Health - SlashGear

Posts Tagged ‘health’

Lower PMP volume defaults to fight hearing loss planned

By Chris Davies on Monday, Sep 28th 2009 No Comments

Thanks to a new European Union ruling, any PMP sold in Europe will soon need to have a lower default volume level so as to avoid ear damage. The so-called "safe exposure" levels will be a condition of sale for any MP3 player, including Apple's iPod range, though users will be able to override the settings if they choose.

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Retinal implant could bring sight to blind says MIT team

By Chris Davies on Thursday, Sep 24th 2009 No Comments

MIT researchers have come up with a retinal implant that sends images from a glasses-mounted camera directly to the brain, via the optic nerve. Intended to bring some degree of vision back to the blind, the system should begin real-world testing in around three years time, according to MIT electrical engineering professor John Wyatt.

retinal implant 1

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BrainPort offers blind a chance to see with tongue

By Brenda Stokes on Friday, Aug 14th 2009 No Comments

Well this is just plain cool. BrainPort is a device first introduced in 2006 that would allow users to regain some vision by means of a camera and electrical impulses sent to the tongue. But now, this gadget might actually be available commercially.

14aug09 brainportreturns

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Cellphone Microscope could ID diseased samples in developing world

By Chris Davies on Wednesday, Jul 22nd 2009 No Comments

A team of US scientists have developed a prototype portable microscope that would allow a cellphone camera to help diagnose potentially fatal diseases in blood and sputum samples. The University of California team strapped a DIY microscope to a 3.2-megapixel Nokia N73, using cheap off-the-shelf parts that can nonetheless make out objects 1.2 micrometers across; a red blood cell is usually 6-8 micrometers in width.

cellphone microsope prototype

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Zeo “Personal Sleep Coach” gets reviewed

By Chris Davies on Monday, Jun 15th 2009 No Comments

You might not realize it, but you’re probably sleeping wrong. Thankfully Zeo are around to tell you the error of your ways, and since we won’t take anybody seriously unless we’re paying them a subscription and they’re offering us a wireless-enabled alarm with LCD display, that’s part of the deal too. Measurements are taken via a headband you wear during the night, which sends data to the alarm and rates your quality of sleep as a “ZQ” number.

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USB Posture gadget stops you getting too close

By Chris Davies on Thursday, May 14th 2009 No Comments

Leaning in closer to your computer as the workday drags on is an occupational hazard, and it’s one that can play havoc with your lower back. Save money on massages (though lose the slightly-shameful feeling of paying someone to touch you) with the LED USB Computer Posture Correcting Alert Device. That’s a very long name for a pretty simple gadget: it perches, webcam-like, on your PC, flashing and beeping if you lean in too close.

usb posture correcting device 1

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Cellphone Ultrasound project [Video]

By Chris Davies on Tuesday, May 12th 2009 No Comments

What you see here, plus a woman, could revolutionize pregnancy healthcare. A team at Washington University in St. Louis have developed software [pdf link] that can run on a Windows Mobile smartphone and display ultrasound data from a USB probe, rather than requiring a large, expensive piece of hospital-bound equipment.

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Video demo after the cut

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Palm Pre ‘Classic’ Palm OS emulator video demo

By Chris Davies on Friday, Apr 3rd 2009 No Comments

There’s just enough time for a final snippet of Palm Pre goodness from CTIA 2009, and now we’ve a live video demo of the Palm OS ‘Classic’ emulator. Made by MotionApps, Classic runs as a standard ‘card’ in webOS and allows old apps that have been dragged over to the Pre’s internal storage to be loaded as if on an old Palm OS device.

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Palm Pre Classic emulator video demo after the cut

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Health Control Game Timer to frustrate Nintendo DS players

By Chris Davies on Thursday, Apr 2nd 2009 2 Comments

If you’ve ever had to hold chilled spoons to your eyes just to get them uncrossed after an epic Nintendo DS session, this Health Control Game Timer may be the gadget to save your sight. Plugging into the handheld console, the HCGT can be set to automatically shut the DS down after a preset length of time.

nintendo ds health control game timer 480x474

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Takara Tomy Minutes Gym: digital fitness trainer

By Chris Davies on Monday, Mar 30th 2009 No Comments

The success of Nintendo’s Wii Fit has prompted many companies to look to the TV as a potential exercise prompt. Takara Tomy’s Minutes Gym lacks the real-time interactivity of the Wii Fit, but with its animated gym instructors comes in a whole lot cheaper.

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