Innovation and translation efforts in wireless medical connectivity, telemedicine and eMedicine: a story from the RFID Center of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh.

Translational research has recently been rediscovered as one of the basic tenants of engineering. Although many people have numerous ideas of how to accomplish this successfully, the fundamental method is to provide an innovative and creative environment. The University of Pittsburgh has been accomplishing this goal though a variety of methodologies. The contents of this paper are exemplary of what can be achieved though the interaction of students, staff, faculty and, in one example, high school teachers. While the projects completed within the groups involved in this paper have spanned other areas, the focus of this paper is on the biomedical devices, that is, towards improving and maintaining health in a variety of areas. The spirit of the translational research is discovery, invention, intellectual property protection, and the creation of value through the spinning off of companies while providing better health care and creating jobs. All but one of these projects involve wireless radio frequency (RF) energy for delivery. The remaining device can be wirelessly connected for data collection.

Influence of boric acid additive size on green lubricant performance.

As the industrial community moves towards green manufacturing processes, there is an increased demand for multi-functional, environmentally friendly lubricants with enhanced tribological performance. In the present investigation, green (environmentally benign) lubricant combinations were prepared by homogeneously mixing nano- (20 nm), sub-micrometre- (600 nm average size) and micrometre-scale (4 µm average size) boric acid powder additives with canola oil in a vortex generator. As a basis for comparison, lubricants of base canola oil and canola oil mixed with MoS(2) powder (ranging from 0.5 to 10 µm) were also prepared. Friction and wear experiments were carried out on the prepared lubricants using a pin-on-disc apparatus under ambient conditions. Based on the experiments, the nanoscale (20 nm) particle boric acid additive lubricants significantly outperformed all of the other lubricants with respect to frictional and wear performance. In fact, the nanoscale boric acid powder-based lubricants exhibited a wear rate more than an order of magnitude lower than the MoS(2) and larger sized boric acid additive-based lubricants. It was also discovered that the oil mixed with a combination of sub-micrometre- and micrometre-scale boric acid powder additives exhibited better friction and wear performance than the canola oil mixed with sub-micrometre- or micrometre-scale boric acid additives alone.

Communication between functional and denervated muscles using radiofrequency.

OBJECTIVE: This article focuses on establishing communication between a functional muscle and a denervated muscle using a radiofrequency communications link. The ultimate objective of the project is to restore the eye blink in patients with facial nerve paralysis. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Two sets of experiments were conducted using the gastrocnemius leg muscles of Sprague-Dawley rats. In the initial tests, varying magnitudes of voltages ranging from 0.85 to 2.5 V were applied directly to a denervated muscle to determine the voltage required to produce visible contraction. The second set of experiments was then conducted to determine the voltage output from an in vivo muscle contraction that could be sensed and used to coordinate a signal for actuation of a muscle in a separate limb. After designing the appropriate external communication circuitry, a third experiment was performed to verify that a signal between a functional and a denervated muscle can be generated and used as a stimulus. RESULTS: Voltages below 2 V at a 10-millisecond pulse width elicited a gentle, controlled contraction of the denervated muscle in vivo. It was also observed that with longer pulse widths, higher stimulation voltages were required to produce sufficient contractions. CONCLUSION: It is possible to detect contraction of a muscle, use this to generate a signal to an external base station, and subsequently cause a separate, denervated muscle to contract in response to the signal. SIGNIFICANCE: This demonstration in vivo of a signaling system for pacing of electrical stimulation of 1 muscle to spontaneous contraction of another, separate muscle, using radiofrequency communication without direct connection, may be used in numerous ways to overcome nerve damage.