Ultrasound Helps Bones Heal After Injuries

In Scotland, Scottish doctors have recently found that ultrasound pulses can help heal broken bones significantly.

It works by a water based gel being applied to a "transducer" and put under a strap for 20 minutes. The gel then pierce through tissue, painlessly, and stimulate cellular activity. A recent pacient named Gary Denham recently had this procedure done and said, "It's got a wee strap that goes around where the break was."

Here's a picture of the ultrasound scanner:

Doctors say it would have taken Dunham's broken ankle from a 20 foot fall 9-12 months to heal, but with this new technology, it healed in about 4 months.

And according to Dr. Angus MacLean, his doctor, the ultrasound speeds up the healing process by about 40 percent.

This technology has branched off of the first ultrasound in the 1950's from Glasgow's Western Infirmary. Ultrasound can now be used for a wide range of medical uses, such as healing punctured lungs or breaking up blood clots.

Though this technology is expensive now, I believe in the distant future, when it is cheaper and more effective, people will be able to heal their broken bones almost instantly.

Robotic Surveillance Bugs

Scientists have recently been working on a new type of gathering information secretly through a bug-like flying camera thanks to the Pentagon's research contracts.

These small, robotic bugs are Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) and are used to discreetly gather information or deliver videos without being seen by anyone.

Though, there are problems with this device. One being that it is easily pushed around by wind and may not be able to sense its surroundings. It is very hard for scientists to put all of this technology into the tiny flying vehicle. So, a conclusion was made that the Micro Air Vehicle should be made even more bug-like.

The future Micro Air Vehicles will almost resemble a small fly, in that it will have big, bulging eyes and tiny hairs on it.

Here is a picture of the tiny bug-like vehicle:

The small hairs on it will act as tiny sensors to pick up any wind before it even comes. This is so the Micro Air Vehicle can re-adjust itself using its central processor so it doesn't get carried away by the wind.

The big eyes work as tons of little cameras, helping the device collect more visual data. An on-board "minicomputer" will process the images in real time so the device can more easily and cleanly avoid obstacles in its path.

In my opinion, this is a very cool piece of technology and could really benefit us in collected information more efficiently and quietly.