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(Credit: 3M Health Care)

That ubiquitous symbol of the medical profession, the stethoscope, is finally undergoing a 21st century tech makeover. The next time you drop by the doctor's, his acoustic listening implement may well sport Bluetooth connectivity and an LCD panel.

3M Health Care has announced the Littmann Electronic Stethoscope, which packs features most headphone users would be familiar with, such as noise cancellation and greater sound clarity.

With the souped-up hearing, the Littman then transmits lung, heart, and body sounds wirelessly to the bundled Zargis StethAssist program for further analysis, as well as to keep a record on file. Which is all good for patients and physicians. That said, the cost has also been upgraded to a pricey $379, which hopefully won't trickle down too much on your next visit to the clinic.

(Source: Crave Asia)

Philips Research is out with a new intelligent camera pill that can be electronically preprogrammed to deliver targeted doses of medicine to patients with digestive disorders such as Crohn's disease, colitis, and colon cancer.

Don't worry, this is not a life-size representation of the tiny Philips iPill.

(Credit: Philips)

The device comes in the form of an 11 mm x 26 mm capsule that patients swallow with water, just like any other pill. It's designed to pass through the digestive tract of its own accord, meaning you just let nature take its course with this one.

The iPill determines its location via a pH sensor that measures the acidity of the environment, which varies throughout the intestinal tract. The device then releases medicine from its drug reservoir via a microprocessor-controlled pump--either in a burst or a progressive release. Philips says the smart pill can also deliver medicine to multiple locations.

Announced at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' annual meeting and exposition this week in Atlanta, the capsule is also designed to measure data such as local temperature, and report measurements wirelessly to an external receiver unit.

While its drug delivery system appears promising, the Philips iPill is not the first camera pill to enter the picture. Among other such products, GivenImaging created the PillCam Colon Capsule Endoscope for viewing the colon, as well the PillCam ESO for the esophagus and the PillCam SB for the gastrointestinal tract.

(Credit: Vision Systems International)

The new combat helmet now being tested may become an integral part of the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, replacing the traditional jet fighter head-up display with computerized "symbology" projected directly onto the pilot's visor.

In addition to keeping pilots on top of navigation, weapons and other aircraft, the Helmet Mounted Display System will superimpose a binocular-wide field-of-view, infrared image of the world below, allowing the pilot to "look through" the cockpit floor at night. This will let a pilot turn in any direction and still be able to see a virtual heads-up display, replacing the information that is currently seen only at the front of the cockpit.

If it works, the F-35 will be the first tactical fighter jet in 50 years to fly without an HUD. The British Royal Air Force's Centre for Aviation Medicine is evaluating the helmet, which is manufactured by Silicon Valley-based Vision Systems International and Helmet Integrated Systems.

They may want to add the following label. "Warning: In case of crash, remove helmet before approaching natives for assistance."

Has Silicon Valley acupuncturist Ted Ray come up with the cure for jet lag?

Come and dig my herbs.

(Credit: FlyRight )

FlyRight is an herbal concoction that Ray says will ameliorate the effects of jet lag. Jet lag is often caused by the disruption in a person's circadian rhythms--the rhythms an individual establishes with the day/night cycles where they have been living.

But there are other causes--canned, recycled air; stress; dehydration; and poor blood circulation. All of these symptoms can be attenuated by the various herbs in the liquid, he says. Ginkgo? Good for swelling and fatigue caused by poor circulation. Linden works on circadian clock disruption. Avena? Helps take away the wooziness caused by that recycled air. The ingredients also can help fight off the risk of catching a cold from someone on a plane, the creator of the product says.

"Is there a perfect solution to flying? Not really, but if you can solve 80 percent of the problem, you're ahead of the game," he said. "If you get to Germany at 10 a.m., you don't want to be sleeping in your suit by 3 p.m."

Doubters exist the medical value of herbs, but, as Ray points out, every CEO at every pharmaceutical company has scientists trolling around the Amazon looking for natural medicines.

A $14 2-ounce bottle is good for a round-trip flight within the U.S. or a one-way international flight. The 2-ounce limit makes it small enough to carry on a plane. You can mix it with vodka too, but vodka will dehydrate you, so some of the benefit will wear off.

"Can you eat Big Macs and go to the gym? Sure, but it might make more sense to have a turkey sandwich," he said.

Ray, an acupuncturist and herbalist, developed the product after continually hearing complaints about jet lag from his customers. If FlyRight takes off, you can expect to see a lot of it on the San Jose-Taipei red-eye, which itself is sort of like a 14-hour meeting.

He's got a whole list of testimonials on his site too. But next week, on a trip to Japan, I'm going to try it out and give you a review.

