pacemaker
Latest
Pacemaker DJ app for iPad swaps your record bag for your Spotify password (update: video)
Third time lucky? The team behind Pacemaker clearly thinks so. What was originally ambitious hardware, had to reinvent itself as an app after a complex business arrangement meant things didn't work out. Sadly, the app's devs chose a platform that limited its scope, when it launched as a BlackBerry-only offering. Today, Pacemaker is back, and perhaps where it most logically belongs -- as an iPad app. The totally reinvented interface is much cleaner than before, and operates on a freemium model (unlock extra features like effects at a small cost). Most notable though, is the partnership with Spotify, giving you instant access to the streaming service's entire library. You'll need a premium account, but there's a free trial included in the app. This is something that was attempted before, albeit in breach of Spotify's terms and conditions. Perhaps the most pleasing part of the story though -- at least for owners of the original hardware -- is that Pacemaker the device hasn't been forgotten. Today, it receives a new firmware update that brings new features and improvements to the now-cult gadget. So whether you're hardware or software, it's time to dig out those headphones. Update: The digital DJ gurus over at DJ Tech Tools have given the app a more in-depth look, we've embedded the video overview after the break.
FDA, ICS-CERT issue warnings for medical device, hospital network security
Reports that medical devices implanted in patients or used for their treatment may have dangerous vulnerabilities are not new, but a new "safety communication" is focusing more attention on the issue. Ars Technica points out that the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) group that works along with private industry to protect the nation's infrastructure issued its own alert alongside the FDA's, focusing on the many embedded devices that are protected only by hard-coded passwords. The ICS-CERT message recommends restricting physical access to sensitive hardware, improved designs that are more resistant to potential attacks and increased network security. The FDA lists various vulnerabilities it's become aware of like network connected devices being infected by malware, mobile devices being targeted to access patient data, the previously mentioned hard-coded passwords issue and more. Going forward, the FDA is collecting reports of "adverse events" to determine if security has been compromised, and will issue new guidelines on mobile health technology later this year. We've seen examples of potential security solutions for pacemakers in the past, and the more connected healthcare devices become we're sure patients expect any potential vulnerabilities to be addressed as well.
Fake jellyfish made from rat cells have a place in our hearts (video)
There's a whole sea of jellyfish out there ready to sting indiscriminately. So, why do we keep trying to make them? Scientists from Harvard and Caltech have a pretty good reason for creating fake jellies -- they hope to mend broken hearts by adapting their 'pumping' style of movement. Much like our own vital organ, the creatures are a mass of muscle adept at shifting fluid, meaning the research has several medical applications, such as bioengineered pacemakers for busted tickers. In creating the Medusoids, the team used a silicon scaffold coated in functional rat cardiac tissue, copying the muscle layout of a real jellyfish as best they could. When immersed in salt water and treated to bursts of current, the cells contract and cause the silicon sheet to move in a way eerily similar to the real thing. Next step for the team? An autonomous version that can move and potentially feed without their influence, of course. And, after seeing the little swimmers in action, we've certainly got palpitations. See what we mean after the break.
PSA: Pacemaker DJ app for BlackBerry PlayBook drops into the mix today
What started as hardware, back in 2008, has since been superseded by advances tablet-tech. Logical then that the team behind Pacemaker has remixed the idea for 2012. We've already had a sneaky peek at the PlayBook app, but that was back in beta-land. Today, it launches proper. The official unveiling will be at Barcelona's Sonar festival, but if you didn't get a ticket (or even if you did) you can get your hands on it today from BlackBerry App World for $19. A little more than Cut the Rope, sure, but small change compared to the original hardware's $850 price tag.
