Abstract: An airway obstruction correction apparatus including an expandable bladder configured to fit within a user's external auditory canal, a pump configured to expand the bladder with a pumped fluid, a passage coupled with the pump and with the bladder and configured to convey a fluid between the pump and the bladder, a microcontroller coupled with the pump and configured to affect an activation condition of the pump, and a reservoir coupled with the pump and configured to retain sufficient fluid to expand the bladder into contact with a surface of the auditory canal when transferred to the bladder by the pump. At least one of a local data processing means and/or a remotely located data processing means can be configured to receive data from the apparatus and transmit data to the apparatus via a data networking means and/or at least one of a wired or wireless signal.

Abstract: An airway obstruction correction apparatus including an expandable bladder configured to fit within a user's external auditory canal, a pump configured to expand the bladder with a pumped fluid, a passage coupled with the pump and with the bladder and configured to convey a fluid between the pump and the bladder, a microcontroller coupled with the pump and configured to affect an activation condition of the pump, and a reservoir coupled with the pump and configured to retain sufficient fluid to expand the bladder into contact with a surface of the auditory canal when transferred to the bladder by the pump. At least one of a local data processing means and/or a remotely located data processing means can be configured to receive data from the apparatus and transmit data to the apparatus via a data networking means and/or at least one of a wired or wireless signal.

Abstract: A lifter including tongs; an electric motor having a stator, a rotor, and one or more windings and a shaft operatively coupled with the first tongs for actuating the first tongs to an open position for receiving a load and actuating the first tongs to a closed position for engaging the load; and a vector drive controller electrically coupled to the electric motor for controlling the operation of the electric motor. A method of handling a load with a motorized lifter including at least one set of tongs and an electric motor coupled to the tongs, the method including moving the tongs of the motorized lifter to a home position by operation of the electric motor, wherein the electric motor is controlled by a vector drive controller; moving the tongs out of the home position; placing the tongs over the load; and positioning the tongs against the load by operation of the vector drive controlled electric motor so as to frictionally engage the load with the tongs.