly, too. Telemedicine carts feature all kinds of instruments that can be used by a qualified medical technician to take readings that a doctor or specialist far away can use to accurately assess what a patient needs. This technology is likely to revolutionize access to medical care across the world.
Patients want access to remote options for medical visits, especially when those visits are routine. Technological advances are making receiving medical care remotely safer, more accurate, and more secure than ever. As providers and hospital groups adopt this technology more patients will have access. Learn more about the differences between telehealth and telemedicine from the infographic below.
Apple is one of the biggest companies in the world thanks to its mobile devices. The iPhone and iPad have proven to be big sellers quarter after quarter, but the gravy train can’t last forever. Apple has to be constantly looking for the next big thing, and it may have found it.
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Apple applied for a patent that would allow users to unlock phones based upon the unique electrical signals from their heart. Apple may be looking into this method as a more reliable biometric identifier. After all, the fingerprint reader on the iPhone 5S was hacked within a day of release.
While the technology may first appear in smartphones, the report states that Apple has much grander ambitions for it. The company may be using this technology to measure “noise turbulence as it applies to blood flow” to predict heart attacks. The technology, reportedly being worked on by THX creator Tomlinson Holman, could very well come to consumer mobile devices allowing consumers to easily track their own blood flow and detect problems without having to see a doctor first.
While medical devices would be a pretty big departure from Apple’s normal operations, cars would be an even bigger departure. Despite that, the report also states that Apple may be looking into acquiring Tesla Motors – the electric car manufacturer founded by Elon Musk. The acquisition would give Apple an outlet into a quickly growing segment of the automobile market and help the company better compete with Google’s own Open Automative Alliance.
While all of this certainly sounds interesting, none of it has been even remotely confirmed by Apple. This is all based solely upon conjecture and meetings Apple has had with various persons and governmental organizations over the past few months. Even so, Apple will need to find something to bring in money as the mobile device market matures in developed markets. Cars and medical devices may be just the thing. Just don’t expect to hear anything about it for at least a few more years.
Cartilage is an incredibly vital component of our bodies. Unfortunately, it can be easily damaged by a variety of diseases and injuries. To replace it, researchers have turned to 3D printers.
The Herald Sun reports that researchers at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne have created cartilage with the use of 3D printers. Like other 3D printed body components, the 3D printer is used to create a scaffold on which stem cells are placed. Those cells are then grown into cartilage cells which can then hopefully be used to replace cartilage in patients.
For now, we’re not quite at the point where we can replace cartilage with its lab grown equivalent just yet. The researchers were only able to grow pea-sized spheres of cartilage after 28 days. With further research, however, they should be able to create full replacements.
Current technology allows doctors to replace lost cartilage, but the replacements only last a few years. With this technology, doctors should be able to create cartilage that will last just as long as the stuff you’re born with.
What’s more exciting about this breakthrough is that it’s just the beginning. The researchers’ ultimate aim is to facilitate the recreation of limbs. With stem cells and 3D printed scaffolds, the goal is to recreate muscles, bones, fat and other components needed to repair or recreate a patient’s limbs. Some of the researchers even think that we’re only a decade away from the kinds of treatment that we’ve only seen in science fiction up until now.
Like all good things, this kind of research requires money to move forward. The researchers are hoping to receive $180 million in government funding so they can continue to use 3D printers to create the limbs of the future. It’s a worthy goal and one that Australia should be proud to support.
All too often do we forget to celebrate the little things in life – like having the ability to freely move our bodies. For some, that’s not an option as they’re confined to a bed or wheelchair for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, new technologies are beginning to give freedom to those who have all but lost it.
The University of Pittsburgh and UPMC announced this week that its researchers have made a breakthrough in giving mobility back to some one suffering from quadriplegia. The subject, Jan Scheuermann, found herself suffering from spinocerebellar degeneration in 1996 at the age of 36. Two years later, her body had succumbed to full quadriplegia.
In 2011, Scheuermann saw a video from UPMC that featured a quadriplegic man from Texas moving objects on a computer screen with his mind as part of a research study. She immediately signed up and was accepted into the research study in early 2012. After that, she had two quarter-inch square electrodes placed on her brain on the spots that control right and left hand movement.
Early tests proved promising as Scheuermann would think about closing her hand, and the resulting imagery on the computer she was hooked up to would register a response. After only a week, she was already controlling a robot arm and giving high fives to the researchers. All of the previous trials led up to the below occasion when she was able to feed herself chocolate:
Fans of sci-fi and cyberpunk will tell you that this is some of the most exciting medical technology that humanity is working on at the moment. It’s the beginning of a cyborg revolution that can bring mobility back to thousands of people who have lost the use of their natural limbs. Scheuermann’s story is incredibly inspiring, and it’s these kinds of stories that will help quicken the pace of new medical breakthroughs that will better the quality of life for all of us.
Prosthetic limbs have come a long way over the years, but a lot of them still can’t replicate the precise motion that natural limbs perform on a daily basis. That’s quickly changing, however, as one company has already given Nigel Ackland, a 53-year-old who lost his arm six-years-ago, a prosthetic arm that functions just as well as any natural arm.