Pacemaker DJ app for BlackBerry PlayBook impressions (video)
Back in 2008, a nifty little box of tricks elbowed its way onto the market -- the Tonium Pacemaker. A gadget about the size of an OG PSP, with a complete DJ set-up hidden inside. It was a brave idea, and one that was fondly received. A few years down the line, mixed with a sprinkling of business politics, and sadly the Pacemaker's time on stage would come to an end. Like all good performances though, the show wasn't completely over. In true musical fashion its back for an encore, reinvented and more importantly -- right now at least -- in our hands. We spent sometime with the reincarnated Pacemaker DJ app, to see what life is like after hardware.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: cloning a woolly mammoth, mesmerizing kinetic facade and LED-suited break dancers
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat reported on several breaking technological controversies as South Korean scientists announced plans to clone a woolly mammoth and a group of researchers suggested bioengineering the human body to combat climate change. Printing tech also got a green upgrade as researchers developed a laser "unprinter" capable of erasing pages with a quick zap, and scientists used a 3D printer to create the world's smallest F1 car. Speaking of print, the University of Texas in Austin just developed a revolutionary paper sensor that can detect HIV and malaria for less than 10 cents and a group of aerospace engineers created a pacemaker that's powered by the human heart.In alternative energy news, this week we showcased a solar-powered shipping container office that produces twice as much energy as it consumes, and Arup unveiled its striking net-zero arena for the 2022 world cup. We also highlighted 6 brilliant sun-powered art installations, a pair of massive oil pumps sprang up in Midtown Manhattan, and we brought you a mesmerizing kinetic facade that changes with the wind. President Obama also delivered a speech where he slammed opponents for their single-minded views on energy and a team of researchers developed a ultra thin battery that could power displays on credit cards.Several groundbreaking green transportation projects launched this week as the first 2012 Coda all-electric sedan hit the streets, and scientists proposed a crazy maglev "Startram" train that could make space travel cheaper and more efficient. We also brought you the latest on the Chevy Volt saga as Bob Lutz went on the defensive for the Volt, Bill O'Reilly got caught red-handed as he flip-flopped his position on eco vehicles, and we got the scoop from Chevy's Rob Peterson about the Volt production shutdown. Last but not least, we published you several dispatches from the field of wearable technology - including a dazzling "Aurora" dress made from 10,000 LEDs, a line of space-age fashions inspired by Hubble photography, and a team of pop-locking LED-suited break dancers.
Pacemaker and RIM announce exclusive DJ app for PlayBook
We loved the original Pacemaker, and were sad to hear of its eventual discontinuation. News just in this morning, however, is that the DJ tool is back as a PlayBook app thanks to an exclusive collaboration with the tablet's maker. Details are sparse right now, as the information spilled at RIM's event this morning at MWC, but we do know that there will be auto beatmatching, vinyl mode with scratching, digital mode, looping, loop travel, pitch control, beat skip and "pro level" effects. All we have in terms of availability is that it will be out this spring, with no word on price. In the meantime we're going to start prepping up that music collection.
Piezoelectric system turns your balmy breath into pungent power
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have come up with a way to produce electricity from just about the most renewable source known to man -- his own breath. It's all thanks to a plastic microbelt developed by engineers Xudong Wang, Chengliang Sun and Jian Shi. Made of a material known as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), this belt produces an electric charge whenever low-speed airflow passes over it and causes it to vibrate -- a result of that vaunted piezoelectric effect. Eventually, Wang and his team were able to tinker with their system to the point where it could produce enough current to charge small electronic devices. "The airflow of normal human respiration is typically below about two meters per second," Wang explained. "We calculated that if we could make this material thin enough, small vibrations could produce a microwatt of electrical energy that could be useful for sensors or other devices implanted in the face." The researchers say their technology could be used to power smaller biomedical devices like blood monitors and pacemaker batteries, which typically don't demand vast amounts of energy. No word yet on when this system could make its way to the mainstream, but we'll be waiting with bated breath.
