New Technologies Supporting Surgical Interventions and Training of Surgical Skills: A Look at Projects in Europe Supporting Minimally Invasive Techniques

Principle and design of a mobile arm support for people with muscular weakness

This article describes the development of a mobile arm support for people with muscular diseases. The arm support is spring-balanced, with special attention on reduction of operating effort (high balancing quality and low friction), functionality (large range of motion), and aesthetics (inconspicuous design). The spring settings can be adjusted...

The role of geometry in the friction generated on the colonic surface by mucoadhesive films

One of the main challenges in designing diagnostic devices able to move along the colon is their locomotion method. Generating friction without applying high normal forces is a key requirement in order to eliminate the risk of tissue damage. One possible solution is to generate friction by means of adhesive forces. For this reason, the device...

The Perspective Effect of Wide-Angle Lenses in Laparoscopes

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of perspective distortion of wide-angle lenses in laparoscopes on hand-eye coordination during endoscopic manipulation. Methods: Sixteen subjects repeatedly performed a standardized positioning task in a pelvi-trainer under two conditions. The subjects had no prior experience with endoscopic manipulation. In one...

How Crouch Gait Can Dynamically Induce Stiff-Knee Gait

Children with cerebral palsy frequently experience foot dragging and tripping during walking due to a lack of adequate knee flexion in swing (stiff-knee gait). Stiff-knee gait is often accompanied by an overly flexed knee during stance (crouch gait). Studies on stiff-knee gait have mostly focused on excessive knee muscle activity during (pre...

Poor motor function is associated with reduced sensory processing after stroke

Abstract The possibility to regain motor function after stroke depends on the intactness of motor and sensory pathways. In this study, we evaluated afferent sensory pathway information transfer and processing after stroke with the coherence between cortical activity and a position perturbation (position-cortical coherence, PCC). Eleven subacute...