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ICYMI: Health tech for VR sickness, smarter wifi and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-1837{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-1837, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-1837{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-1837").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: The Mayo Clinic is licensing a new system that uses electrodes to fool the brain from getting sick when it doesn't detect movement while using a VR headset. New, open-source recycling machines will let makers transform plastics into whatever their hearts desire. And MIT designed a smarter wifi system that can tell who is inside a room and who is out, letting those in log on without needing a password. If you're into fire effects, check out Colin Furze's YouTube channel for a crazy DIY'd thermite launcher. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
PS3 Cell chip saves more lives with medical imaging
The use of the PlayStation 3 in the Folding@home project has proven to be phenomenally successful (even Team Joystiq -- thanks, guys!). Now, the Cell chip has served another purpose: 3-dimensional medical imaging.IBM and Mayo clinic today announced that they have been using the Cell chip for imaging purposes such as cancer detection. According to the press release, the imaging program originally would run on typical processors and that optimized registration of 98 sets of images would take 7 hours typically. However, use of the application on the Cell-equipped IBM BladeCenter QS20 is 8 minutes 36 seconds -- approximately fifty times faster.The PlayStation 3 itself is not being used for the imaging, and for that we say pity. We actually find it interesting watching the proteins fold and inviting our chemistry-oriented buddies over to identify common bonds and laugh at atomic jokes that we don't get. How about a downloadable application in the vein of this imaging program that both showcases the PS3's horsepower and shows interested parties how cancer looks inside the body?The full results of the imaging experiment will be presented at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Symposium April 12 to 15 in Washington, D.C.[Via The Mercury News]
Mayo Clinic prescribes active games
The Wii has been getting a lot of attention lately, mainly because of its different control mechanism. However, movement in gaming isn't a new concept, which hearkens to days such as the NES Power Pad. Now, exergaming is getting a supporter. The Mayo Clinic has released a report on the results of an exergaming study. Using a sedentary base, games that use a camera (such as EyeToy) and using a treadmill while gaming burned triple the amount of calories as sitting (five times over for more obese children); dance games registered the greatest calorie burn at six times the sitting rate. With this new study, Nintendo is likely to jump on and further promote the health benefits of playing the Wii. Pulling children away from video games is a difficult task these days. While the Wii will unlikely burn the fat like Dance Dance Revolution would, they can add a bit to the marketing pamphlet to say the Wii requires exercise (if used right) for something their kid would otherwise be vegetating to do. As if we needed any more reasons to buy a Wii. [Thanks, Ben]