Researchers shield implants from hackers with wireless charm of protection
Everything can be hacked -- that's an important detail to keep in mind as we start cramming wireless radios into our bodies attached to medical implants. Researchers have been working on ways to protect devices like pacemakers from ne'er-do-wells looking to cause, not just e-harm, but physical injury or even death. A new system developed jointly by MIT and UMass is much more sophisticated that earlier solutions, can be used with existing implants, and is worn outside the body allowing it to be removed in the event of an emergency. The shield, as it's called, acts as a sort of medical firewall, protecting implants from unauthorized access -- doctors send encrypted instructions to it which are decoded and relayed to device, while it blocks any signals not using the secret key. All that's left to do is figure out what sort of person would mess with someone's defibrillator.
Blood turbine to power your pacemaker, become legendary band name
Why bother with risky battery-changing surgical operations when your own cardiovascular system can provide all the power your heart-shocking pacemaker will ever need? Engineers at Switzerland's University of Bern have been working on tiny turbines; turbines small enough, in fact, to fit inside a human artery. Working like a blood powered hydroelectric generator, a working prototype -- tested in a simulated artery -- has been able to produce 800 microwatts of electricity. That's roughly eighty times the power required to power the average pacemaker; such a device could provide independent, sustainable power to neurostimulators, blood-pressure sensors, and other implanted medical gizmos. Researchers are concerned, however, that a blood turbine's adding agitation of blood flow might lead to clotting, and are continuing to tweak and rework the design to minimize this risk. Similar, but unrelated cardiovascular power designs have attempted to alleviate the concern by doing away with the rotating, fluid powered components, opting to generate electricity by oscillating magnets by utilizing changes in blood pressure -- which sounds awesome, but still falls shy of "blood turbine," in the contest for most Metal medical device.
Medtronic debuts tiny lead-less pacemaker at TEDMED 2010
There are two pacemakers in the picture above. There's the typical clunky, stone shaped device with wires on the right -- and on the left, a device dwarfed even by a one-cent coin. This is the Medtronic wireless pacemaker, just revealed at TEDMED 2010, which can be implanted directly into your heart via catheter and permanently latch itself into flesh with tiny claws. Then, doctors can wirelessly monitor and even control the device from a nearby smartphone. Medtronic's working to make it even smaller still, and we're hoping to get more information soon. Welcome to the future, folks. %Gallery-106218%
Infrared laser shown to quicken heart rate, gives hope for ultra-small pacemakers
Here's an interesting one. Just years after a researcher in Japan realized that lasers could stimulate nerves, a professor of biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University along with cohorts from Case Western Reserve have found that the same is true with the heart. By using an Infrared laser on an early embryonic heart, tests were able to show that the muscle was "in lockstep with the laser pulse rate." The crew also found no signs of laser damage after a few hours of experimenting, though obviously more extensive research would be required before any medical agency allowed such a device to be beamed underneath a human chest. The hope here is that this discovery could one day lead to ultra-small, implantable pacemakers, or better still, to "pace an adult heart during surgery." There's nary a mention of when this stuff will actually be ready for FDA oversight, but there's a downright creepy video of it all in the source link. Consider yourself warned.
World's first 'wireless' pacemaker talks to your doctor daily, whether you like it or not (though you probably do)
In the past we've been clued in to both deadly pacemaker hackers and the development of a cloaking device to deal with that sticky situation. Now, according to Daily Tech, a woman in New York has become the first in the world to receive a pacemaker that communicates wirelessly with a monitoring service, which is in turn accessed daily by her doctor. "If there is anything abnormal," says Dr. Steven Greenberg from St. Francis Arrhythmia and Pacemaker Center, "it will literally call the physician" and notify him or her. In addition, most of the tests that were done in the doctor's office are now automated, saving everybody time and effort. There is no word yet on possible Twitter integration, but we're sure "Biz" Stone is already on it.[Via Switched]
Video: Tonium Pacemaker in action
We've been playing with the Tonium Pacemaker pretty much non-stop since we got it, and while we're not terrible DJs, we thought we'd bring in some big guns for a demo -- so we asked our buddy Carlos from Chicago's CAPCOM crew to come in and spin a few tracks. Check out the video and our in-depth impressions after the break!
