“For the first time, surgeons have transplanted a kidney from a genetically modified pig into a living person, doctors in Boston said Thursday.
Richard Slayman, 62, of Weymouth, Mass., who is suffering from end-stage kidney disease, received the organ Saturday in a four-hour procedure, Massachusetts General Hospital announced. He is recovering well and is expected to be discharged soon, the hospital said.”
From NPR.
Wall Street Journal | Accidents, Injuries & Poisonings
“Now smart-bandage prototypes fill display halls at medical conferences. Many contain small electronics that can detect how a wound is healing and wirelessly transmit the information to a doctor. Some enable the doctor to remotely dispense treatments. Such technical sophistication likely wouldn’t be necessary for a simple cut or scrape, but could be lifesaving for severe wounds treated in the hospital or chronic wounds cared for at home.”
From Wall Street Journal.
“By using an AI method known as a neural network, researchers were able to train Pancho’s implant to decode words based on the brain activity produced when he attempted to articulate them. This AI training method basically allows the brain implant, known scientifically as a brain-computer interface device, to process data in a way that is somewhat similar to the human brain.
By 2021, the technology had significantly helped restore Pancho’s ability to communicate, but only in English.
‘Speech decoding has primarily been shown for monolinguals but half the world is bilingual with each language contributing to a person’s personality and worldview,’ Chang’s research group said on X. ‘There is a need to develop decoders that let bilinguals communicate with both languages.’
However, the 2021 research served as the foundation to develop the decoding system that later made Pancho’s brain implant bilingual in Spanish and English.”
From NBC News.
“AI linked to every day items like kettles and showers could alert family members if their elderly relatives have diverted from their normal morning routine.
The system, being trialled by Censis, learns typical activity of of someone living alone and aims to spot any erratic behaviour, helping to identify when they may have issues.
If Allan Fraser, 94, fails to make his usual morning cup of tea at his home in Buckie and does not respond to an automated text message, then his son will be alerted.
Allan is one of 19 households across Dundee, Glasgow and Buckie taking part in the trial, which Censis hopes to roll out on a larger scale.“
From BBC.
“As prosthetics become more sophisticated, a form of A.I. known as machine learning is teaching bionic limbs how to learn. They can understand patterns and make predictions from past behavior. Arms and hands have become more dexterous, more subtle, more lifelike…
After losing her right arm in a subway accident two years ago, Ms. de Lagarde connected with makers of some of the world’s most advanced prosthetics.
Now, when Ms. de Lagarde, 45, moves, sensors embedded in her right arm track muscle movements and send a signal to her hand to perform the job — making morning coffee, straightening her hair or snuggling with her daughter.
It’s a far cry from her former life, but the prosthetic has provided her with capabilities that may have been gone forever.”
From New York Times.
