Posts Tagged medical gadgets
Nintendo Wii could help stroke victims recover
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on February 27th, 2010
We have reported how WiiSports and other Wii activities are simply not as good real exercise.
However, a recent research project by the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference 2010 would suggest that playing these virtual reality games could help stroke victims improve their motor function.
This study was based on 20 stroke survivors, and both groups engaged in eight one hour sessions over a two week period approximately two months after suffering from a stroke. The ones who played Wii Tennis as well as Wii Cooking Mama demonstrated “significant” motor “improvement in speed and extent of recovery”.
According to Gustavo Saposnik, the director of the Stroke Outcomes Research Unit at the Li Ka Shing Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital, this is the first randomized clinical study showing that Wii gaming technology can produce effective stroke rehabilitation.
In all honesty, this reminds me of a recent episode of The Simpsons. On this episode, there was a Plot B involving Lisa giving Grandpa Simpson and his rest home a Zii gaming system. Yeah, it’s clear what Zii is satirizing, and the gameplay of ZiiSports was enough to get all of the senior citizens of the rest home on their feet again. Too bad the nurses didn’t feel the same way.
Still, the prospect of the Wii helping victims of strokes is interesting enough to follow up with more studies.
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Nintendo Wii could help stroke victims recover
Nintendo Wii could help stroke victims recover
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on February 27th, 2010
We have reported how WiiSports and other Wii activities are simply not as good real exercise.
However, a recent research project by the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference 2010 would suggest that playing these virtual reality games could help stroke victims improve their motor function.
This study was based on 20 stroke survivors, and both groups engaged in eight one hour sessions over a two week period approximately two months after suffering from a stroke. The ones who played Wii Tennis as well as Wii Cooking Mama demonstrated “significant” motor “improvement in speed and extent of recovery”.
According to Gustavo Saposnik, the director of the Stroke Outcomes Research Unit at the Li Ka Shing Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital, this is the first randomized clinical study showing that Wii gaming technology can produce effective stroke rehabilitation.
In all honesty, this reminds me of a recent episode of The Simpsons. On this episode, there was a Plot B involving Lisa giving Grandpa Simpson and his rest home a Zii gaming system. Yeah, it’s clear what Zii is satirizing, and the gameplay of ZiiSports was enough to get all of the senior citizens of the rest home on their feet again. Too bad the nurses didn’t feel the same way.
Still, the prospect of the Wii helping victims of strokes is interesting enough to follow up with more studies.
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Our voices, preserved for history, starting with Roger Ebert
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on February 18th, 2010
Some of you may not know this, but film critic Roger Ebert has recently lost his voice due to a complication after cancer surgery.
If he still wishes to continue his career, he could just stick to writing, or he could get one of those text-to-speech devices like Stephen Hawking.
That, or work with Scottish company CereProc by combining the hours of recordings from At The Movies, Siskel and Ebert and the Movies, and Ebert and Roeper and the Movies to create a database for his voice and daily vocabulary. It would be relatively easy to make any word from the sounds of other words.
I suppose that this is a way to create a library for people who will be losing their voices, like Ebert. Of course, you would probably have to have a lot of vocal recordings to get that database. I’m not certain how many syllables and vowel sounds there are, but it sounds like a complicated process.
In a way, I suppose that this is a way of preserving someone’s voice for an eternity, really. I once heard that a company can use a celebrity’s image after he or she is deceased. This definitely explains how John Wayne can appear on Coors ads.
I suppose if you really had vocal databases of every person, then you could have late celebrities say anything you want. This would explain a recent ad for One Laptop Per Child with John Lennon.
Take this tech one step further, and deceased could cut some new tunes. Man, that probably isn’t right.
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Our voices, preserved for history, starting with Roger Ebert
Artificial foot harnesses kinetic energy while walking
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on February 18th, 2010
It’s pretty amazing what they can do with prosthesis these days, but these mechanical arms and legs tend to drag a little as the human walks.
