Inspirational and good news.
A Carolina woman has become one of the first of a group of blind people to have had their sight restored through cybernetics.
Electrodes implanted in Cheri Robertson’s brain receive a video signal from a small camera worn on her eyeglasses and processed through a wearable computer, a la Geordi LaForge.
Patients with the implants see flashes of light and outlines of objects, but there’s a good chance that the technology will improve with time.
Below is copied from a Wired article on a website that encourages women to get into electronics and do it yourself projects:
A new web-based show encourages young women to tune in and associate DIY less with bread making and more with breadboard wiring.
Created by Alison Lewis, a web designer and instructor at Parsons School of Design, Switch is a free online show connects young women with technology by guiding them through fashion and design projects.
Lewis said she hopes “to inspire people with design and to get young girls thinking about how electronics are approachable and not so scary.”
Diana Eng of Project Runway fame co-hosted the first episode, which is now available at the Switch site. She instructs viewers on how to make a recordable talking picture frame. Future episodes — Lewis hopes to post two a month — will feature design-slash-tech projects such as electronic pillows.
Doctors have successfully grown an organ from the cells of a patient and ‘transplanted’ the organ into the same patient.
Scientists at Wake Forest University in North Carolina found that you can essentially build an organ. By using a sample of cells from the organ and then growing the cells into a 3D mold shaped like the organ.
“Scientists grew new bladders from the patients’ own cells, which were then transplanted back into the patients’ bodies.
Dr. Anthony Atala and his colleagues described the experiment as a long-term success for the seven patients, who ranged from toddlers to teenagers.”
Psychologist Lee S. Berk of Loma Linda University has found that even just expecting a laugh can boost endorphins in the brain. We all like to laugh and other researchers have noticed that white blood cells are more prevalent in those who enjoy life; however, what makes this research distinct is that these endorphins are long-lasting. Expecting to have a good time can prolong your life.
The people involved in this study also showed reduced stress levels. Laughter is truly the best medicine I suppose.
According to an article by the BBC video games are being used to help lazy eyes. They use virtual reality to make one eye (the weaker, lazier one) work a lot harder than the other (stronger) eye.
Having a lazy eye, I can tell you that I’m excited about this since it apparently shows great improvement from an hour of use. I can’t wait until my optometrists says “I prescribe you FUN!”