body
Latest
'Homo Machina' toys with industrial body metaphors
Homo Machina begins when you wake up. Your body's director of operations must get your eyes open and your cognitive systems online so that you can get out of bed, feed yourself, get to work and -- eventually -- go on a date with a lovely lady later in the evening.
Sticky sensors will monitor your body's organs
Health sensors that attach directly to your organs to are potentially very useful, since they can measure miniscule electrical signals and other details that might otherwise fly under the radar. There's just one problem: actually sticking those devices on to something that soft and squishy is tough. However, a team of Japanese researchers may have a solution. They've developed gel-based sensors that monitor electrical activity and strain while adhering to just about anything, including the gooey wet insides of your body. The key is the gel itself, which is made of the polyvinyl alcohol you might find in protective gloves or eye drops; it allows a grid of sensors to make contact without peeling or slipping off.
Researchers create a headset to turn your jaw into a tiny power plant
We're no strangers to projects that try to capture the power of the human body, but here's one with a peculiar twist. A pair of researchers from Montreal's École de Technologie Supérieure have cooked up a headset that, while extremely goofy-looking, can harness the power of your mighty jaw muscles while you chew, gab on the phone and stress-grind your teeth into a fine powder.
Riot Games promises to increase diversity in League of Legends
League of Legends features a lot of diversity among its male champions, but the female champions all feature a fairly uniform body type. That's something the developers at Riot Games are keen on changing. In response to a fan question at SDCC, producer Omar Kendall said that the company has been introducing new ways of looking at body types and shapes, with the end goal of making female champions who don't look like the others. Kendall went on to specify that the call for more diversity is one that players should see represented soon in a new character coming out. He also noted that diversity is being strongly considered with further character designs and any new champions. Game designer Brian Feeney noted that it would be a net boon to the game as a whole -- as Riot is very concerned with distinctive silhouettes, a more robust selection of body types makes it easier to tell champions apart.
Smaller virtual bodies affect how people see the world
How much does the size of our virtual bodies influence our behaviors? It doesn't seem like it'd have much of an effect, but according to a recent study it can cause a greater impact than you might speculate. Researchers placed several subjects in special motion-capture suits, then presented the subjects with a body that had adult proportions or childish proportions, even though both bodies were the same size. The result was that participants in the childlike bodies were more likely to identify as children rather than as adults, exploring more child-like environments and behaving less like adults. It's worth keeping in mind that these behaviors happened within motion-capture suits designed to simulate actual movement in virtual bodies, so how much of this would transfer to MMOs is questionable. But it's an interesting set of variables to consider, especially in terms of how much we identify with our avatars in the game. [Thanks to David for the tip!]
Kinect has no qualms about guessing a woman's age
Did you know that Microsoft's Kinect can measure your bodily proportions in 3D and hence ontogenetically estimate your age? Well grandma, it can. Aside from being incredibly impolite, a recent patent application from Redmond also highlights a more beneficial function: to prevent kids from watching or playing age-restricted media. The proposed system could even shut down inappropriate material automatically when an offending minor steps in the room and then resume it when they leave. On the other hand, we give it five minutes before some scheming rugrat with a distorting lens tweets a workaround.
Google body browser now getting down and you know it's crush grooving
We got a brief glimpse of Google's body browser at the Chrome event earlier this month, and wouldn't ya know it, the violation of privacy simulator / learning tool is hanging out in Google labs. A browser with WebGL support is required, which means Firefox 4 and Chrome 9 betas (or Chrome 8 if you enable it in the "about:flags" menu). The visualization options are interesting and the search tool works like a charm, so... why not? Exactly.
Klhip your fingernails with this $50 personal grooming device
We've never stopped to think that the world needed an "ultimate" nail-trimming device, but lo and behold, it now has one. Such is the modest tagline accompanying the Klhip nail clippers, which are composed of stainless steel and offer the not unheard of ability to collect your nail shards instead of ejecting them out into space. What's advanced (and award-winning) about its design is that you place pressure directly above the cutting blade, which is touted as being precise enough to omit the need for filing afterwards. If that sounds like the thing that's been missing from your bathroom cabinet, you can pre-order one for $50 ($80 with a leather case, visible after the break) for delivery in a month's time.
Murata's fatigue sensor demoed, coming soon to mobiles and handhelds near you
Need further confirmation that an IV drip of 5-Hour Energy is what your body really needs? Look no further than Murata's newfangled fatigue sensor. Demonstrated at CEATEC in front of thousands of jetlagged Americans, Europeans, Easter Islanders and Samoans, this compact device is built by "integrating a photoplethysmographic sensor, which measures a pulse and a blood oxygen saturation level, and electrodes that measure electrocardiogram (ECG)." We're told that the unit measures a fatigue degree (reported on a 1 to 100 scale) based on the "pulse, blood oxygen saturation level and electrocardiogram measured by the sensing parts," and while we're guessing the prototype will have to shrink significantly before it happens, the company seems focused on cramming this thing into cellphones and portable game consoles of the future.You know -- so Nintendo actually can know when you need to lay down the gaming and step outside for a bit.
