Look folks, we won't deny that hardcore usage of the Wii could result in weight loss, but we have all ideas Japan's Kosuke Kitajima relied a lot more on swimming laps religiously and eating a set diet than playing Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. Nevertheless, the Olympic gold medalist, who snagged said medal in the men's 100-meter breaststroke earlier this week, did mention that he used the game to prepare his mind. "See, Mario does the breaststroke," he stated, "and thus, it's perfect mental training for envisioning the actual Olympic hall." We'd say that's being mighty generous, but whatever gets you to the other end first, right?

[Via Joystiq]

Polar's RS800, which was originally introduced last September, is getting one-upped this fall by the RS800G3 multisport training system. Essentially, this acts as a GPS upgrade to the wristwatch, which "enables athletes to measure speed and distance for a variety of outdoor sports." The entire system now consists of the RS800 wrist unit, Wearlink W.I.N.D. heart rate transmitter, ProTrainer 5 software and the G3 GPS Sensor, and those who already plunked down for the watch last year can purchase the G3 GPS sensor separately. The sensor itself packs a SiRFstarIII chipset, is water resistant and can last around 15-hours on just a single AA battery. Price wise, athletes (or athletes to-be) can pick up the entire RS800G3 bundle for $499.95, while the standalone G3 will run you $139.95.

[Thanks, SK]

We've seen soft 'n cuddly teddies transformed into nearly every gadget imaginable, but the Save-A-Life Training Center is hoping to teach common individuals how to perform CPR with the use of a less frightening subject. The oh-so-adorable CPR Teddy looks a whole lot better than other CPR training bots that we've come across, and after squeezing one of his paws, "voice prompts walk you through the correct procedures for choking rescue and infant / child CPR." It gets a bit dodgy, however, when you have to submerse yourself in the moment and actually press down on his red heart patch as the bear's built-in metronome paces you. Subsequently, the creature's bow tie actually lights up in green or red to alert you of how you're doing, and his chest will actually rise up as you perform rescue breathing and simultaneously inhale mounds of fur. The basic CPR Teddy kit rings up at just $79.95, but we'd highly recommend picking up a few extra masks to avoid getting choked up yourself when performing mouth-to-mouth.

[Via Uber-Review]

We can't say we'd be first in line to get a dose of Schizophrenia or anything, but Janssen L.P.'s Virtual Hallucinations system shows promise of helping cops, paramedics, and social workers understand a bit more of what the afflicted go through. The technology consists of set of goggles and earphones that envelope you in one of two interactive scenarios that a typical Schizophrenic might face, including being a passenger on a bus in which the other riders continually vanish and reappear while stray birds attempt to invade the inside. The system is reportedly being trialed in a half dozen or so states, and professionals that had made it through the mind warp seem to have a new outlook on respecting and dealing with those with mental illnesses. Of course, if you're just interested in creeping yourself out, there's always easier alternatives.

[Via MedGadget]

As if treating a mannequin that can bleed and even flat line on you wasn't stressful enough, researchers at Gifu University's Graduate School of Medicine are hoping to make your residency even harder to manage. A newfangled robotic dummy packs a potent artificial brain, as it can reportedly "respond verbally to questions about how it feels and move its body in ways that exhibit the symptoms of its ailment." The current prototype is modeled after a female who honestly looks to have had one incredibly rough day week, and while it wasn't clear if instructors could program the android to act out only a certain number of understood illnesses, we're sure the library of problems will grow with time. Currently, the bot is being trailed to see if it will indeed prove to be a valuable learning tool to eager med students, and if all goes well, it should "become part of the curriculum next year."

[Via PinkTentacle]

While some folks are struggling just to stay out of the hospital when getting too amped up playing their Wii, Mickey DeLorenzo, a 25-year-old living in Philadelphia, decided to meld exercise and gaming together and further substantiate the most obvious research study of the year. His Wii Sports Experiment started in December of last year and ran for six whole weeks, and while he sought to keep his eating habits constant, he devoted 30 minutes per day to Wii Sports and monitored his weight, BMI, calories burned per session, body fat percentage, heart rate, and physical soreness. Mickey started out at 182 pounds, and after a month and a half of Wii workouts, whittled his weight down to 172 pounds, which he found quite amazing considering that this was the first substantial loss he had attained in over two years, and he never even cut back on the Eat 'N Park cookies (or similar). Moreover, according to The American Council on Exercise, he went from the "acceptable" category to the "fitness" category, and seemed to gain a huge boost of self-esteem in the process. So if the Subway diet just doesn't mesh with your taste buds, and you're desperate to find an excuse to game it up instead of going for a jog, be sure to hit the read link for all the encouragement you'd ever need, and click on through for a bit of footage from the entire process.

[Via SMH]

Even if the the Nike+iPod Sport Kit were inaccurate, unintuitive, and uncomfortable to wear -- which it doesn't seem to be -- the handful of reviews we've read so far all agree that it possesses at least one attribute that might still make it a worthy purchase: it actually motivated the reviewers to run harder and more often than normal. Fortunately for people who also like their gear to function properly, the wireless pedometer cum personal trainer sounds like it does indeed perform as advertised, offering runners and joggers an easy setup, useful mid-workout statistics and updates, and perhaps most helpfully, a polished online interface to plot one's progress against personal goals or compare esoteric stats with exercise enthusiasts around the world. There are a few downsides here, though, not the least of which is the fact that this is basically a disposable product; the non-rechargeable, non-replaceable battery will supposedly crap out after about 1,000 miles or a year of regular use (and that's assuming you remember to reach into your stinky shoes and turn off the transmitter after each run). You'll also have to shell out for a new armband to secure your nano, as most currently available options (except for those from Nike, of course) won't hold the combination of iPod plus wireless receiver. Overall, it doesn't seem like the kit alone is compelling enough to encourage more folks to snatch up a nano, but if you already own one of these diminutive DAPs, it's a cheap way to give it some extra functionality -- especially if you forgo the special pair of $100+ Nike sneakers for a quick and easy DIY mod to your current kicks.

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