Abstract: A bending actuator device or sensor device for sensing bending comprises a stack of electroactive polymer units. The adjacent electroactive polymer units in the stack are slidable relatively to each other. This means that, for an actuator for example, an increased actuation force is enabled without requiring increased driving voltage, and it also avoids the problems of stress build up by allowing sliding between the units.

Abstract: An oral cleaning device comprises a body which carries a set of projections. An actuator device is associated with one or more of the projections in the form of an electroactive polymer structure for adjusting a position of the associated one or more projections. This enables dynamic control of the cleaning function.

Abstract: An internal probe device for insertion into the body of a patient, comprises an elongate body with a plurality of EAP actuators mounted at the surface of the body. The EAP actuators are made to vibrate so that their position becomes visible in a Doppler ultrasound image. The use of EAP actuators to provide vibrations enables individual locations to be identified. In particular, the movement of the EAP actuator may be largely isolated from the main body of the probe. Furthermore, EAP actuators can be thin, lightweight and have a small form factor suitable for application to or within the surface of a probe, such as a catheter, needle or endoscope.

Abstract: A contact lens incorporating one or more surface modified zones on the anterior surface of the lens may be utilized to generate a friction driven rotational force when the upper and/or lower eyelids pass over the one or more regions during blinking. A small difference in the coefficient of friction between the modified and unmodified regions of the lens may result in an equivalent rotational force to that of a thickness gradient lens. This small difference in the coefficient of friction produces a means to orient and stabilize the contact lens on eye.

Abstract: A biological cell preservation or culturing arrangement (20) comprises a chamber defining a fluid retaining space (30) for retaining in use a body of fluid (34) and a deformable membrane (36) in communication with the fluid retaining space, and being manipulable by an electroactive polymer actuator arrangement (38) to undergo a defined topology change to induce in the fluid a pattern of fluid flow by which fluid is exchanged between a sub-region (46) immediately proximal the deformable membrane and a sub-region (48) removed from the deformable membrane.

Abstract: An actuator structure includes an electroactive material-based active layer structure which exhibits an intrinsic variation in actuation displacement as a function of temperature. A passive compensator is provided to modify a current or voltage of an electrical stimulation applied to the active layer structure as a function of temperature such as to compensate for the thermally-induced variation in actuation displacement. The passive compensator comprises a multi-layer temperature-dependent capacitor structure, and is formed by layers of a passive carrier layer structure provided coupled to the active layer structure.

Abstract: An ultrasound interface element (10) is for establishing interface with an incident tissue surface (32) for the purpose of transfer of ultrasound waves. An ultrasound-transmissive active layer (14) is provided comprising one or more responsive material elements (16) deformable in response to an electromagnetic stimulus. The one or more elements are controlled to deform in a manner such as to progressively establish with the tissue surface (32) an outwardly expanding interface, starting from an initial point or line of contact and spreading outwards to a wider area.

Abstract: A method is disclosed of developing a personalized digital model of at least part of the anatomy of a person with a computer system comprising a processor arrangement and a communication module under control of the processor arrangement.

Abstract: Disclosed is a computer system (20) comprising a processor arrangement (22) communicatively coupled to a data storage arrangement (30) storing a virtual model of a patient, said virtual model comprising at least one of a digital representation of at least a part of the anatomy of the patient and a physiological model of a bodily process of the patient; and a communication module (24) communicatively coupled to said processor arrangement and arranged to receive sensor data from one or more sensors (12, 14, 16) arranged to monitor said patient, wherein the processor arrangement is arranged to retrieve (103) said virtual model from the data storage arrangement; receive (105) said sensor data from the communication module; evaluate said sensor data with said virtual model; generate (111, 121) an instruction for altering a mode of operation of at least one sensor of the one or more sensors in response to said evaluation or in response to a user request; and transmit said instruction to the at least one sensor or t

Abstract: A computer system is disclosed comprising a processor arrangement communicatively coupled to a data storage arrangement storing a digital model of a section of a lumen system of a patient; and a communication module communicatively coupled to said processor arrangement and arranged to receive sensor data pertaining to an internal parameter of said lumen system from a sensor within said section of the lumen system. The processor arrangement is arranged to receive said sensor data from the communication module; retrieve said digital model from the data storage arrangement; simulate an actual physical condition of said lumen system by developing said digital model based on the received sensor data; and generate an output relating to said simulated actual physical condition for updating an electronic device. Also disclosed is a method of monitoring a patient with such a computer system, a computer program product for implementing such a method and a patient monitoring system.

