The science of ultrasonic sensing has been in use for security lighting for a quarter of a century. These sensors can be used to initiate any type of response required. These sensors use a very old technology, the Doppler principle, in new and modern ways. From its inception and until now ultrasonic sensing is the best way to detect human movement in a protected area.
There are several reasons why, for lighting, ultrasonic sensors are better than any other type. Ultrasonic sensors detect Continue Reading »
Underwater acoustic technology is a scientific technology that has improved modern life in many ways. It allows scuba divers to talk to each other. It helps police monitor the divers they send in to find people and helps us both locate and keep others from locating our submarines.
Scuba divers have long used hand signals to communicate. In recent years, technology has made it possible for them to use their voices to talk to each other. A transducer attaches to Continue Reading »
When you are in a bar or a bus, you may find it difficult to converse, hence frustration. However, it is not poor reception or high volume that makes it difficult for you to hear the person you are conversing with on the other end of the connection but the pitch. Since majority of voices are below 5,000 Hz, many scientists have ignored the significance of high pitched sounds.
A cell phone can cut off your voice if it is at the range of the highest pitch. Your high frequency Continue Reading »
New technologies are being developed, to assist the blind. Acoustic technology is one of the technologies, that is becoming more advanced. A new device, named EYE 21, which looks like a pair of dark sunglasses, is combined with headphones and tiny cameras. A blind person, wearing EYE 21 moves their eyes toward a location. The device, then provides an acoustic image for the blind person. EYE 21, uses sounds as replacements for shapes, while analyzing space in a format understandable, to the blind person. With time and experience, blind people can conceptualize the sounds into a three dimensional model, in their brains. Continue Reading »
Using sound to kill bacteria sounds like something out of science fiction, but it is science fact. As antibiotic resistance grows, new methods are needed. Using sound to fight bacteria is a growing field. Two recent approaches highlight this cutting edge technology.
Sterilization of medical implements can be difficult. The high temperatures traditionally used to sterilize instruments can damage them. Chemicals alone may not be enough. By placing the instruments in a solution of isopropyl alcohol and Continue Reading »
The words ultrasonic scalpel might sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, but these devices have existed since the 1980s, and they’ve been constantly modified and improved over the years to give surgeons the best options available when it comes to dissecting soft tissues. And, for those that are curious, sonic scalpels have been in use for a number of years now.
However, let’s reel back the expectations for a moment. These scalpels are still tools with metal blades, rather than condensed knives of sonic force, and they do still cut a patient’s soft tissues. They Continue Reading »
Acoustic imaging promises more accurate tissue diagnostics than ever before. Advances in sound technology allow a level of imaging never possible before. By generating sound waves precisely and recording their echoes intelligently it is possible to build a 3d sonar image of the inside of the human body. The human body is mostly water, and this means that sound waves travel through the body exceptionally well. But different tissues and bodily structures have different densities, and that means Continue Reading »
The number of ultrasonic therapy applications has multiplied at the same time as ultrasonic tools have shrunk in size and cost. Uses include cauterizing internal wounds, disenfecting medical implantations, performing surgery without an incision and even treating brain cancer. Currently, ultrasound is even detecting thyroid nodules in thousands of victims of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
Brain cancer is particularly difficult to treat. Surgery generally does not remove 100% of the malignant cells. A chemical wafer, implanted at the site of the removed tumor, is frequently used to try to destroy these remaining cells. This Continue Reading »
Therapeutic ultrasound is a non-invasive treatment that uses high ultrasonic waves to cause a healing effect on surrounding tissue. The physical therapist uses a wand or probe to deliver the ultrasound treatment. Gel is first applied to the skin to decrease the friction to the skin. The wand is then rubbed against the skin of the problem area. The waves penetrate the area and cause a vibration that creates a deep heat that is not felt by the patient. This procedure starts the healing process and Continue Reading »
Forget smart phones, today’s technology has brought about the smart stethoscope. First developed in 1816 by Frenchman Rene Laennec the stethoscope was to become the iconic tool associated with physicians. Laennec’s model was similar to an ear trumpet but later models were flexible and transmitted sound to both ears.
The most common sounds the stethoscope is depended upon to transmit are those made by the lungs and heart. When using a conventional stethoscope, a series of four Continue Reading »
