Wii remote enrolled in student-developed CPR training program

Taking a more passive approach with the Wii remote than, say, operating a 15-ton grapple or saving your friends on Tatooine, a team of biomedical engineering undergraduates at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been developing a companion CPR training program. Using the controller's built-in accelerometer, it tracks hand position as you practice those vital life-saving maneuverings, charting depth and rate of compression to give you a more accurate performance reading than the conventional Resusci Anne mannequin. The American Heart Association is sure impressed: it just pledged a $50,000 fund to UAB for the continuation of the project. The software's expected to be complete early fall 2009, with an open source download being released on the AHA website. No telling what these crazy kids'll accomplish once MotionPlus gets its time to shine.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

[Haha @ Jul 15th 2009 7:47PM]

I always knew the Wii would save lives.

[Return of Jackson...whoo! @ Jul 15th 2009 10:11PM]

Just make sure you follow the Wii instructions to give CPR on the floor and not the bed. Look what happene to me

-Michael Jackson.

[iKurt 7 @ Jul 15th 2009 8:27PM]

Take that Microsoft, and take Project Anal up your ass. At least Nintendo is being innovative.

[Premature ejaculation man @ Jul 15th 2009 8:44PM]

=/

[michaelbenjamins @ Jul 15th 2009 9:24PM]

project natal is invative because its the frist of its kind (stereoscopic camera with 3d tracking technology) but all there using the wii mote for is just the accelerometer, and accelerometer don't cost a lot (wii mote is a little over priced just like the wii it self)

[Anthology @ Jul 15th 2009 9:24PM]

=/ indeed.

Microsoft's unreleased product sure is being beaten by innovation not being harnessed by Nintendo.

[Greg @ Jul 15th 2009 9:35PM]

Nintendo isn't doing this.

[Nicola @ Jul 15th 2009 8:31PM]

Need to say something smart about the macbook-running-windows..... aaaaaa lost it.

[BeerBum @ Jul 15th 2009 11:29PM]

"the Mac is the greatest PC eva"

BuurrP!

[Andrew @ Jul 16th 2009 12:59AM]

They're probably just running Windows in virtualization anyway. It's way more practical to maintain a development or a stable production environment this way.

[10minutehobo @ Jul 16th 2009 8:15AM]

Andrew: What the hell? No.

[Shane @ Jul 15th 2009 8:33PM]

There is no end to what people will figure out how to do with the Wii Mote.

[rDub @ Jul 16th 2009 7:47AM]

Yeah this was a new usage ... but man they keep using for all kinds of stuff and less and less for games, sorta like my wii sitting at home, except for the it getting used for stuff part

[Username @ Jul 15th 2009 8:44PM]

I'm betting someone's gonna mention that Windows is being run on a Macbook.

[adelossa @ Jul 15th 2009 8:50PM]

nah, its photoshopped

[tchapp @ Jul 15th 2009 9:14PM]

someone, such as your self mentioning it?

[Erb @ Jul 15th 2009 9:16PM]

That's a pretty safe bet, especially when you do it yourself.

[Andrew @ Jul 16th 2009 1:02AM]

I don't know a Mac owner that doesn't have either VMWare Fusion, Parallells or VirtualBox installed. I run Windows, Linux and Mac OS X (simultaneously) on all of my Macs/PCs. Don't you?

[10minutehobo @ Jul 16th 2009 8:16AM]

Andrew: That says a lot about OSX.

[Kris @ Jul 15th 2009 9:05PM]

As a paramedic and as a gamer its a great idea. A lot of people have no idea how hard you have to push to accomplish anything. Now just add some sound effects of ribs cracking and force feed back and your all set. Now only if it would do CPR.

[Brian @ Jul 15th 2009 10:23PM]

This is neat, but of no real value. There are MUCH better things to spend $50,000 on than this. A good trainer is worth much more than a wiimote based system. It's not that hard to do CPR, you simply have to pay attention to what you're doing.

[Chris @ Jul 16th 2009 2:10AM]

Coupled to the DS where you can blow, you might be able to really train to reanimate people in need.

[Mackenzie @ Jul 15th 2009 10:16PM]

If you think that is cool you should check out what some students did in Canada: http://www.atreomedical.com/

[Patrick @ Jul 15th 2009 10:43PM]

How many levels are there? Any one done a walkthru yet?

[Venality @ Jul 15th 2009 11:21PM]

LOL Windows on the MacBook!!!!
Yeah +1 for windows

[Ebzy @ Jul 15th 2009 11:34PM]

I'm not sure what I'm more impressed with, the usage of the Wiimote or the fact that Alabama has a univesity.

(Hate me all you will but we hear the stereotypes even here in the UK)

[The Dude @ Jul 15th 2009 11:43PM]

There's a pig named Oinky at their university that sets the grade curve.

"It's a good thing I cheated off of Oinky!"

[eZ @ Jul 16th 2009 12:36AM]

Not only does Alabama have a university, but UAB gets about $500 million a year in research grants. Or in terms a Brit might understand, about $44 million more than the $456 million you get when you convert Oxford's 285 million pounds to dollars.

[dreamscape86 @ Jul 16th 2009 8:50AM]

Why are they using a bulky $40 Wiimote when all they want is a tiny $2 accelerometer?

[jhuggart @ Jul 17th 2009 12:33PM]

I'm sitting in the living room of one of the guys who developed that software (James McKee). I knew he was in Newsweek... But I didn't know he was on Engadget! Awesome.

[Curry @ Jul 17th 2009 1:28PM]

Go James!