In order to make these prosthesis parts more in sync with humans, people from the University of Michigan and Delft University in the Netherlands are conducting some new experiments. These researchers are tying to create an artificial foot that can recycle the kinetic energy generated by the stepping of the foot itself.
Here’s the basic concept: this foot mimics the natural “push-off” of the human ankle, and then uses “a microprocessor to control the device and capture the energy that is normally dissipated by the leg”. Current studies with the experimental foot have shown that “energy recycling restored ankle push-off to normal and reduced the net metabolic energy penalty to 14 percent”.
I am told that this prosthetic leg requires a small battery to operate, and it runs off less than one watt of power. Of course, if you are harnessing the kinetic energy of walking, then is there any reason that we cannot set it up so that the walking and running will charge the battery?
Of course, I don’t really know much about this technology to assume something like that. After all, this is still concept technology. So if it is possible to charge the battery by walking, I’m sure they’ll figure that one out.
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Artificial foot harnesses kinetic energy while walking
Black Box cleans hands and feet in seconds
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on February 15th, 2010
I’m going to tell you something that I’m not exactly ashamed of, but I’m not proud of it. You see, I hate washing my hands.
Maybe it’s because I’m on the go constantly, and barely have time to use the restroom. However, if I had one of these black boxes (not to be confused with the ones used on airplanes), then hand sanitation would be a snap.
This box uses plasma gas, the same type of plasma clearning that is used to sterilize medical instruments. This box allows the user to sanitize one’s hands in just four seconds.
This thing is good for drug-resistant strains, MRSA, or even Athlete’s Foot. In fact, the researchers who made it says that it can get rid of Athlete’s Foot without the user ever removing a sock.
It is a real shame that this tech isn’t for the typical consumer, but rather for hospitals, hotels, and any other business that has to rely on cleanliness. You know that sign that says: “Employees must wash hand before returning to work”. Just imagine a sign saying: “Employees must scan their hands after using the facilities”.
The way of the future, this is. Let’s use technology to get rid of those every day stupid activities like washing hands or brushing teeth. I hope that this sanitation tech will catch on to the regular consumer, as I could use a little more clean in my home.
Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
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Commemorate Amber Alert Day with My Child ID
Posted by admin in Kids Gadgets on January 13th, 2010
The U.S. Department of Justice declared January 13 AMBER Alert Awareness Day two years ago, in commemoration of the abduction and murder of 9 year old Amber Hagerman in Arlington, TX. The purpose of National AMBER Alert Awareness day is to bring public awareness to the AMBER Alert program and to increase public participation in safely recovering missing children.
As a parent, the idea of one of my children disappearing scares the living daylights out of me. However, there is a product out that can give, as it says, “Peace of Mind”.
The little elephant that you see in the picture there is called My Child ID, and it is made by amberalert.com. My Child ID is a unique device that allows a parent to securely store, organize, and manage a child’s vital information. This includes medical information such as medications, allergies, and physicians, as well as emergency contact info as well. All the user has to do is plug it in to their USB port to set it up, and it is compatible with Microsoft, Mac, and Linux operating systems.
My Child ID is a device that can fit on the end of a keychain, and allows family members to create several profiles that take up 128 MB. So in a situation where a missing child is found with this My Child ID, it will speed up the process of contacting the family taking taking care of any special medical needs.
You should be able to pick up the My Child ID kit for about $39.99 on the Amber Alert site.
Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
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Memory loss countered with Kind Reminder
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on December 26th, 2009
Being a caregiver for the elderly is no mean task, and those who are raised around Asian cultures know that filial piety rank pretty high in the order of importance for any family. After all in an ideal world, parents were the ones who raised us up right over the years, all the way from our diaper wearing days, seeing us through university with their hard-earned savings in order for us to land a cushy job in a high powered company. Isn’t it time for one to repay the favor then by making sure our aged folks are well taken care of? Unfortunately, life with those who suffer from memory loss or Alzheimer’s can prove to be quite challenging, but thank goodness technology has advanced to such a state where it could help one out – in this case, the Kind Reminder.
