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Denver man hacks thumbs for more efficient iPhone use - literally [Updated]
Keyboards on handheld devices and smartphones have often been debated in terms of how much work they actually let you get done. Tiny displays, limited functionality, itty-bitty keyboard buttons and now the iPhone's entirely virtual keyboard whose keys can be hard to hit for some people have given folks something to talk about. Taking matters to a level that I believe is unheard of in the technology world, however, 28-year-old Thomas Martel in Bonnie Brae (a Denver, CO neighborhood) decided to solve his large handed problem by surgically altering his thumbs to make it easier to use his iPhone.Through a procedure called "whittling" which the North Denver News described, an incision was made into each of Martel's thumbs. The bone was shaved down, muscles were realigned and his thumbnail was modified to help bring it all together. His new 'streamlined' thumbs may look out of place in relation to his other fingers, but Martel says all the time and frustration he'll save should make the surgery pay for itself in ten to fifteen years. Of course Dr. Spars, the man who helped develop the procedure, is excited about this new avenue for plastic surgery; it aint just for makin' pretty faces anymore - now you too can have your very own iPhone-optimized thumbs for the low, low price of... well the North Denver News article doesn't say. My guess on the procedure's price though is somewhere in the range of 'a heckuva lot', given that time and frustration are tough things to add up over fifteen years. Depreciating values and market shifts in the value of frustration alone are enough to make one's head spin.What about you, TUAW readers? Anyone planning on hacking their thumbs for more better iPhone usage? How about whittling out a spot in a thigh so the phone rests a little better? I'm thinking about bypassing an armband case altogether and simply chopping out a chunk of my arm for taking the iPhone running. Maybe I'll see what Dr. Nick's prices are like this week.[Update 2: As some commenters have pointed out, this story has finally been officially claimed as satire by North Denver News. I guess the same ol' lesson that I have had to learn myself applies: if a news outlet typically known to print true stories (no matter how quirky they may be) tries to pull off satire, they need to let readers know up front (i.e. - a tiny link that's added at the bottom of the article just above a paid advertisement post-publication doesn't quite cut it). In summary: no one had their thumbs surgically altered to work with an iPhone more efficiently; nothing more to see here folks.][Update: As these stories sometimes go, it appears that this might not all be true. Richard Martin at InformationWeek did some digging for Dr. Spars and James Benfly, the author of the article at North Denver News. Benfly hasn't returned any of Martin's calls, and Martin finds it a bit suspicious that there is no phone book listing for a Dr. Robert Fox Spars in the Denver area. While I too found it a little odd that Denver North News is using what looks like a default template for the open source Joomla software to power their site, a friend did some checking and found four Thomas Martel's in the Denver area. I also don't find it at all strange that Dr. Spars isn't listed in the phone book, because he could very well be listed under his practice's name which Denver North News didn't list in their article. Still, it was worth mentioning that folks are punching some potential holes in the story. I'll see if I can follow up to get any more solid information.][via iPhone Alley]
'GPS techniques' help surgeons carry out delicate procedures
While some courageous individuals may not mind a lifeless being slicing them up in the name of health, there remains a number of us who'd still rather have a human counterpart handling their operation. Thankfully, even skilled doctors could soon be given a hand by GPS location techniques, which have already assisted in some joint-replacement procedures. Essentially, the technology dishes out a "three-dimensional view of the joint area on a television monitor," and enables the knife wielder to make "more accurate cuts and place prostheses much more accurately." The signals are generated by a trio of tiny satellites that are inserted into the surgical incision and "triangulate the exact position of surgical instruments and the anatomy of the patient." Just be careful one of those things don't get sewn up in you, or else you'll likely be a walking beacon for the rest of your days.[Via TGDaily, image courtesy of AVHaspen]
Four-armed surgical robot joins Edmonton hospital staff
While dexterous robots have been helping surgeons in America for some time, Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital is finally getting with the program. Beginning in September, a four-armed surgical robot will be used in procedures to treat prostate cancer, and should provide a much improved in-depth view of the body as well as boosting overall agility while operating. One of the diminutive arms will grasp a camera while the others wield the tools, and trained surgeons will be controlling the action from a three-dimensional screen positioned at a nearby base. Notably, one of the primary reasons Canada has been slower to adopt this type of technology is the price, and while it did cost some $4 million to purchase and retrofit the system into the OR, the shorter recovery time and improved precision whilst operating will certainly prove worthwhile to the average patient.
