Skip to Content

A Flip of the Wrist

Whether you push a broom or type on a keyboard, you’re at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). But, unless you’re a neurological specialist, this damage to nerves in the wrist is tough to diagnose. “Lots of things look like CTS, including arthritis, wrist sprains and hypochondria,” says bioengineer Shai Gozani.

Gozani’s company, NeuroMetrix of Cambridge, Mass., has designed a flexible Mylar strip embedded with electrical sensors, circuits and a tiny processor that should enable the family physician to identify CTS. Positioned at the heel of the wrist, it shoots a current through the nerve, causing thumb muscles to contract and produce impulses of their own. The sensors pick these up, allowing the processor to calculate the speed of the nerve signals. Normal nerves carry signals at about 60 meters per second, but damage by CTS can slow that by half.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build

“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”

Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives

The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.

Learning to code isn’t enough

Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.

Deep learning pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has quit Google

Hinton will be speaking at EmTech Digital on Wednesday.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.