I think I’ll wear my robot

The world of wearable tech is continually expanding — from heart rate to glucose monitors, but is a wearable robot possible? It seems so.

A group of South Korean scientists have designed an exosuit made of fabric weighing less than half a kilogram to help people with neuromuscular diseases like Duchenne muscular dystrophy move their arms with ease.

Just like real muscles, the tiny springs made of smart metal inside contract and relax with heat. The suit has the look and feel of real clothing and can be controlled with a smartphone app to adapt support levels.

Eight people have tested the suit and have reported 50 percent improved shoulder movement and 20 percent less difficulty performing daily tasks.

Muscle strain was also reduced, meaning users needed less effort to move.

The research team aims to make the suit smarter and able to naturally respond to the wearer’s motions.

The research was published in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.

More like this: Wearable tech helps protect workers from heatstroke

Some long COVID mysteries solved

The recent advancements in our biosensor technology mark a significant step forward in the fields of diagnostics and environmental monitoring. With its high sensitivity, multiplexing capability, and robust design, the rGO-based biosensor is poised to become a transformative tool in medical and environmental applications.

This is significant because early-stage cancer detection, as enabled by the biosensor’s ability to detect biomarkers like Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) at clinically relevant levels, can dramatically improve treatment outcomes and patient survival rates.

Similarly, its successful application in detecting SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic highlighted its potential to respond rapidly to emerging health crises, enabling timely and accessible diagnostics. Beyond healthcare, the biosensor’s role in environmental monitoring, such as detecting trace pollutants and pathogens in water, addresses critical global challenges like water quality and safety. These capabilities underscore its versatility and societal impact, ensuring that it can serve as a cost-effective, scalable solution for pressing issues in healthcare and environmental sustainability. As we move toward commercialization, our focus remains on ensuring widespread accessibility and impact, continuing to innovate in this critical domain.

The global COVID-19 pandemic may be in the rear-view mirror, but the research world is still working hard on the umpteen questions that arose throughout the crisis. Some of these mysteries involve long COVID and why some people get it and others don’t.

People with long COVID continue to exhibit symptoms for months or even years after testing negative for the virus. The most common symptoms include extreme fatigue; brain fog or memory problems; dizziness; and trouble with smell or taste.

A recent study published in npj Digital Magazine might help predict who is most at risk.

The research suggests that individuals experiencing long-term symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection exhibit distinct physiological characteristics detectable through wearable devices.

Twenty thousand people were monitored via wearable devices; the commonality among those with long COVID revealed those individuals had a higher resting heart rate and lower step count.

Long COVID was shown to affect those with generally lower quality of life and overall well-being, suggesting lower fitness levels and/or pre-existing conditions may contribute to the severity of post-COVID-19 conditions.

The research also indicated possible value in wearable technology in tracking health trends and identifying those at higher risk for long COVID.

More like this: What we know about long covid

Wearable tech helps protect
workers from heat stroke

Between 1992 and 2017, 815 American workers died and another 70,000 were seriously injured from heat stress, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But new wearable tech could make laboring outdoors much safer.

American company Kenzen developed a device that attaches to a strap a worker can wear on the upper arm, similar to one a runner might use to carry a phone. It measures the wearer’s core body temperature; heart rate; how much the worker sweats; and level of activity. The device indicates in real time if the wearer is in danger of heat stroke and is used as a preventative tool.

A signal sent to the wearer and any nearby health and safety managers indicates the worker needs a break. The detailed health information, however, is sent to only the wearer in order to maintain privacy. The data is stored in the cloud so companies can analyze patterns and adapt work schedules.

UAE-based Emirates Global Aluminium ran a trial on the device with 50 employees in summer 2022, CNN reports.

Without these factors in place, wearable technology on its own cannot eliminate the risk of heat-related illness for people working outside.

Salman Abdulla, Emirates Global Aluminium

Salman Abdulla. CREDIT: Emirates Global Aluminium

Though the data from the trial is still in review, the metal producer reports that the device did well maintaining connectivity in difficult areas and fared well in terms of comfort. Additionally, they were able to identify increases in susceptibility to heat-related illnesses at the end of the day and if the wearer was fatigued prior to beginning a shift.

The company managed zero heat-related illnesses so far in 2022 and will continue to examine what role the device played in this result. The first year without heat-related incidents for the company was 2019. Emirates Global Aluminium is the largest industrial company in the UAE outside of the oil and gas sector.

“This is complementary to the decades of work we have done on heat-stress, which focuses on providing workers with knowledge to actively care for themselves and others around them, empowering them to take action when they have a concern, and providing the tools and resources they need to take that action. Without these factors in place, wearable technology on its own cannot eliminate the risk of heat-related illness for people working outside,” Salman Abdulla, the company’s executive vice president for environment, health, safety and sustainability, tells KUST Review.

Wearable safety technology includes smart helmets, smart footwear, exoskeletons and smart safety vests.