Star Trek has inspired a great deal of modern technology. The X Prize Foundation wants one of the most desired of them all: a functioning Tricorder that can diagnose physical ailments and injuries. Think you can make one? You could win $10 million. Read more »
Wirelessly connected medial and health devices aren’t brand new, but French tech company Withings claims to have created the world’s first Wi-Fi enabled body scale. No longer do you have to put up with those boring bathroom scales that simply tell you on a dial or LED readout what your weight is. Now you can tell a website whether your latest diet, weight loss (or weight gain) programme is working out… or not. The scale is pretty smart as it goes. It uses bioelectric impedance analysis to calculate body fat composition, displaying it as a weight instead of percentage, and shows BMI. It can also recognise up to eight different Read more »
If you’re thinking technology from your favorite SciFi adventures might be far away, think again. A San Diego-based company called Organovo plans to market an inkjet printer that prints out actual human organs. The technology was conceptualized two years ago, but Organovo plans to commercially release its first production models to research facilities within 2010. The printer produces organs by layering cells on a two-dimensional pattern, therefore forming a three-dimensional output. The concept is similar to a laser printer spraying layers of solid particles on paper. But instead of spraying ink or toner powder, the machine actually sprays layers of stem cells and hydrogel. Initially, the machine will be able Read more »
A new survey for a British medical company has revealed the healthiest and unhealthiest professions to be in, and while chefs and farmers are the least healthy, it seems that IT workers are the seventh most healthy. Does that surprise you? Of course, “IT worker” isn’t particularly specific, and where there may be some highly paid techies who are eating salads, running to work and not boozing or smoking heavily, there are sure to be some others who are glued in front of their computer screen with only caffeinated drinks and fast food to keep them going. And exercise? We don’t even have the need to visit the mall now Read more »
An interesting survey result came out today which showed that many Americans would like their physician to use technology to encourage them to a healthier lifestyle. Two out of three said they’d like to receive emails that reminded them of how to live more healthily. The survey also showed that many people turn to web sites when they feel ill or have some other ailment, but don’t find it so easy to get information on staying healthy in the first place. Microsoft sponsored the survey, pushing its own HealthVault system in the process, though I think it missed a trick in not touting its new Natal system that could surely Read more »
Remember the movie “As Good As It Gets?” In it, Jack Nicholson plays this eccentric guy who had a thing for cleanliness. I do not remember all the details of that movie but I sure remember his cupboard full of soap bars, which he would use to wash his hands. With the swine flu scare, I can just imagine a lot of people washing their hands more than they usually would. Anyhow, did you know that germs can be spread easily through gadgets that we use on a daily basis? Think about that keyboard you use at a public place (school children in libraries, for example). How about the phone Read more »
I love my sleep, perhaps more than the average person. My problem is that I usually feel sleepy during the day and yet I have a hard time falling asleep at night – well, unless I have had several rounds with my best friend Jack (Daniels?). Anyhow, I am quite excited about this gadget, which is not that geeky in my mind, that I discovered just a few minutes ago. Read more »
