Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

'Smart Hip' Uses Bluetooth to Monitor Joint Implants

by Amar Toor on March 19, 2010 at 09:28 AM

Eternally youthful as we are here at Switched, we try not to spend too much time thinking about the day when we may have to get a hip replacement. But, thanks to a new Bluetooth-enabled 'smart hip,' getting old now seems more cyborg-asmic than ever. With the help of measuring sensors and actuators, the new, high-tech smart hip can not only monitor any potential implant problems, but can also help to stimulate new bone growth in patients. Although doctors can remotely activate and monitor the implant via wireless Bluetooth technology, patients shouldn't worry about sacrificing too much control over their bodies. As PopSci reminds us, several U.S. states have already anticipated the problem, and have passed legislation barring doctors from involuntarily planting monitoring chips in patients.

For now, the smart hip remains a mere prototype, so it's not yet clear if or when it will actually be implanted into patients. But having been successfully tested on animals already, it seems like only a matter of time before we see them popping up at our local bingo halls and Botanical Gardens. And, if hip replacements are already becoming this "hip," there's no telling how cool they'll look like when our time finally comes. [From: PopSci]

Tags: bluetooth, elderly, health, hip replacement, HipReplacement, medicine, science, top

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular