It can be a pretty harsh blow moving on from being a full and able bodied person to a quadriplegics for some due to an accident or other circumstances, but then again there is always the resilient human spirit that is inherent in each and every one of us to make the best of all situations. Well, those who are in wheelchairs need not despair, as there is a new tongue controller that was specially designed to give quadriplegics the ability to operate external devices like wheelchairs and computers. Recently, results from a clinical trial that involved testing the capabilities of the interface for the severely handicapped have been presented at the annual meeting of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), proving that the tongue controller is intuitive and precise enough to be used by patients within a short period of time.

Read the rest of this entry »

How often do you see games actually help someone’s medical condition? Sure, the Wii and its waggle controls are definitely much more engaging than just fiddling with buttons on the TV’s remote control, but what if you’re diabetic? The Nintendo DS Didget is here to help, being a brand new peripheral ideal for folks who are hooked to the famous handheld console, and yet making the game fun for diabetics as measuring your blood glucose levels with it on a daily basis will help unlock in-game secrets to help you progress further along the game. It will work only with the DS Phat and DS Lite, since the DSi doesn’t come with the relevant Slot-2 to hold the DS Didget peripheral. The big question is this – what happens after the patient has completed the game, staying faithful to measuring his/her blood glucose levels? Will the sudden end in the game make them revert to their previous non-chalant attitude?

Source: Electricpig

There is nothing quite like painting the town red to celebrate a joyous occassion like a marriage or promotion on the job, but drinking responsibly is another important thing to consider even if you decide to let your hair down. For folks who do not trust cabbies to bring them back in one piece after a hard night of partying, there’s always the Keyring Alcohol Breath Tester that allows you to know whether you need a friend to bring you back or not.

Just hold down the power button until the LED turns green and blow across the top of the grill. If the light remains green, then you’re under 0.05% BAC, and in theory in the clear. If the yellow LED comes to life, then you need to use caution (and probably a bus) as it means you’re hovering dangerously close to the legal alcohol limit of 0.08% BAC. If the red and yellow LEDs come on, then you should throw your car keys into the nearest river and start weaving your way home as you’ve had far too much to drink.

Of course, if you can’t even remember where you’ve parked your car, then there isn’t even any need to purchase this £7.99 device.

Want to get that set of killer abs to impress the girls this summer season? Well, there’s the Abgymnic Muscle Toner that claims to “sculpt, tone and firm from the comfort of your home” for a mere £4.95, believe it or not! It uses gentle electronic muscle stimulation that mimics regular exercises for even more muscle definition!

Safe, gentle pulses transmitted from the toning belt onto your skin cause muscular contractions that mimic those of normal exercises like stomach crunches and riding an exercise bike for example, so you can sculpt, firm and tone – without lifting a finger! For maximum results using the Abgymnic toning belt alongside your normal fitness routine is a great way to increase your muscle definition even more and get extra help for problem areas like underarms, thighs, hips and tummies.

The product description claims that a month of regular use will give you more noticeable body curves and visible body improvements, so we’ll just have to take their word at surface level until someone confirms its effectiveness. Nothing mentioned about laying off the greasy burgers and beer for maximum results though. Muscles in High Definition, now how about that?

I just saw an episode of Rescue Me last week where one of the firefighters was trapped, and the rest of the dysfunctional characters didn’t know where he was. Just watch the show on Hulu if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Perhaps Dennis Leary and his comrades should use the Squad, a compact indoor position system that enables firefighters to know their location, as well as the location of their partners. This concept gadget, designed by a University of New South Wales student Roy Hareguina, uses a sonar sensor to provide a map of the surrounding area, instead of a GPS.

Read the rest of this entry »

I realize that this headline might trigger surveillance society fears in some of our readers, but this article isn’t about putting GPS trackers in everyone’s footwear. No, putting a GPS in someone’s shoes is only a way to keep tabs on those who need it.

GTX Corporation and the shoe company Aetrex originally developed this technology to track elderly patients who have Alzheimer’s.

For those who do not know about Alzheimer’s, it is a condition (not a disease, even though it is often referred to as one) that involves both short and long term memory loss. Sometimes the victim is really lost in his or her own world of the past, and doesn’t realize he or she is very much in the present. In short, a victim can be as helpless as a wandering infant. I’m sure some of you have older relatives who have been afflicted with this.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you have sore muscles on a regular basis, then you’ve likely found ways to cope throughout the day.  One thing that might help push you over the edge and keep you feeling good is this mouse.  A mouse is not usually something that you would use to keep your muscles from being sore all the time.  However, that’s exactly what this little Japanese mouse is used for.  The EMS mouse allows for you to hook yourself up and get a bit of relaxation on the exact spot that is giving you troubles.

Read the rest of this entry »

American Industrial Systems, Inc. (AIS for short) has recently introduced a couple of medically certified 8.4” and 10.4” Rugged Tablet PCs that will target the medical industry. Being that small in size, you are spot on if you thought that the famous Intel Atom processor found in netbooks will be the heart and engine of these rugged tablet PCs – they will utilize the latest N270 Intel Atom Processor that offers high reliability operation in an ultra low power environment. On the outside, you will be pleased to note that the tablet PC sports an elegant, practical design that boasts an aluminum-magnesium alloy construction with individually sealed ports for complete IP54 compliance waterproof and dustproof protection. In addition, these two tablet PCs have already made it past the UL60601-1 Medical Equipment Certifications that make them approved where electronic compatibility and reliability in the medical field are concerned. Not only that, AIS has made sure they are tough as nuts by virtue of its engineering that complies with Military 810F shock, vibration, and drop standards. Never knew the hospital environment would be that tought, but hey, you can never tell when your tablet PC might drop to the ground when a patient starts to trash around in bed, right?

Read the rest of this entry »