(Credit: Primidi)

Maybe it's an extension of our latently adolescent excitement over the pending Speed Racer movie, but we've been thinking a lot about TV shows from the '60s of late, especially of the sci-fi variety. So it was only a matter of time before we got around to full-length features from the era as well.

As others have noted, obvious comparisons can be made between the microscopic submarine in the 1966 movie Fantastic Voyage and a minuscule robot that's being developed by Israeli scientists. In both cases, the vehicle is designed to travel through the human bloodstream for medical purposes, though presumably the latter will be unmanned.

In the case of the 1-millimeter-diameter bot, according to Coolest-Gadgets, "this is made possible by tiny arms that stretch out, gripping onto vessel walls without causing any harm or injury to the patient." Yikes. Its exact mission has yet to be determined, but one of its possible uses apparently involves prostate surgery. Maybe they should send one to the Swedish Medical Center and automate the entire procedure.

If you're really into robots, maybe it's time a robot got into you. Literally.

A tight fit for anyone's veins.

(Credit: The Daily Mail)

This miniature robotic prototype developed by researchers at the Ritsumeikan University and the Shiga University of Medical Science in Japan can be inserted into a patient's body through a small incision.

The doctors use prior MRI imaging of a patient as a sort of internal Google Map. Once it's in there, the robot can be controlled by doctors outside the body to capture images, take tissue samples, deliver medicine, and even perform minor surgical procedures.

As advanced as the robot is, it uses old-school tech. A small cable connects it to a computer so it can communicate while it's in a patient's body, and doctors control it from outside the body with a magnetic field.

An amazing development to say the least, but the sheer size of the bot is enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies. No worries. While it's in there, the robot can probably cure your heebie-jeebatic symptoms.

(Credit: Storz & Bickel)

Being the responsible lot that we are, Crave occasionally posts public service announcements for the benefit of our readers. So here's one for those of you who use cannabis for medicinal purposes only, of course.

The appropriately named "Volcano Vaporizer" is a device that can make your prescription up to four times more potent than the average dosage. The German-made "BMW of bongs," as Uncrate calls it, also helps purify the substance and minimize the accompanying odor. But the Volcano's $540 price tag could be prohibitive--unless you have the most liberal of health insurance.

The most surprising thing about this item is its country of origin. We would have expected something like this to come from California.

The day may soon come when treating some forms of skin cancer is as simple as putting on a Band-Aid.

Researchers in Scotland have come up with a "light bandage" that contains its own light source and is so portable patients can go about their daily business while undergoing treatment. The invention is the brainchild of University of St. Andrews physics Professor Ifor Samuel (pictured) and dermatology consultant Professor James Ferguson, head of the photobiology unit at Ninewells Hospital Dundee.

The bandage puts a new technological twist on Photodynamic Therapy, a two-step process involving the application of a photosensitive drug followed by controlled exposure to a selective light source that activates the drug and destroys diseased cells.

"By adapting the latest technology to an existing treatment method, we have developed a compact light source for treating common skin cancers," Samuel said. "It can be worn by the patient in a similar way to a sticking plaster, while the battery is carried like an iPod."

The light is generated by an organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, and is a spin-off of Samuel's work on advanced displays. The patented technology has been licensed to a company called Lumicure, which is in discussions with venture capitalists to raise funds for commercializing the product.

In addition to treating skin cancers, the researchers believe the technology could be used in the cosmetic industry for anti-aging treatments, or for conditions such as acne.

(Photo: Alan Richardson)

Given Imaging has come up with another pill for use in examining your insides.

Although it seems comical, this is one gadget you will really be happy about someday. The PillCam Colon Capsule Endoscope is essentially a large pill with cameras inside it for viewing the colon.

Like the PillCam ESO for the esophagus and the PillCam SB for the gastrointestinal tract, patients swallow the pill with water, according to Given Imaging.

The PillCam Colon can generate up to 144,000 images over a 10-hour period, and includes additional features suited to the large intestine that the PillCam SB lacked. In tests, the device picked up on polyps that a regular colonoscopy did not detect.

The PillCam Colon Capsule Endoscope is expected to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of 2006, according to Given Imaging. Other versions of the pill, like the pediatric version used for detecting conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, have been approved in the U.S. since 2003.

According to information on Given Imaging's Web site, capsule endoscopy is covered by several major insurance companies, including Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and Oxford. Software for the device is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Dutch and Finnish.

As Medgadget pointed out, the PillCam Colon was unveiled at the United European Gastroenterology Week in Berlin.

Now there's no excuse not to get checked.

(Photo: Given Imaging)