A Shot Less Painful
I have a phobia of needles. I hate them, I always have, shots are the worst. I’ve even been known to pass out. That’s why I’m excited about the possibilities that technology offers, because I think their should be a better way to keep people healthy that doesn’t involve torturing them.
So that’s where P.L.E.A.S.E comes in (or the painless lased epidermal system). The device is meant to deliver drugs (like a shot) but with a laser instead of a needle. I’m not talking about the Star Wars burns through your skin painful kind of laser, but the painless kind. The idea is a tiny laser blasts tiny holes in your skin to absorb the medicine. It is not supposed to hurt. This possible medical marvel is definitely an update to the plastic tubing and needles we’re used to, it comes with its own touch screen controls.
Pain Less
The dentist is terrible. I hate the dentist. It’s scary and uncomfortable and weird when people try to talk to you while your mouth is full of futuristic tubing. But finally someone has decided that the dentist should be a little less painful, a little less horror movie. Hopefully they keep it up.
Dentalvibe is the newest creation for anti pain dentist visits. Supposedly it tricks your brain when you’re getting an injection by pulsing small vibrations through your mouth so you don’t feel the needle sticking into your gums. I hope it really works, because that would just be an excellent idea.
NASA Spinoff
Since 1976, NASA Spinoff magazine has described the ways space technology is making a difference in real-world living. Each year the publication features 40-50 of these commercial products.
2009’s edition includes things like sensors developed for research on Mars that are now used to provide early warning of biological threats or air humidifiers to kill germs and preserve food.
I’m going to watch one of the last few shuttle launches soon. Now, I have even more appreciation for the work they are doing.
National Robotics Week 2010
It’s the first annual National Robotics Week. It is designed to bring awareness to the growing importance of “robo-technology” and the tremendous social and cultural impact that it will have on the future of how people will live, work and play worldwide.
Events are being held nationwide, including in these locations:
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For a full listing of National Robotics Week events from around the country and other robotics-related resources and information, please visit us at www.nationalroboticsweek.org or on Twitter (@roboweek or #roboweek) and Facebook (facebook.com/roboweek).
Crutch of the Future
Crutches haven’t seemed to improve in the last, well, lets just say ever. There had to be a better way than bruising your shoulders and being unable to carry anything with your hands while your leg is hurting. You shouldn’t have to handicap yourself further.
The freedom leg is designed to be (maybe the first) helpful alternative. The leg is designed as an exoskeleton of sorts attaching around the injured leg and supporting all your body weight on its frame rather than on any part of the injured leg. Basically, you can walk on it. Not a bad idea.
Science Fiction
Star Wars get better and better every year. (Not the new trilogy of course) but we are getting closer to the tech we all learned to love when the original trilogy was released so long ago.
Now, the icon of the Star Wars era is within our reach. That’s the lightsaber of course. Plasma knives are making their way through field testing by the Special Operations Command. This means that mini lightsabesrs will be available in the foreseeable future. The knives are meant to penetrate and cauterize wounds safely and efficiently when other tools are not available. That’s all good and all, but I just want to know what colors the blade comes in.
Moms for Simplicity
Dana Torres, the five-time Olympic swimmer and mom has launched “Moms for Simplicity” with HP. The website, online essay contest and photo mosaic invites moms to inspire and educate each other about how technology simplifies their lives.
In mid-June, Torres will choose three contest winners to receive a personalized HP technology makeover, the chance to meet Torres and see her swim in the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, and possibly the opportunity to see her compete at the FINA World Championships in Rome.
The contest, which runs through June 16, asks moms to upload a photo to an online photo mosaic and, in 200 words or less, tell HP and Torres how they use technology to simplify their busy lives – including digital scrapbooking, keeping in touch with friends, running a business from home, or managing a weekly schedule.
Participants will have their photo and story featured on the photo mosaic, and three will win HP products, including the HP Vivienne Tam edition notebook, HP Photosmart All-in-One printer and an HP TouchSmart PC. Additionally, winners will become “amateur mom reporters” at the U.S. Nationals, where they will see Torres compete and report their experiences on the “Moms for Simplicity” website through a series of video diaries.
According to Nielsen NetRatings, there are 32 million women in the United States who have children under 18 and get online (84 percent of moms online), which translates to about 40 percent of all women online in the United States today.(1)
More information on “Moms for Simplicity” and how to participate in the contest is available at www.hp.com/go/hpmomsforsimplicity.
Mind over Matter
Who doesn’t want the ability to control stuff with their mind? It’s like super powers right?
Well, Honda researchers in Japan have come up with a slightly less fantastical control and use for a kind of scientific telekinesis. BMI (or Brain Machine Interface, not Body Mass Index) looks like a giant hairstyling chair with a white air conditioner attached to the back. The point, however, has nothing to do with the style. BMI basically measures electric currents and almost infrared spectroscopy, or brain blood flow. This makes it possible to control a certain robot with just your thoughts.
Obviously it’s still in the development stages but, aside from being cool, the possibilities this kind of technology presents for anyone who’s physically disabled or just needs some extra help around the house is amazing.
This will blow your mind
Fascinating take on modern life and the ever-increasing pace of information. I think what it says about the world our kids will live in is particularly important. When I was studying to be a teacher, I remember a very wise speaker talking about how it wasn’t important to teach children information itself as it was to teach them how to find, use, and critique information. They can look up anything they need if they have the skills to do so. That’s why memorization can only take you so far.
This video covers a lot more than that. Watch and be amazed
Did You Know?
Medical Light
Lasers are big today. I’m not talking Star Wars, I’m talking a slightly more constructive less destructive type. The medical field, as always, is working its way forward.
In both Tel Aviv and Massachusetts doctors are using laser light to heal wounds. Forget stitches, in Israel they’re practicing with controlled light beams to close wounds. In Massachusetts they’re healing surgical incisions with a balanced blast of heat. I don’t know about how painful either technique is but it certainly sounds cooler than getting yourself stapled back together.