HD surgery provides gruesome level of detail
High-definition capture and monitoring equipment has long been available for medical uses, but for whatever reason, widespread use has yet to catch on. Now, however, you people will be able to um, partake, in viewing the "first HDTV surgery ever broadcast" as National Geographic HD airs a special presentation of the 1080p system in action. According to a doctor that actually got to experience the technology first-hand, the KSEA HDTV Surgical System provides a widescreen, Full HD look at what's going on within, employs a 3CCD camera with an acquisition resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, and outputs an image that is progressively scanned and displayed at 60 full frames-per-second. We'd recommend you tune in to the aforementioned show on September 16th if the channel is available in your neck of the woods, but you may want to click on and see a few stills of the KSEA in action before subjecting yourself (read: your weak stomach) to the real deal.[Thanks, Dr. Steven P.]
Students whip up Operation-playing robots
We know the Hippocratic Oath is kind of implied in Asimov's Three Laws, so we're kind of cleared for takeoff when it comes to robots performing surgery on us hapless meatbags. But we imagine no such laws or oaths apply to robots developed by UBC physics students, whose final exam is to build the best machine for playing a life-sized game of Operation. And not a moment too soon, because this case of writer's block is totally killing us -- so we'll just end the post here.
Cellphone lights enable operation to proceed in blackout
Hearing that a cellphone saved someone's life isn't exactly surprising these days, but it was the manner in which a bundle of handsets enabled doctors to continue on in a recent operation that differentiated this one from the rest. Reportedly, the backup generators at the Policlinico Juan D. Peron hospital in Argentina failed to activate after the power went out whilst an appendix surgery was ongoing, but rather than panicking, a family member gathered up a number of phones in order to provide enough light for the surgeons and anesthetists to keep on keepin' on. According to the hospital director, the operation went on without proper lighting for no more than 20 minutes, but thanks to the beaming LCDs, the fellow under the knife came through just fine.[Via Switched, image courtesy of foto8]
Satiety's transoral TOGa stomach stapling procedure
Satiety, Inc. has finally found the funding it needs to push forward with a radical new approach to assisting the obese, as it has rounded up $30 million in financing from a number of venture capitalists who dug the idea. Essentially, the TOGa procedure is a "completely transoral process designed to achieve similar weight loss to restrictive surgeries," and it also claims to be less invasive, require less recovery time, and should create a "dramatically reduced amount of complications." In this system, the physician would "introduce a stapling device transorally and create a restrictive pouch at the entry of the stomach," and moreover, it's considered "non-surgical" in nature, endoscopic, and can be performed by properly trained bariatric surgeons, general endoscopic surgeons, and gastroenterologists. Currently, the firm is moving forward with plans to get the procedure approved by the FDA, and while there's no telling how long such a convoluted process will take, stomach stapling could see an entirely different approach in the years to come if this proves effective.[Via CNET]
Sensei robotic arm pulling off heart operations in the UK
Although the Sensei robot at St. Mary's Hospital in London may just be "one of four in the world," it certainly joins a packed crowd of mechanical colleagues that have been doing this whole "operation" bit for quite some time. As with most similar alternatives, this one operates (quite literally, actually) by responding to a human surgeon's input given via joystick, and the arm is then able to maneuver into more delicate and hard-to-reach locales in order to execute catheter ablation procedures. In the future, however, the Atari-lovin' doctor could be left out of the process entirely, as an automated edition could eventually be programmed to find its own way to the target without any human intervention. Med school graduates losing residency positions to metallic counterparts -- what is the world coming to?
UK canine equipped with prosthetic paw
Although we've certainly come across prosthetics with names similar to that of a fun-loving canine, we don't believe we've ever seen a pup actually become the receipiant of one. Nevertheless, the Surrey-based Belgian Shepherd (named Storm) had to undergo a leg amputation due to an agreesive tumor, but rather than allowing it to live out its life minus a limb, Noel Fitzpatrick decided to operate further. Now, Storm has reportedly become the "world's first pet to be fitted with a prosthetic paw," and moreover, the device has actually been installed in a manner that will allow skin to "grow into the metal." Best of all, the veterianarian hopes that "it will act as a model for human amputees," and if this approach gains traction, it could provide hope for humans in the future "without feet or hands."[Via Shiny Shiny]
The Trauma Center sequel is going where?!