Lung-inspired hydrogen fuel cell skimps on platinum, sees efficiency boost
For as spectacular as hydrogen fuel cells are on paper, they haven't been able to replace combustion engines in vehicles. Or much of anything else, really. But thanks to Signe Kjelstrup at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in Oslo, the tried-and-true fuel cell is getting a serious boost. Kjelstrup's crew determined that by using less platinum in a cell, a substantial increase in efficiency and a significant decrease in cost could be achieved. The new design relies on an architecture that's "modeled on the bronchial structure of the lungs to supply hydrogen and oxygen gas to their respective electrodes," which is said to help "spread the gases more uniformly across the catalyst than current channel designs and provides a greater surface area so less platinum is needed." It's still early on in the discovery process, though, and there's certainly no solid word on when this will reach a point where widespread implementation is feasible. Seventh-generation Prius, perhaps?
The iPhone 4's outer case makes it on camera... in Portugal
iPhone 4 parts just keep on dribbling out of China and turning up around the world -- this time it's the next-gen phone's outer case on a video from iPhone Portgual. The site actually has two cases, which it says were purchased by a reader in China, and while they look genuine enough, we obviously can't tell for certain whether they're real. In any event, at this rate we'll have enough leaked parts to assemble the entire damn thing by the time Steve takes the stage at WWDC to announce it in a few days -- or hey, maybe he'll just show it off at D8 tonight. Either way, we'll be there. Videos after the break. [Thanks, Mike]
Inhabitat's Week in Green: high speed rail, augmented reality, and body broadband
The Week in Green is a new item from our friends at Inhabitat, recapping the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. It was a monumental week for efficient transportation as China unveiled plans to connect its high speed rail network all the way to Europe. We were also excited to see Solar Roadways unveil the first prototype of an energy-generating road that stands to transform our freeways into power conduits. Meanwhile, one 74 year old man is going solo and blazing his own trail across the states aboard a solar powered stroller. Inhabitat also showcased several amazing feats of architecture this week. One of the world's first skyscrapers with built-in wind turbines is rising above London, while designer Enrico Dini has created a gigantic 3D printer that is able to create entire buildings out of stone. Finally, we explored all sorts of ways that people are getting wired - literally. Students at the University of Washington are working on a set of solar-powered augmented reality contact lenses that may just bring terminator vision to the masses, while Spanish scientists are working on nanochips that can be that can be implanted into human body cells to detect diseases earlier. And in case you haven't heard, "me-fi" is the new WiFi as researches have discovered a way to transmit 10mbps broadband data through a human arm.
Scientists to bring piezoelectrics and rubber together to form flexible, wearable energy harvester
Piezoelectrics are nothing new -- though most applications, they've proven to be far more theoretically useful than practical. Still, the technology is starting to move in a direction that could prove more applicable to everyday situations -- and a new piezo material recently developed could really get the ball moving. Called PZT, it's made of nano-sized fibers of lead zirconate titanate, which are applied to thin (and we mean thin) ribbons of flexible silicone rubber. The material is super efficient, and has the ability to convert mechanical energy into electricity at a rate of about 80 percent, and, because it's made of flexible rubber, it would be well-suited to converting electricity from the energy of body movements, meaning all sorts of wearable fun may be imminent. There's no word on any practical application of this yet -- so we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled for you.
iSuppli estimates the iPhone 3GS costs $179 to make
Did you know that after it is broken down into all of its composite metals and materials and parts, your human body is really only worth about $4.50? Yup, you're cheap in the broadest sense -- all of that oxygen, magnesium, iron, and sodium isn't actually worth all that much in the rare metals market. In fact, according to iSuppli, you're worth way less than the iPhone 3GS -- they looked at the component parts for Apple's new handset, and calculated its raw value at around $178.96. The most expensive components are the 16gb flash memory (ringing in at around $25 per part) and the display (at $19), all the way down to the audio codec board, which Apple reportedly picked up for a cheap $1.15. Of course, there was lots more cheaper stuff (we assume the screws weren't a buck each), but iSuppli didn't actually go that granular. That also doesn't include any of the non-hardware costs: shipping fees, R&D, distribution, marketing, and so on. But it's way more than you're worth, and it's $40 more than the Palm Pre costs to make, too.Lest you start worrying that your spouse will start valuing their iPhone more than your body, however, there is a silver lining. If you break down to the mineral components of the human body, we're cheap, but the actual components of the body are pretty expensive, it turns out. Expensive to the tune of $45 million, if you count up all the money you could pick up from taking out your bone marrow, extracting your DNA, and selling off a lung or two. Just like the iPhone's parts, when assembled, are worth more than iSuppli's $179, you too pick up some value when assembled the right way.[via Engadget]
Digital tattoo enables arm-based conversations, constant health monitoring