Tonium Pacemaker unboxing and hands-on
So we just got one of the first Tonium Pacemaker portable DJ rigs to land in the States, and while we anticipate having plenty to say about this trick little device, we thought we'd quickly share some pics with you, since it's seriously one of the best and most fun unboxings we've ever done. Each cable is individually packaged in tissue paper inside its own box, and the flaps all have different little fortunes printed on them, from "Your future is looking sound" to our personal favorite "Listen to your mother." As for the Pacemaker itself, it's been pretty fun to mess around with in the few minutes we've had, but we've got to get some more tracks loaded up before we can say anything meaningful. Stay tuned!
Tonium's 60GB Pacemaker pocket DJ now on sale in US
After an unbearably long wait, Tonium's 60GB Pacemaker is finally on sale here in the US of A. Hailed as the planet's first "pocket-sized DJ system," this 60GB portable media player boasts two "turntables" and a "mixer" -- all within a unit that easily fits within most medium- to large-sized palms. As expected, users have access to two independent audio channels and can beatmatch with the press of a button. If you're interested in living out your dreams of being a mix master in the late 80s, you can have one shipped out right away from Amazon in exchange for $499.99. And no, we won't tell your kids. The full release is just past the break.
Merlin medical implant monitoring system approved for use in Europe
Merlin.net, a medical monitoring system developed by St. Jude's Medical has been approved for use in Europe (after previous approval in the US). The system transmits medical information from an implanted pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), to a Merlin monitoring unit in the patient's home, which then transmits the information to the hospital or caretaker. Transmitting the data can occur at any time, regardless of whether the patient is even awake, and provides constant monitoring of the patient. If the system detects a possible problem or "event," it will alert the doctor by text message, email or fax, making possibly emergency situations more easily treatable. Merlin is expected to be marketed to health care provides starting in the spring -- which is currently happening -- so any day now. [Via Medgadget]
Tonium updates Pacemaker DJ system with revamped UI, auto beat match
We reckon this whole "new Pacemaker" thing is becoming an annual occurrence for Tonium, as it has just introduced a revamped Pacemaker DJ system nearly a year to the day after we toyed with its prior iteration. The new flavor sports a "completely reworked" user interface, one that's supposedly user-friendly and "extremely intuitive" for the first-timers. Additionally, Tonium engineers have added in auto beat match for seamless track blending along with a 60GB hard drive that should store around 15,000 tracks. No price is mentioned, but it ought to be on store shelves across the US this Spring. Check the full release just after the break.
Headphones can interfere with defibrillators and pacemakers
Headphone makers love to brag about the fancy magnets they use to drive their buds, but it turns out that hanging tiny focused magnetic fields around you neck can have unintended consequences -- a new study says that headphones can interfere with heart devices like pacemakers and defibrillators when held within an inch of the device. The interference can be be so disruptive that a defibrillator can fail to fire live-saving electric charges, so we'd say that anyone counting on technology to keep their ticker ticking should be extra-careful with where they stow their 'phones -- and although researchers didn't find any interference from cell phones, it probably can't hurt to keep those out of your shirt pockets as well.
Cloaking device could shield pacemakers from malicious signals
On a number of occasions, we've seen reports suggesting that pacemakers could be sent signals which could instruct them to do all sorts of unwanted things, including shut off completely. Thankfully, the University of Washington's Dr. Tamara Denning has heeded the warnings and created a possible solution. The so-called cloaking device would enable pacemakers to "resist any instructions that come from anyone other than the doctor," though it has yet to be put to the test. in the real world Now, making sure your doc has passed a sufficient amount of background checks is another matter entirely.[Via Switched][Image courtesy of SMH, thanks A.C.E.R.]
