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China bans corporal punishment in internet rehab, UK and USA open up their own clinics

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 5th 2009 at 5:28AM

China's, how to say this, unorthodox rehabilitation methods, which involve "beating and confinement" of internet addicts, have finally been fully outlawed. Following the death of one teenager due to the treatment he received at an addiction camp, the Chinese Health Ministry has come out with a statement to say corporal punishment and methods restricting personal freedom "are strictly forbidden." In the meantime, the UK and USA are playing catch-up by opening up their own computer addiction camps, which have been described as residential internet detox clinics. Their genius ploy to get you off the web juice has been to go cold turkey and teach people to do chores as a distraction (really, chores and boredom are the cure and not the disease?). The British version even has a 12-step program, but we advise doing what we all did -- if you find yourself spending most of your time on the internet, just become a full-time blogger.

Read - China bans tough treatment of young Web addicts
Read - Britain's first computer rehab clinic opens
Read - Clinic for internet addicts opens in US

Optogenetics hold the key to future brain disease cures, still creep us out

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 21st 2009 at 10:26AM

Those mad neuroscientists, they'll never learn, but maybe in the end we'll all be better off for it. Wired has put together an extremely intriguing write-up of the short history of optogenetics -- featuring a German pond scum researcher, a Nobel Prize winner, and rat brains controlled by beams of light. Optogenetics is a relatively new technique for communicating with the brain, which involves the implantation of particular light-sensitive genes into animals with the purpose of repairing neurological ailments through light therapy (no, not that kind). By hooking up fiber-optic cables to the affected area of the brain, researchers have been able to completely restore movement in mice with Parkinson's disease and their current efforts revolve around developing a less invasive method that doesn't go deeper than the outer surface of the brain. Most revolutionary of all, perhaps, is the eventual possibility for two-way traffic (i.e. a machine being able to both send and receive information from the brain), which brings all those cyborg dreams of ours closer to becoming a reality than ever before. Hit up the read link for the full dish.

Philips introduces DirectLife activity monitor / fitness program

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 21st 2009 at 5:25AM

Well, we just finished putting the Fitbit activity monitor through its paces, but it looks like Philips has now come out with a strikingly similar device of its own -- which, like the Fitbit, promises to help you get more active by monitoring you all the time. From the sound of it, however, it seems that Philip's so-called DirectLife monitor has a few more tricks up its sleeve, not the least of which is a full-fledged fitness program complete with its own online personal coaches (who contribute to the $12.50 a month cost). The activity monitor itself also seems to have a few advantages over the Fitbit, including some LED lights that show your progress at a glance, and a built-in USB plug that eschews the need for a dock. Then again, it does still make use of nothing more than a basic accelerometer to monitor your activity, which isn't always the most foolproof option. It also packs the same $99 price tag as the Fitbit, but Philips will knock that down to $79 if you order this month, and even throw in a four-month membership for good measure.

Fitbit review

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 15th 2009 at 12:16PM

It wasn't that long ago that a bathroom scale was the only gadget you needed to track weight loss. Today even videogame consoles, once the bane of the fitness industry, are trying to help you recycle that spare tire, and of course there's no shortage of specialty doo-dads getting in on the action. The Fitbit is one of those, a little accelerometer that pledges to keep an eye on what you do so that you can just go ahead and do it, reporting back at the end of the day on how well you did at staying active. It sounds nice, but it's not quite that self-sufficient. Read on to see if it's worth the commitment.

Gallery: Fitbit unboxing

Continue reading Fitbit review

Vioguard's self-sanitizing keyboard means maybe we don't all have to die this year

by Paul Miller posted Oct 12th 2009 at 2:09PM

If there's one thing scarier than going to the hospital for some potentially harmful harmfulness, it's getting sicker due to some minor slip-up in the carefully-observed hygiene practices of your own personal Zach Braff M.D. That's where Vioguard's newly shipping UVKB50 self-sanitizing keyboard comes in, with a proximity detector to let a set of freshly sanitized keys slide out for use by a health care professional, which slide back once they're not in use to get re-sterilized with anti-bacterial ultraviolet light. The $899 pricetag isn't too bad given the application, but it probably won't be making our own cubicles safer any time soon. Video of the keyboard in action is after the break.

