Biotech & Health

Synex founder, once detained at the border with a 80-pound magnet, is building portable MRIs to test glucose

Back in 2019, Synex Medical founder Ben Nashman spent the night detained by US customs. Nashman tried to explain he was simply transporting materials from Buffalo to Toronto for his homemade MRI. Customs, however, took issue with the label on the package: “nuclear magnetic resonance.”  Nashman spent hours in a bright waiting room before he […]

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This robotic knee exoskeleton is made from consumer braces and drone motors

Robotic exoskeletons are an increasingly popular method for assisting human labor in the workplace. Those that specifically support the back, however, can result in bad lifting form by the wearer. To combat this, researchers at the University of Michigan have built a pair of robot knee exoskeletons, using commercially available drone motors and knee braces.

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Luminate’s hair-saving chemo helmet nears release, as new funding goes toward home cancer care

Luminate’s wearable device for hair retention during chemotherapy treatment is getting the testing it needs for commercial release, but the startup is already looking ahead to its next goal: powering at-home cancer care. A new $15 million funding round should help it make a start on it. The startup is one of the most unusual,

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Neuralink’s ‘breakthrough device’ clearance from FDA does not mean they have cured blindness

Neuralink, the Elon Musk-owned brain-computer interface company, has received “breakthrough device” clearance from the FDA. But this does not mean the outfit has developed a cure for blindness, whatever Musk might say. The breakthrough devices program at the FDA is a voluntary program that developers can apply to that, if granted, “offers manufacturers an opportunity

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Londoners will soon see drones ferrying blood between hospitals

As part of a new, joint pilot program by U.K. startup Apian, Alphabet’s drone company Wing, and the U.K.’s National Health Service, drones will soon be used to fly urgent blood samples between two hospitals in London.  As part of the six-month pilot program, drones will deliver urgently required blood samples for surgery patients —

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XP Health grabs $32M to bring employees more affordable vision care

Antonio Moraes, the grandson of a late prominent Brazilian billionaire, was never interested in joining the family-owned conglomerate of construction companies and a bank. Shortly after graduating from college, he founded one of Brazil’s first impact funds, which invested primarily in companies that made healthcare more accessible and affordable. But while attending Stanford University, where

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Apple AirPods Pro granted FDA approval to serve as hearing aids

The iPhone 16 took center stage at Apple’s “Glowtime” event, but the most interesting tidbit came from a different line entirely. Indeed, among a sea of new hardware came an intriguing software update to one already on the market: the AirPods Pro 2. Apple announced that its most premium earbuds would double as an over-the-counter

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Neurode wants to treat and track ADHD symptoms through a wearable headband

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects more than 366 million adults in the U.S. alone, according to a 2020 study, but beyond medicating with stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin, there are few alternatives for people who suffer from the disorder. Therapy, education and lifestyle changes are usually also advised, but those avenues can prove difficult

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