Okay, so this whole digital tattoo concept still seems more reasonable than littering one's body with Zune imagery or the BSOD message, but we're still a tad creeped out. Dreamed up by Jim Mielke, this minuscule, implantable display would reportedly connect to an artery and a vein for its power and could display caller ID information as well as video chats right on one's arm. Best of all, this thing won't become the source of all kinds of regret when you head over the hill, as it could also be used to constantly monitor certain aspects of your health and give you a heads-up if anything goes awry. If you're not squirming in your seat at the mere thought of this, it may indeed be right down your alley -- one day, that is.[Thanks, D]
Tanita's body fat measurer doesn't require you to get up
Tanita's been known to mesh gadgetry with health before, but its latest creation really goes beyond the call. This body fat measuring system apparently enables patients to remain firmly glued to the bed / sofa / etc. rather than actually, you know, getting up and moving, when checking out just how out of shape they are. Truth be told, the device was designed to allow "bedridden or physically-handicapped people" to check up on their BMI without having to be uncomfortably repositioned, but it's still a device the lazy could love. Click on to the read link for lots more pictures -- if you can muster the will power, that is.[Via TokyoMango]
USC researcher crafting silicon brain cells
C'mon, linking actual brain cells to a silicon chip might sound a bit sensational at first, but considering the work that's already been done on replacement retinas and human brains, Ted Berger's recently-hyped work is pretty much right on time. Essentially, the USC researcher has spent the past decade or so "engineering a brain implant that can re-create thoughts," and moreover, certain implementations could even "remedy everything from Alzheimer's to absent-mindedness." We know, thoughts of instantaneous brilliance are running wild through your mind, and considering that Ted (and his highly-regarded team) have figured out how to link a silicon chip to actual brain cells and elicit responses, the possibilities are indeed nearly endless. Put simply, Berger hopes that brain disorders that are currently battled with intensive drug regimens with less-than-exciting side effects can be solved "by simply implanting a few computerized brain cells." Of course, the team admits that it's "years, maybe decades" away from hospital-approved apparatuses, but if you're interested in reading (a lot) more about "the future of brain science," grab your specs, prepare your paltry short term memory, and hit the read link for all the insight.[Via MedGadget]
Sanyo massage chairs also detect lies?
Sure, there's quite a few ways to sniff out fibs for those who just can't "read" body language all that well, and there's certainly a entire market saturated with massage chairs that supposedly coax your muscles in return for a hefty sum of cash, but it looks like Sanyo's lineup of massage seats just might sport a hidden agenda. According to Sanyo's ever-descriptive website, its array of massage chairs sport "physical shape sensors, power recline, and GK roller technology" among other things, but the standout feature is the "stiffness detection sensor" that "locates areas of physical stiffness and gauges fatigue by changes in skin temperature, perspiration, and pulse." Interestingly enough, those three measurements are the things lie detection tools are made up of my friend, so if you've got the 1337 skills to wire up a massage chair to some swank analytical software, you could potentially extract just about any truth you ever wanted while the culprit simply enjoys the ride.[Via CNET]
LipoSonix aiming for non-invasive body sculpting
We're sure there's quite a few of you out there that have already vowed to make good use of that Nike+iPod kit you received this holiday season in order to shape up in 2007, but for those who just don't have the time (or adequate willpower), LipoSonix could help you fool everyone into thinking you actually kept your resolution. While liposuction has become frighteningly common here in the States, a Seattle-based medical device company is hoping to give folks a "less invasive" alternative to the messy methods currently used. Preferring the term "body sculpting," the company claims that its technology "works by focusing high-intensity ultrasound through the skin into precise locations within subcutaneous adipose tissue, which permanently disrupts the adipocytes without damaging the epidermis, dermis, or underlying tissues and organs." In short, a specially crafted ultrasound transducer can purportedly eliminate unwanted tissue quickly, causing "minimal downtime and bruising" to patients, and hopefully costing less than procedures done today. Although we can't promise this (admittedly bizarre) technology will be available by year's end, initial clinical testing has reportedly been quite successful, but until a few more guinea pigs have survived for an extended period of time, we'll be sticking with the tried and true "working out" method.
Chemists craft molecular keypad lock
While the folks behind the AACS could probably use a few pointers about constructing a sufficient lock of their own, a group of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovat, Israel have crafted a molecule-sized "keypad lock" that "only activates when exposed to the correct password, a sequence of chemicals and light." Organic chemist Abraham Shanzer and his colleagues suggest that their invention could "lead to a new level of safeguards for secret information," but we tend think the infamous hackers of the world would inevitably crack the code. Nevertheless, the molecule -- dubbed FLIP -- houses a core linker that mimics a bacterial compound that binds to iron, and attached to it are two molecules that respectively can glow either blue or green. Using three "buttons," which just so happen to be an acidic molecule, an alkaline compound, and ultraviolet light, the lock can be "opened" if given the right sequence of chemicals and light, and there's a grand total of two noticeable results possible. Interestingly, the researchers have insinuated that their creation could be used to recognize "when certain sequences of chemicals (like harmful toxins) are released in the body," but we haven't heard a 10-4 from the US Army just yet.[Via Yahoo, thanks, Antonio H.]
