Recent Inventions that Changed Life for the Better

Technology is always evolving. Our need to improve human life expectancy and quality helps to drive technology and is constantly steering innovators towards new and exciting projects. The last couple of years, in particular, have seen an impressive selection of new inventions that are transforming the way we live.

Recent devices that address social isolation, help restore lost senses, and aid surgeons during complex operations are helping to reshape our lives in positive ways.  But what exactly are these fascinating innovations? And how are they helping people? We’ve listed some of our top picks of recent inventions that are changing lives for the better.

Pins that tackle loneliness

Loneliness is sadly a common side-effect of living longer. Many people, particularly the elderly, suffer from loneliness, and the effects of social isolation can be devastating. Prolonged periods without social interaction can lead to a serious decline in mental wellbeing and cognitive functions. Fortunately, care support service Bolton Clark has teamed up with researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) to create a device to help combat loneliness. The CaT Pin is a wearable discreet gadget that monitors the user’s conversations and word count throughout the day. When these fall below a certain level, the device sends out alerts to the wearer’s relatives or initiates a phone call with a healthcare worker.  

Unassisted surgical retractors

Surgical retractors are not new in the medical field, but recent advances in their design are helping to change lives for the better. A retractor is an essential tool that gives surgeons better access and visibility during operations by securing a patient’s soft tissues on either side of the incision. Surgical retractors, however, have to be held in place, either by the surgeon themselves or by an assistant, which can be distracting during complex procedures. 

June Medical’s innovative new self retaining retractor is helping to change the face of medical surgery. The sterile device, created from medical grade single-use plastic, is not only auto-retaining and therefore allows the surgeon to concentrate on the task at hand, but it is low-cost for hospitals.

Artificial eyes

The world’s first successful artificial cornea implant was carried out by Israeli surgeons in January of last year. Made possible by start-up company CorNeat Vision, the new procedure restored the sight of a bilaterally blind 78-year-old man. CorNeat designed the pioneering implant – known as KPro – as part of its mission to use synthetic biology in tackling corneal blindness. 

KPro is made from non-degradable artificial nano-tissue and can be fitted to replace a deformed or opaque cornea. Not only do KPro implants fuse naturally to the body’s tissues, but they are also simple to fit, with the procedure taking less than an hour.

AI hearing aid

The application of AI technology in the medical field is becoming more prevalent. Among the more recent medical inventions using robot software is the AI hearing aid. Companies such as Starkey and Whisper have started creating hearing aid devices with AI-powered software that make life much easier for the wearer. 

Hearing aids are notorious for being unable to control background noise and differentiating it from sounds that the user is trying to focus on, such as a conversation. However, this new generation of hearing aids uses wireless technology and smartphone apps to adapt to the wearer’s environment.  

The devices can amplify human voices in the foreground and separate them from background sounds, as well as monitor physical activity, stream music, and make phone calls.

The future

Many of the inventions on our list would’ve looked like science fiction merely a short time ago. The way that technology has advanced to provide us with such life-changing innovations is impressive and inspiring. Assuming that technology continues to advance at the rate it has been, then the future of life-enhancing inventions looks bright.

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