health

The device that can make every techie stand to attention

Sometimes my heart sinks like the quality of Steely Dan's later period when I think of all the techies who spend the greater part of their lives hunched over their laptops, in the hope of fame, power and riches.

Or at least respect. Or maybe just decent salaries.

Those techie spines must experience more pressure than the entrails of Madonna's publicist at show time.

I am therefore delighted to have discovered iPosture. iPosture resembles those little batteries you put into your watch or your pocket vibrator.

The idea is that you stick it to your bra strap, your … Read more

Pavlovian iPosture is no slouch

Thanks to nanosensor technology, your mother doesn't need to tell you to stand up straight anymore. A new gadget called iPosture will do that job for her.

The battery-operated device contains a microchip that monitors the angle of the wearer's upper chest several times per second, vibrating briefly when it senses a deviation greater than three degrees from the programmed ideal stance. Specialized software filters spurious movements, which allows the iPosture to adapt to various body types and activities--presumably stopping it from zapping you in the middle of sit-ups, for example. It's an inch in diameter and … Read more

Khosla leads $3 million Series A for health start-up ZocDoc

Khosla Ventures, the venture capital firm launched in 2004 by Sun Microsystems founder Vinod Khosla, has led a $3 million Series A round for ZocDoc, a service for locating and booking doctors' appointments online.

ZocDoc is sort of like a cross between Yelp and Lifebooker--but with its focus on physicals, not facials. Members can search for nearby doctors, filter by insurance plan matches, find out what other members have had to say about them, and book the appointments through the site. Currently, it only serves the New York boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, but has plans to expand nationwide--that's … Read more

Philips patent reveals smart specs for visually impaired

A future product from electronics maker Philips could make it easier for the visually impaired to detect moving objects in daily life.

According to New Scientist, Philips has filed a patent for a movement-detection system, including a pair of glasses that will use a camera and accelerometers to distinguish between stationary and mobile objects.

The smart specs would work with a computer to spot obstacles, while an orientation sensor worn on the body would tell the computer about the wearer's movement. To help the user navigate, the device would also provide audio signals notifying them of moving objects.

The … Read more

Fighting germs, Harry Potter-style

If you were excited about the previously-mentioned SteriPEN, if you're still avoiding tomatoes and hot peppers at the supermarket, or if you just have some money to spare, then chances are that the Nano-UV Wand is right up your alley.

Lately, it seems an activity as simple and natural as eating has become much more complicated. In the wake of the salmonella-inducing tomato (or jalapeno, or maybe serrano pepper) and E. coli spinach scares, consumers continue to be wary of food-borne illnesses, and are on the lookout for products that protect them from this nasty bacteria.

Healthy Connections, a … Read more

E-smoking to kick a nicotine addiction

If gum, the patch, and hypnosis don't cut it, Chinavasion says smokers can kick their nicotine habit and look tech-savvy at the same time with the "E-Cigarette" anti-smoking gadget sold on its site.

While it has the appearance of a cigarette--albeit a stainless steel one--the gadget is loaded with nicotine cartridges, a different concept than the e-cigar, which uses liquid cartridges to produce the flavored vapor without the nicotine and smoke. The five atomized cartridges in the E-Cigarette contain high-purity liquid nicotine, and each cartridge has the lifespan of about 30 cigarettes.

The cigarette is sold with … Read more

Burgers made healthier by replacing bad fat with good

The Washington Post recently ran an article about a group of Argentinean scientists working to make a healthier burger. The surprisingly simple thought process behind the research is to take the fat out of beef and replace it with healthier fats. The research team has been experimenting with hundreds of formulations, including ones using substitutes of high oleic sunflower oil and omega-3 fatty acids.

The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids have long been touted, but they is found in seafood, not beef. High oleic sunflower oil is low in saturated fat and could help lower cholesterol.

Noemi Zaritzky, head of … Read more

New fashions for Fall-ing

It's a problem we all face at some point: parents or grandparents start to get wobbly as they get older, followed by the inevitable falls and broken bones from which they frequently never fully recover. A team of Virginia Tech researchers has recently completed a study of the efficacy of pants with strategically placed sensors to determine the likelihood that a particular individual will take a tumble.

In a nutshell (you can read the abstract at IEEE Xplor, but the paper itself will be behind a paywall when it's published), Liu, Lockhart, Jones, and Martin from Virginia Tech's e-Textiles Lab … Read more

Cancer doc urges cell phone precaution

A prominent cancer researcher's warning to limit cell phone use has rekindled anew the longstanding question over mobile-phone health risks.

The media is abuzz with news of the memo from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. He sent it to faculty and staff Wednesday, saying, among other things, that children should use cell phones only for emergencies, since their developing organs are the most likely to be sensitive to possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.

In his 10-point advisory, Herberman also urges adults to keep phones away from their heads and use speakerphones or wireless headsets.

He suggests that people try to avoid constantly carrying their cell phones on their bodies and also try not to keep the devices nearby at night under the pillow or on a nightstand. He even warns against using cell phones in public places like buses because it exposes others to the phone's electromagnetic fields.

Herberman notes that the precautions have been reviewed by UPCI experts in neuro-oncology, epidemiology, and neurosurgery, as well as the Center for Environmental Oncology.

The tumor immunologist's words are grabbing widespread attention both because of his professional position and because they contradict numerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use.

Herberman said his warning was based on early findings from unpublished data (see PDF for more).

"Recently, I have become aware of the growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer," he says. "Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use." … Read more