Can handshakes heal?

It just might if you shake hands with RUPERT. Arizona State University researchers and Tempe-based Kinetic Muscles, Inc., have developed a robotic arm to help stroke survivors regain the ability to perform basic tasks.This arm will help them relearn reaching for objects and feeding themselves.The goal is for patients to try to guide the robot, in a figure-eight motion above a desk. If you are moving in the correct direction it pulls, if you move it in the wrong direction it offers resistances.This is what the researcher's call a "minutely controlled degree". The rehabilitative device helps with task-oriented repetitive therapy, and with high hopes that it will provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional therapy. This would allow a larger population to regain maximum motor function.


Recent research suggests that stroke survivors can recover significant use of their arms by performing repetitive motor function exercises over a period of time. This labor-intensive physical therapists is expensive, claiming up to 4 % of the national health budget, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some health insurers limit or even deny coverage before stroke survivors achieve best results. This is what happened to my grandmother she was only allowed a certain amount of visits to the physical therapist. Because this device can be used in homes the patient can use it more frequently and for longer periods of time, this technology may prove to be more cost effective and provide better results.


The team is now working to engineer greater intelligence into the device so that it responds directly to a user's intent. Their hopes are that the new improved arm will sense when the patient is"Not only is the goal to make the motion more intuitive, but we want the robot to assist at those points in the movement where the individual needs it," said Dr. He As the individual's motor function improved, RUPERT would adapt to allow the user faster recovery by requiring the muscles to work independently where possible.


I think this is great technology. I know from first hand how hard it is for a stroke patient to regain control of their motor skills. It is a very hard, long road and if this machine can help with healing I hope all hospitals and rehabs get a few. I guess now they need one for a person's leg... I wonder if there is such a device. Guess what next weeks blog may be about?


The research team is led by Jiping He, Ph.D., of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. Dr. He






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PS3 Move

So Sony is coming out with the PS3 Move. I guess this would be their version of the Wii. It has a "stick" controller and has what looks like a ping pong ball on the end of it. You will use this with the PS3 eye toy...didn't they try the eye toy before the Wii came out? If memory serves it was a big flop. Well they are revamping it to give you better control then the Wii motion plus . Once rumored to be called the Arc PS3 Move is said it will take the gaming world by storm and loved by hardcore gamers and casual alike.

The Move will come with a bundle pack including the controller, the eye toy and a game for $100.00, reminds me of the past when play station had their bundle pack. The one thing the move will have over the Wii is that it can be played in HD and really do I need HD to sweat? I don't think so. I do like that it is "you" in the game instead of a "mii" like the Wii offers. The Move is said will be more precise then the Wii motion plus if so this will win over some of the Wii fans. One of the first games Sony will release for the Move are Move Party and Sports Champion.They also demonstrated the Move "movements" in their hit title Little Big Planet. I do like the idea of drawing something on a piece of paper and it is incorperated into the game by the eye toy as seen here for the iPet. The future promises Socom 4 and more of the big titles incorporated for the Move.

Among the types of games Move will work with include those that involve swords, bows and arrows, guns, punching and much more. The idea is that Move will provide players with a realistic and precise feeling of holding whatever kind of thing the game calls for a sword,tennis racket, paint brush or a gun. This will also have the attachments like the Wii to give you more of a realistic feel.


I'm very impressed by what I have seen so far and I love the Wii. My husband is a PS3 freak and he is super excited about it coming out in the Fall. If it does live up to it's potential I will surly enjoy playing more with him on the PS3.


check out some of the reviews here, here and here.

Sony and3D

The new big thing coming out may indeed be this! Ps3 will soon launch their new 3d gaming experience. I'm a little torn on this product because while I am a gamer I'm not an extreme gamer and this type of technology seems to be expensive.

To play this game you will need to purchase a special sony television...Sony LH or HX series 3D-capable TV The BRAVIA LX900 is powered by Sony’s revolutionary 3D Integrated technology. This combines a 3D Sync Transmitter, frame-sequential display and high frame rate Motionflow 200Hz technology at a specific signal processing speed to reproduce Full HD resolution 3D images. To ensure users fully enjoy 3D viewing on the BRAVIA LX900, the 3D TV also comes bundled with two sets of active shutter glasses that are synchronized with the images shown on the display. Additional active shutter glasses can be purchased separately, for about $70 to $100. With prices like that how many friends will you actually have over to enjoy this great technology? The prices for these Tv's are relatively cheap for this technology atleast to me, $599-$1659 but with the latest craze on HD tv how many people are willing to go and buy another tv that will have limited use until more movies are released in 3d.

So PS3 3D gaming are getting mixed reviews because of the extra equipment needed and even though the graphics are great it can become boring with time (after the newness wears off) There are only a few games geared towards 3D gaming right now and if these are not the type of games you play you are left holding the bag so to speak. I'm not into wipeout or the Avatar so this at the moment other then it being very cool I don't think I want to own one right now. I would like to play a demo just to say I had the experience so I may have to stop at a Sony store and give it a whirl! Coming soon to a store near you PS3 gaming to be released June 10 and USA soon after.





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Asus EeeTop PC ET1602

Will Asus be the next "new" must have name in homes across the world? I don't know but maybe! The more I read about this company and the products they offer the more I'm impressed...then again it doesn't take much to impress me lol.

The Asus Eee Top PC has versatile mobility, interactive touch screen, near silent operation and exclusive touch software. It's basically a one step desk top...as "some" say so easy a caveman can use it. The setup is so simple that it's ridiculous. It gives plug and play a whole new meaning. Take it out the box and plug up the power cord...it's that simple! Move around the house with no problems. This is perfect for the beginner users and will have you navigating like an old pro in no time. It also features an exclusive easy mode within windows to make commonly used applications a snap to use.

It offers a microphone and 1.3 mega pixel camera which is not all that great but it will get the job done for web conferencing for business or pleasure

Like a netbook, the EeeTop PC is designed to supplement your other PCs, not replace them. You shouldn't expect to pick this up and want to complete your work there, you could but I wouldn't advise it. It is more of an entertainment PC. It also includes "Eee Cinema"( media center software capable of handling photos, video, DVD movies and music). The DVDs can only be used with an external device of course, but all of the others are located on the machine itself. Music should be stored in My Music, the videos and photos can be placed anywhere, since the software allows you to go search for it. So no more losing sounds you downloaded yay for them one less thing "we" busy people have to worry about.

Now for the not so wonderful...it lacks an optical drive, has a slow hard drive, small display and high price tag will distract most users from purchasing one of these systems. On the other hand it has touch screen display, low power consumption and overall small dimensions, features that will attract some green users. At 528.00 it's not exactly a steal but isn't highway robbery either. Is it worth your money? Only you can decide that.

ASUS Eee PC ET1602 is silent. Heating up is minimal which is consequence of used components. Since low power consumption was a goal for this system so the integrated graphics card cannot be used for playing games. Hard drive is slow and its performances are not too good.

So even though it won't replace you main pc you will find yourself using it more and more, since it's geared more for the home user and it's easy I think it would and could be beneficial for the beginner who finds their main computer a pain to use.

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