Okay, we were cool with our new big brother-in-arms -- after all, we had some sweet connectivity to look forward to, and it just gave us more excuses to crow about Nintendo taking over the world with devices what print crisp new bills. But today's announcement ruins everything. We hate you, Mr. Johnny-Come-Lately Wii, because you stole our Trauma Center.Listen, we think it's keen and all that Trauma Center: New Blood is going to do what the first Wii port didn't -- that is, feature actual character voices and video. Y'know, the sort of things one expects from a console game. The text adventure style of the DS game suited the DS just fine, but once the game made the jump to the Wii, we expected a lot of things we didn't get. We also think the Iron Surgeon new coop play mode is pretty keen. But why can't we have a little piece of the action on our handheld? Are we supposed to be satisfied with Lifesigns? We're certainly pleased about the localization of another medical-themed game, but we want our Trauma Center! We require gut-wrenchingly difficult gameplay and the satisfaction of touching during surgery. We know it's a bit rich to complain about Atlus, considering the flood of announcements today. But really, why have they taken away our surgery game? We're so sad. You've cut out our hearts, Atlus ... and the healing touch of other new games just isn't enough.
Trauma Center: New Blood announced
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Trauma_Center_sequel_revealed_for_the_Wii_PICS'; Given Atlus' sales success with Trauma Center: Second Opinion, timing the remake to release with the Wii's launch, it's no surprise that the small publisher has readied a true sequel for the surgery sim. Trauma Center: New Blood introduces two young surgeons, Markus Vaughn and Valerie Blaylock, along with several exciting features: a cooperative mode, online leaderboards, and a 16:9 widescreen mode. Throw on your scrubs and hit the gallery up for New Blood's first screenshots.%Gallery-4686%[Via NeoGAF]
Miniature sensor replicates human touch
A group of researchers have created a millimeter sized sensor that is capable of recreating a number of our tactile abilities, such as force and position of contact, softness of a grasped object, and slippage. The technology -- which utilizes polystyrene beams that bend when put in contact with a soft surface -- might be able to assist doctors in performing minimally invasive surgery (or MIS) by adding additional force-feedback information from the subject (up until now, surgeons have had to rely heavily on visual data transmitted from an endoscope). The tiny sensors could be micromachined (a type of integrated circuit manufacture), and would thus be simple and cost effective to fabricate for medical uses. The next stages will be further miniaturization, integration with MIS tools, and animal tissue testing.
Confirmed at last: LifeSigns headed to the US
Way back in March, rumors surfaced regarding the long-overdue localization of LifeSigns: Hospital Affairs, and it looks like Siliconera's detective work was right on the button: the doctor sim is due this summer. Now here's where it gets confusing. Our original reports had Hospital Affairs coming out this week and Surgical Unit at the end of June. Now, as of this new announcement, Hospital Affairs, based on the Japanese DS launch title Kenshuui Tendo Dokuta, is coming sometime this summer. We originally assumed, based on the separate GameStop listings, that Surgical Unit was a localized version of the second Tendo Dokuta game, but according to an interview with one of the game's producers, they're two different names for the first game.During the interview, the producer asserted that the US-released LifeSigns game was going to be called Surgical Unit, but all the promotional material (including the website) uses the title Hospital Affairs. Yikes. We think this is because the promotional information is for the European release.Okay, we're getting mixed up ourselves, so here's the final breakdown in bullet-point form: There is only one LifeSigns game announced for the US so far, with some kind of subtitle. It is coming out some time this summer. %Gallery-3301%
University of Washington's Raven to try surgery in simulated spacecraft
If you thought ASTRO and NextSat were the only two autonomous robots frolicking around in testing environments, Raven would certainly beg to differ, as NASA has recently announced that the University of Washington's mobile surgical robot will soon be off to tackle surgical tasks whilst underwater. The 12th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations test will see the mechanical MD pick up the tools in a simulated spacecraft submerged near Key Largo, Florida, where the "mission will test current technology for sending remote-controlled surgical robotic systems into space." Thanks to a combination of wired and wireless networks, a trio of seasoned veterans back in Seattle will be dictating the movements remotely, as the bot attempts to "suture a piece of rubber and move blocks from one spindle to another." Interestingly, there was no word on whether Raven was scheduled to pick up the night shift at Seattle Grace upon its return from the depths.[Via MedLaunches]
HeartLander caterpillar robot crawls on heart, administers treatment