The Kind Reminder functions as a simple device that basically plays a comforting message recorded in the familiar voice of a caregiver, friend, or family member. It works best with those who are with early- to mid-stage Alzheimer’s or suffer from age-related memory loss. For example, a standard message could be “Hi, Mom. Today is Tuesday, you have had a good breakfast and taken all of your medication. Mary is here with you, and I will be back this afternoon.” Sounds pretty rudimentary, but something like this when played on demand has been proven to offer calm to one who is often anxious and confused. It does make us wonder why can’t a more affordable solution be used – for example, an iPod shuffle with similar voice recordings loaded onto the playlist for the user to play at their whims and fancies.
This is a notable effort from the daughter of someone who is an Alzheimer’s patient, and also works well for those who suffer from dementia. It isn’t unsightly enough that it can be worn as a pendant or placed on a nearby table or counter. Being relatively small, lightweight, and easy to operate, all you need to do is press the large button to hear whatever caring message that has been preloaded. These messages are easily changed and recorded, with responses to cater for the frustrating, repetitive questions often asked by Alzheimer’s patients in order to reduce caregiver stress.
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Pee Powered Diaper Monitor System
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on November 18th, 2009
There are far more people than just parents that have to worry about the changing of diapers. There are the obvious ones within daycare and preschool. Then there are those that work within hospitals that take care of young children as well as the elderly. This diaper monitor system was developed for the elderly to make life easier on those caring for them. However, there are plenty of other areas in which a device like this could easily be used.
The sensor kit is placed within the diaper. Then in the presence of urine it causes a chemical reaction that can generate electricity. It generates just enough to send a signal to a receiver unit. The kit can transmit signals to the receiver as long as it’s within 3 meters. This comes from a research laboratory at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University. It was co-developed in collaboration with Seiko Epson. Right now it’s still in the works, but hopefully it’ll be mass produced for hospitals soon.
Source: Crunchgear
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Engineer builds a microscope with $10 in parts and a cellphone
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on November 10th, 2009
This digital microscope made from a cellphone and $10 in parts could revolutionize bush medicine.
First there was the One Laptop Per Child laptop for under $100, now an engineer has created a $10 do it yourself microscope out of a cellphone!
The vision of engineering professor Aydogan Ozcan of UCLA, the microscope uses a cellphone and ten dollars ($10) of off the shelf parts. The idea is pretty groundbreaking and could help doctors who seek to diagnose illnesses in the “bush” areas of the third world where sophisticated lab equipment simply isn’t available.
The idea is pretty ingenious. Rather than take a slide and magnify it, the cellphone microsope can image the slide sample and send it wirelessly to the nearest hospital laboratory. But with special “app” software developed by Ozcan, the cellphones can also detect abnormal shaping of bloodcells which could show signs of infection.
And there’s even a special microscope box which can connect to a cellphone which can then transmit the data where it needs to go.
“There’s no need for regular microscope lenses anymore because the software can magnify the cells electronically,” said Ozcan, “by creating a hologram that can image several cells at the same time and analyze how they interact. We cann learn a lot in seconds.”
An in a world where infectious disease can strike hundreds in a few hours, this invention can save lives to boot. My only question is, when will we see the iPhone app?
Hat Tip – the NYTimes via The Giz
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Q2 Cube Radio changes volume when tilted
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on October 30th, 2009
Many radios go for the obvious dials that you’re used to twisting and turning. Some go as far as to use buttons and things along those lines. Well this Q2 Cube Radio goes for a slightly different angle. Instead of being covered in useful knobs, it allows for you to control it by how you move the cube itself. If you like having things to toy with, this radio might be enough to keep you entertained.
In order to change the volume or radio stations, you just tilt or rotate the small cube. It works by utilizing a gravity switch, which isn’t exactly surprising. It seems to be that it’s still in the earlier stages of development. Right now they’re just showing off the gadget to the general public, but they’re not quite to the pricing stage of things. They were recently at an event in Massachusetts to show off their new cube.
Source: Newlaunches
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