Medical Innovation

STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, has become a huge part of
everyday life for students, especially in America. I remember going to a class in my elementary
and middle school that was dedicated to learning about these four topics and trying to
enhance skills related to them. I learned about things like how bridges and towers are made,
the uses of computers and robots, and many more things. My sister, who is currently in sixth
grade, takes a special class called “STEM Research” where she is currently learning about the
basics of civil engineering in order to learn how a combination of math and engineering is
applied to everyday life. Similarly, millions of other students devote their time to these topics.
This emphasis on science, technology, research, and engineering in schools has caused many
people to work towards new discoveries and improvements in these fields. Because of these
people, we are discovering new things in science almost every day! However, one of the fields
that we are progressing the most in is the field of medicine and health in general. Several
different discoveries, whether they started as medical research or something like video games,
have led us to progress a huge amount in the field of health.
One major discovery has been the use of video games as a tool for doctors and researchers.
For example, in a Popular Science article by Francie Diep, researchers are finding ways to use
the Kinect sensor used to play games on the Microsoft Xbox as a tool to help diagnose,
monitor, and perform check-ups on patients from around the world (Diep, 2013). This new
technology is called “Teki” and it is a variation of the Kinect sensor, which uses its revolutionary
structured light and “machine learning” methods to accurately sense people without anything
else. The Teki uses the Kinect sensors to recognize the patient and checks the important
information that doctors require. The device then relays this information to the doctors who
are viewing this process from a different location, who can use the data that are gathered by
the Teki to determine what the patients need. The Teki can lower health care costs greatly
around the world and make check-ups much more convenient for people, especially the
elderly, and doctors. Similarly, there have been instances where the Nintendo Wii system has
been used to treat patients with diabetes (Diep, 2013), and several more unique ideas that can
allow existing technology to be improved and used in the medical field.
In addition to these discoveries, scientists have also begun to research ways to use Raman
spectroscopy methods to develop a way to monitor brain chemicals inside the skull non-
invasively (Diep, 2013). They used gold nanoparticles that are injected into the body and used
lasers to detect the nanoparticles and the chemicals in the brain along with it. Also, scientists
have discovered possible ways to use existing things to help stop “superbugs,” or bacterial
infections that are resistant to common antibiotics (Hadhazy, 2013). They plan on studying
metals, phages, and bacteriocins to fight these bacteria. These innovations are only a few of
many that have the potential to change the world.
Sources
Diep, Francie. "Elderly Spaniards Can Get Medical Checkups Via Kinect." Popular Science.
Popular Science, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/elderly-spaniards-can-get-medical-checkups-
kinect>.

Diep, Francie. "How Scientists Could Watch Brain Chemicals Through The Skull." Popular
Science. Popular Science, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.popsci.com/article/science/how-scientists-could-watch-brain-chemicals-through-
skull>.

Diep, Francie. "Wii Fit Plus Helps Diabetics Control Blood Sugar." Popular Science. Popular
Science, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 Dec. 2013. <http://www.popsci.com/article/gadgets/wii-fit-
plus-helps-diabetics-control-blood-sugar>.

Hadhazy, Adam. "What Comes After Antibiotics? 5 Alternatives to Stop Superbugs." Popular
Mechanics. Popular Mechanics, 1 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/breakthroughs/what-comes-after-
antibiotic-5-alternatives-to-stop-superbugs>.