Abstract: A nozzle (12) for an oral irrigator device (10) having a guidance tip (34) with an orifice at one end, and a dynamic nozzle actuator (64) positioned within said guidance tip. The orifice (36) is configured to expel a fluid as one of a jet, a spray, or any combination thereof. The dynamic nozzle actuator (64) comprises at least one responsive material adapted for being energized and configured to implement at least one dynamic actuation of an effective channel (62) for dynamically influencing at least one of (i) a direction of fluid expelled from the orifice (36), (ii) an angle of fluid expelled from the orifice (36), (iii) a cross-sectional width of fluid expelled from the orifice (36), and (iv) any combination thereof.

Abstract: A method and system for determining an amount of risk an air pollutant poses to a subject. A risk level is calculated by determining a dosage of the air pollutant, received by the subject over a predetermined period of time, and obtaining historic information about historic dosages of the air pollutant. The risk level is then calculated using the dosage and the historic information to thereby determine a risk level associated with the accumulated deposition of the air pollutant in the portion of the subject's respiratory tract.

Abstract: An intravascular device (200) comprising an active member (202) for reversibly expanding a radial extension of the intravascular device inside a luminal extension of the vessel and comprising a reversibly deformable active membrane (206) that is arranged and configured to change its shape against a variable intravascular fluid pressure exerted on the active membrane in an inserted state by an intravascular fluid, an intravascular pressure compensation cavity (208), which is fluidicly sealed from the intravascular fluid and which includes a first chamber (208.1) that is covered by the active membrane (206), and a second chamber (208.2) that is covered by a compensation membrane (210), which is reversibly deformable in response to the variable intravascular fluid pressure, wherein the first chamber (208.1) and the second chamber (208.2) are in pressure communication with each other and, via the active membrane (206) and the compensation membrane (210), with the intravascular fluid.

Abstract: A sensor device comprising a passive matrix array of electroactive sensor elements arranged in rows and columns. In one example, each sensor element generates a binary sensor signal such that a total signal at each row and at each column enables any pattern of external inputs to be determined. This provides a first way to determine a pattern of sensor elements which are sensing an input using a passive matrix addressing scheme. In another example, each sensor element generates a sensor signal with a different frequency characteristic. This provides another way to enable any pattern of external inputs to be determined.

Abstract: A friction control device (44) is adapted to induce a lateral strain (or stretching) within a human tissue surface to which the device is applied, in order thereby to reduce the static friction between the device and the human tissue surface. The strain is induced by means of an actuator arrangement adapted to effect a relative separation of a plurality of contact surface regions (40) of the device, such that when said regions are pressed onto the receiving surface, the relative separation induces a strain in at least the region of the receiving surface falling between the locations of the applied regions. The extent of separation matches or exceeds the minimum extent necessary to overcome static friction.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a sensor for measuring a physiological parameter of a subject, wherein the physiological parameter sensor is adapted to be worn by the subject; an actuator comprising an electro-active polymer material, EAP, portion for adjusting the position of the physiological parameter sensor relative to the subject; a feedback sensor for measuring movement of the physiological parameter sensor and/or the subject; a controller configured to process the measurements of the feedback sensor and to adjust the position of the actuator based on information from the feedback sensor.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to electroactive material actuators (and combined sensor-actuators) having embedded magnetic particles for facilitating enhanced actuation and/or sensing effects.

Abstract: A blood flow measurement system for measuring a blood flow quantity such as flow velocity or flow volume inside a blood vessel includes an intravascular blood flow measurement device with a body that comprises an expandable body section. A control unit sequentially provides a size control signal indicative of a respective one of the at least two predetermined expandable sizes to be assumed by the expandable body section. A pressure sensor unit measures respective sequences of blood pressure signals over a measuring time span defined with respect to a heart cycle period. A flow determination unit uses the values of cross sectional area of the expandable body section, the associated pressure signals and a known value of a density of blood, to calculate a value of a blood flow quantity inside the blood vessel based on Bernoulli's law.

Abstract: The invention relates to an interventional instrument like a catheter comprising an ultrasound unit (41) and a rotation unit (5) for rotating the ultrasound unit, wherein the rotation unit comprises an actuation element (8) being an electroactive polymer or a one-way shape memory alloy for actuating the rotation of the ultrasound unit. Since the rotation unit comprises, as an actuation element for actuating the rotation of the ultrasound unit, an electroactive polymer or a one-way shape memory alloy, the rotation unit with the actuation element can be very compact and small.

Abstract: An intravascular Doppler ultrasonic device comprises a tip region forming a fraction of a catheter body at a distal end thereof and carrying an ultrasound probe. The tip region is bendable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction. An actuator is provided in the tip region, which is configured to receive actuation drive power provided through the catheter body and to exert to the tip region a bending moment of a controllable amount. An actuation controller is configured to control actuation drive power delivery to the actuator so as to control the amount of the bending moment. A Doppler spectrum analysis unit is configured to receive Doppler spectrum data and to determine from it a Doppler signal quality measure indicative of a signal quality of the Doppler spectrum. The actuation controller is configured to determine the actuation drive power in dependence on the determined Doppler signal quality measure.