Continue reading Vioguard's self-sanitizing keyboard means maybe we don't all have to die this year

'Spider pill' bowel scanner will be ready within a year

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 12th 2009 at 7:29AM

Endoscopy, or the examination of a person's bowels via a tube-mounted camera, is not exactly the most pleasant medical procedure one could undergo. In 2004, we noted the early stages of a project to alleviate the (literal) pain of the procedure with a spider pill, which -- once swallowed by the hopefully willing patient -- can be remotely controlled and positioned inside the human body. Yes, it's a tiny, wirelessly communicating robot with a camera for a head crawling inside you. Hit the read link for the full BBC report, it really is worth seeing, and start your Innerspace jokes ... now!

IBM's ultra-cheap DNA Transistor dream could lead to personalized medicines, confusion

by Darren Murph posted Oct 8th 2009 at 9:45AM

Are you ready to get your nerd on? No, seriously -- are your rimmed glasses and pressed slacks at the ready? Good. IBM has just announced a full-on research project that intends to drive the cost of DNA sequencing down from millions of dollars to under $1,000. The reason? An ultra-cheap, silicon-based DNA Transistor could essentially "pave the way to read human DNA easily and quickly, generating advancements in health condition diagnosis and treatment." Moreover, it could eventually lead to personalized genome analysis and personalized medicines, meaning that your weekly dose of pills may literally have your name written on them. Just think -- with this breakthrough in place, you might just live long enough to see the Robot Apocalypse. Fun! Video's after the break.

[Via NY Times, thanks Serge]

Continue reading IBM's ultra-cheap DNA Transistor dream could lead to personalized medicines, confusion

WiFi-enabled bathroom scale slides into USA, overweight Yanks sluggishly back away

by Darren Murph posted Oct 1st 2009 at 10:37AM

Oh sure, we Americans love our fast food. And we love our technology. But do we really love the latter? Withings has just announced that the world's first WiFi-enabled bathroom scale has made its way into the States after a few months abroad, and we have to say, this could change everything. When pouncing upon it, the scale automatically records the user's body weight, lean / fat mass and calculated body mass index (BMI) to his or her secure webpage, and if you're more the iPhone type, it can beam data to a Withings iPhone app as well. It's available now for $159, but you can certainly wait 'til your latest diet has had some sort of effect before bringing one home. A delightful demonstration video is waiting for you just past the break.

Continue reading WiFi-enabled bathroom scale slides into USA, overweight Yanks sluggishly back away

USB iriscope is just what you need for your next date

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 26th 2009 at 12:28PM

When you simply have $120.69-too-much in your bank account, you can thank Uxsight for being there. You may already be entertaining guests with your variety of USB endoscopes, but to really make the picture complete (pun only slightly intended), you're going to want this succulent USB iriscope. That's right, now you can peer deeply, digtally into the eyes of your... er, "clients" (their words, not ours) as you check their health and generally freak everyone out. When you're done, you can "compare the irises pictures when your client comes back to see their progress." Now, we don't know exactly what kind of procedure you're going to be performing on said clients, but you'll finally have a way to show them just what kind of mess you've made. We think Uxsight says it best about their product: "Natural image, attractive or charming." Who can argue with that kind of logic?

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

Video: doctors implant tooth into eye, restore sight, creep everyone out

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 6:25AM

Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis. It's a real procedure that really does revive people's ability to see, yet we get the feeling that people will be more, um, excited about how it's done than why it's done. The seemingly Mary Shelley-inspired doctors extract a tooth from a blind person and drill a hole through it, where a prosthetic lens is placed, and the resulting macabre construction is implanted into the blind person's eye. The tooth is necessary as the body would reject an artificial base. It's not at all pretty, and it cannot repair every type of blindness, but it's still a major step forward. To hear from Sharron Thornton, the first American to have undergone the procedure, check the video after the break, but only if you can handle mildly graphic content -- you've been warned.

