From Robocop to Robocare

Due to the increasing sophistication of medication in today`s world, it seems mortality rates are on the decline, which generates problems in healthcare - the amount of patients will begin to far outnumber the caretakers.

In fact, according to Kinetic Consulting it is extimated that by 2050, an incredible one in four people in the UK will be over the age of 65.

One possible solution to this growing concern is that of robotics. Japan, with one of the most rapidly growing aging population in the world, is focusing on robots as a means of caring for their elderly.

Compared with humans, robots may be quicker to train, cheaper to maintain, easier to refuel and repair and less prone to be bored by repetitive tasks. They could help the elderly and chronically ill to remain independent, reducing the need for carers and the demand for care homes.

BioItWorld.com reports that the first-ever federally funded stem-cell bank is to be hosted at The University of Wisconsin - precisely where these embryonic cells were first isolated.

According to the National Institute of Health, that is planning to further fund two more centres for this type of research, this bank will house many of the officially sanctioned batches of these cells.

A mobile phone devised by Louborough University has eliminated the need for fixed telecare systems by easily receiving, collating and sending a person`s ECG and other vital signs directly to clinicians.

E-Health Insider says handy devices connect to the wrist using sensors, relaying heart data, oxygen saturation and body temperature and send the info directly to a remote computer.

Further investigations are been taken to incorporate this gadget into sports development and its evolution is already being researched - in the form of a credit card sized version that will further increase usability for patients and athletes.