We get a little more creeped out each week or so, as a new form of minimally overtly invasive robotic creature somehow comes to life and sets its sights on perusing our innards. The newest species hails from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was designed to "crawl across the surface of the heart to deliver treatment." The eerily-dubbed "robotic caterpillar" measures just a few centimeters in length and can scoot about at a blistering 18-centimeters per minute via "push and pull" control wires that reside outside of the body. The lead doctor on the project suggests that the critter could "allow procedures to be carried out without having to stop the heart, reducing the risk of illness linked to heart bypass surgeries," and moreover, insinuated that patients would spend less time recovering in the hospital after he / she was all sewn up. Apparently, the HeartLander could be available for human practice "within three to four years," but according to a director at the British Heart Foundation, "a lot more research is needed to determine whether something delivered to the outside surface of the heart can modify activity on the inside."[Via BBC]
neuroArm gives surgeons extra dexterity, sense of touch
Considering that a BSOD within the robotic surgeon that's halfway through a critical operation on your innards is far from ideal, we're certainly in agreement with companies looking to make actual human doctors even better at their work. A team of Canadian scientists and engineers have concocted the neuroArm robot to allow doctors to perform microscopic operations on the brain in a more precise manner. Essentially, the uber-steady bot "will let doctors use surgical techniques on afflictions such as brain tumors that human surgeons are simply not dexterous enough to do," and when combined with a touchscreen stereoscopic viewer, it enables MDs to better visualize the area they're working with through advanced depth perception and "3D-like" imagery. The neuroArm system should hit clinical testing sometime within the next month or so, and if all goes smoothly (ahem), the long-term goal involves "manufacturing different versions" and selling them to a variety of hospitals.
Infrascanner: the handheld NIR hematoma detector
As technology continues to make doctors' lives a bit easier (not to mention saving a few in the process), we've got yet another device that can detect a potentially fatal problem long before mere humans can figure it out. The Indian-based Infrascanner is a "handheld, non-invasive, near-infrared (NIR) based mobile imaging device used to detect brain hematoma at the site of injury" within the most important stage of pre-analysis. The device could also aid in the decision to proceed with "other tests such as head Computed Tomography (CT) scans" when not "facilitating surgical intervention decisions." While the methods behind the scanning are quite sophisticated, the unit uses diffused optical tomography to convert the light differential data seen in the local concentrations of hemoglobin into "interpretative scientific results." Potentially best of all, however, is just how close this thing is to actually hitting hospital wards, as it's simply missing the oh-so-coveted FDA stamp of approval before it can see commercial use.[Via MedGadget]
Intelligent micro-drill carefully delves through tissue
While the idea of a robotic surgeon always makes us a bit weary, a new micro-drill crafted in the UK is earning its stripes (and the public's trust) the old fashioned way: by executing its duties without harming someone. The intelligent medical drill was developed by Peter Brett and colleagues at the University of Aston and David Proops, a surgeon at University Hospital Birmingham, and is "used to bore small holes in the side of a patient's head so that a surgeon can install an implant." Aside from being just slightly creeped out at that imagery, a surgical device that has worked perfectly in three actual operations demands respect, as the device has successfully allowed doctors to "give profoundly deaf patients cochlear implants." This device stands out due to its uncanny ability to sense pressure, torque, and force, and can automatically shut down if it feels it's going to pierce a membrane that shouldn't be punctured -- and for all you fellows who greatly prefer your hair over just about anything, we're sure the implant industry is already checking into it.[Via NewScientistTech]
Magnetic beads could peruse your innards
We've got a sneaking suspicion that the whole idea of "minimally invasive" procedures will soon become a matter of perspective, as Canadian researchers are dreaming up yet another method of perusing parts of your innards you never thought possible. If the brilliant minds at École Polytechnique Montréal have their way, microscopic medical beads could eventually be used to inspect, pass medicines, and take a joyride through even the smallest tubes in your body. Already being tested on live pig (and showing outstanding results, too), the idea is to utilize MRI machines to magnetically push objects through the bloodstream, which could reach locales that modern day surgeries can't. Interestingly enough, this procedure has far exceeded the brainstorming stage, and if you're one of those strong-stomached type, be sure to hit the read link for a couple of live action videos of the process.
Lifesigns schedules operations for June
We hadn't heard anything about the US localizations of the two Tendo Dokuta games since November. Siliconera is reporting today that the two games, called Lifesigns: Hospital Affairs and Lifesigns: Surgical Unit are being published by Dreamcatcher Interactive and released on May 15 and June 28 respectively. A quick jaunt over to EBGames' webpage confirms this information for Surgical Unit (if EB is to be trusted), but Hospital Affairs is nowhere to be seen.Tendo Dokuta was a launch title for the DS in Japan. It's amazing that someone's just now getting around to localizing it!