[Via Daily Tech]

Continue reading Video: doctors implant tooth into eye, restore sight, creep everyone out

Tetris players found to have greater brain efficiency, thicker cortex and better hair

by Darren Murph posted Sep 1st 2009 at 10:44AM

You just knew all that Tetris playing you did ~~as a kid~~ yesterday was good for you, huh? A new study published by the big thinkers at Mind Research Network has found that "practicing Tetris" can actually improve brain efficiency and lead to a thicker cortex in other areas of the tabula rasa. In short, the study was done in order to show that the brain can change with stimulation, and that "a challenging visuospatial task has an impact on the structure of the cortex." Of course, this is far from the first published report to use the quarter century-old title as its testing tool, but it's certainly one of the best for getting your mum and pop to believe gaming really is good for the gord. Hit up the read links below for all the details -- you know they'll be firing off questions when you hit 'em with this.

[Image courtesy of BumpyBrains]

Read - Tetris study [PDF]
Read - Press release

Littmann Electronic Stethoscope lets docs record, analyze heart rhythm

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 21st 2009 at 3:26AM

We didn't even know there was such a thing as an "auscultation workflow" until we first encountered the FreedomScope, a Bluetooth-packing untethered stethoscope. The 3M Littmann Electronic Stethoscope also relies on Bluetooth for wireless communications, but its purpose is somewhat different. While it looks (and for the most part acts) just like a normal stethoscope, it also has noise canceling / sound augmenting technology alongside the ability to record heart and lung sounds, which may then be analyzed using the bundled Zargis StethAssist software. It's a bit on the pricey side at $379, but should be welcomed with open arms by collaborating diagnosticians and avant-garde concert bootleggers.

[Via MSN Money; Thanks, Will]

BrainPort lets you see with your tongue, might actually make it to market

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 14th 2009 at 2:10PM

We first saw the crazy BrainPort in 2006, but the intervening time hasn't been wasted by its developers, who've brought the quirky visual aid to the cusp of commercial viability. If you'll recall, the device translates signals from a head-mounted camera to electrical pulses that lightly zap your tongue in response to visual stimuli -- early results have shown people can regain a good bit of their spatial awareness and even read large writing. The next step is FDA approval, which is expected by year's end, meaning that the BrainPort could arrive as early as 2010. There is a steep entry fee though, with prices expected to begin at $10,000, but the very fact you'll be able to buy it is a milestone in our book. Edifying video after the break.

[Thanks, Toy]

Continue reading BrainPort lets you see with your tongue, might actually make it to market

Texting makes kids dumb -- science fact!

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 13th 2009 at 2:03AM

Ready for your daily dose of wildly speculative extrapolation and unfounded fear-mongering? Predictive texting is the latest suspect in the ongoing war against things that make children dumb. A new study from Australia's Monash University has shown that predictive texters finish their exams faster and with more errors than others, because of course, when your mobile finishes your words in a text, you expect it to finish your sentences in a test. We jest, and there may be a sliver of truth to this contention, but let's be forthright here -- you could probably do more damage to your brain with a good night's alcohol intake than you can with a lifetime of texting.

[Via Switched]

Bone-anchored hearing aids filter out noise, finally ready for human implantation

by Darren Murph posted Aug 10th 2009 at 8:03AM

Think those noise-canceling earbuds are hot stuff? Imagine if said technology was applied to an advanced type of implantable hearing aid, and you'll have an idea of exactly what Earthlings with severe hearing loss now have to look forward to. For years now, we've watched as cochlear implants became more effective in lab tests, and up until recently, we've had strict medical testing procedures to thank for the inability to actually get one. Now, one Colin Hughes will soon be amongst the first Australians to enjoy a "new bone-anchored hearing aid designed to adjust to noisy environments, quiet conversations and the varying rhythms and pitch of music." Due to a birth defect that left him with atypically narrow eustachian tubes, Colin was never able to take advantage of traditional hearing aids for any length of time, but now these $12,000 (per pair) devices are promising a new life for the 70-year old bloke. Our favorite feature? MP3 players can be directly (and discretely) attached, enabling old geezers to tune out old hags without them ever noticing.

[Thanks, Mike]