The arm is called the bebionic 3, and it’s name is intentional. Sci-fi may have come up with the idea of a bionic man, but this arm just proves that sci-fi is now becoming a reality. It’s a triumph in and of itself that this latest prosthetic limb looks and behaves like the real deal, but the real accomplishment lies in how the arm can be programmed to move at the correct speed and strength for each individual.
The arm has obviously made Ackland’s life better, but it’s the small things that really stand out. In the video, he makes his hand go into handshaking mode, and says that it’s what makes us human. That’s the point of this kind of technology – giving people their humanity back. You could argue that a person is no less of a human after losing a limb, but those who suffer through it would likely tell you that there is a feeling of loss. Getting that back may be physically gratifying, but it’s probably even more psychologically gratifying.
It’s not perfect. There’s still obviously some limitations in place that prevent the bebionic3 from being as flexible as a natural hand, but it’s still amazing that we’ve come this far. The technology will only improve, and soon those with these prosthetic limbs will be moving their hands just as naturally as anybody else. In fact, they might even be better as their arms are stronger than any human arm could ever be.
Humans can’t regenerate wounded areas of the body. Sure, we can grow scar tissue to cover up broken skin, but there’s no real tissue regeneration present. What if humans were able to become like Wolverine from the X-Men and regenerate skin without any sign of trauma?
Researchers may have found the answer in two species of African spiny mice. These particular mice have been found to grow back lost skin and flesh. It isn’t a case of wounds healing with scar tissue either. The mice literally grow back everything that was lost including hair follicles, skin, sweat glands, fur and cartilage.
The mice evolved their regenerative powers because they were already weak. Nature describes the species’ skin as being “brittle and easily torn.” It turns out the weakness works in their favor as they’re able to easily escape predators. Any skin that is torn off is grown back with everything in tact.
It’s already impressive that these little guys can regrow skin, but what does it mean for humans? The head researcher, Ashley Seifert, believes that the African spiny mouse has been able to tap into a regeneration switch. What if humans could tap into the same genes that allow these mice to grow back skin? Could humans become far more resistant to damage?
According to the researchers, it’s entirely possible. They point to work that’s already being done in regenerative medicine. One process even involves the growth of organs through 3D printers. It’s all really impressive stuff, but it hasn’t come close to what these mice can do. Here’s hoping for a future where humans can start growing back lost limbs and skin without having to deal with rehab or invasive surgical procedures.
One of the first major medical uses for 3D printers came around a few months ago when researchers discovered that they could print working blood vessels. It was a breakthrough in medical technology and could one day lead to saving more lives through inexpensive means. That same technology has received another massive breakthrough this week that makes it even more appealing.
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have been playing around with the idea of printing blood vessels with 3D printers for a while now. Previous efforts in building blood vessels took a long time as the device first had to print out a sugar-based cast and the cover them in stem cells to create the working vessels. The new technology can create blood vessels out of soft hydrogels in seconds.
The new printing technology is called Dynamic Optical Projection Stereolithography, or DOPsL. The speed at which DOPsL can create blood vessels is a major improvement upon any other medical technology. For now, the scientists want to use the technology to grow and study cells in the laboratory. They could theoretically, however, use it to print biological tissue. In essence, they could grow organs.
Like most major advancements in 3D printing, the innovation comes from doing away with the idea of starting from scratch. Other methods take so long because they’re laboriously layering materials that can take hours to just create one blood vessel. DOPsL takes a solution of photo-sensitive biopolymers and cells and shines light on them in such a way that layers of solid structure emerge from the solution.
It’s these kind of innovations that America should start investing more heavily in. Thankfully, this particular project was made possible by a government grant that allocated $30 million to 3D printing. If we want to become a leader in 3D printing, more investment needs to come from not just the government, but interested third-parties as well.
3D printers are more than just a cool way to make your own plastic models. The technology has numerous medical applications from creating organs to helping a little girl move her arms. Those examples all involve relatively large samples though. What can be done about objects that are less than a nanometer in size?
Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology have come up with a new form of 3D printing called “3D Photografting.” The technology allows scientists to attach molecules to an object on the micrometer level. It uses lasers to make sure the molecules attach at exactly the right place.
So why create an entirely new method of 3D manipulation? The two teams involved in the research said that using traditional 3D printers to attach molecules would be extremely difficult. They created this new method so that they could start with a 3D scaffold and then attach the molecules from there.
The researchers also created a new laser to help them attach molecules to the hydrogel, a material made up of macromolecules. The new laser has a lens with a resolution of 4 µm. This allows them to be extremely precise with one of the researchers equating their work to that of an artist.
The new technology will allow scientists to grow biological tissue. It uses the laser to attract cells to a specific area on the scaffold so they can grow out to create the required tissue. The new technique is in its infancy for now, but it could be used to grow blood vessels and capillaries in the near future.
3D printing and related technologies are already proving to be the future of medicine. Automating the creation of new organs will save numerous lives, especially those who find it hard to find a matching donor.
