How Toys Can Save Lives on CNN’s The Next List This Sunday (April 1)
CNN’s The Next List this Sunday, April 1, will profile Jose Gomez-Marquez, who hacks toys to make inexpensive and flexible medical equipment for developing countries.
medical
Luma League: Superbright LEDs Save Lives Supercheap
Inexpensive DIY phototherapy equipment is saving the lives of newborns around the world.
Have Biosensor, Will Liberate Data
OpenYou project hacking with mass-market heart rate monitors and other biosensors can improve medical care in the developing world.
The Secret Life of Disposable Cautery Pens
Disposable medical device’s “Do Not Reuse” warning hides excessive cost and wastefulness.
Farm-Fresh EMG Controller via Air Guitar Hero
The MIT MEDIK project is using the Air Guitar Hero article from MAKE vol. 29 to help develop “agricultural prosthetics” for farmers who have lost limbs.
UK engineer makes own aortic implant, saves own life
Well, OK, admittedly Tal Golesworthy had a team of respected doctors and medical imaging experts to consult with, but, as he puts it, “[w]hen you’ve got the scalpel of Damocles hanging over your sternum, it motivates you into making things happen and so they do.” Only two years elapsed between his fateful diagnosis and his recent successful surgery. The implant itself was designed on a computer based on digital imagery of Golesworthy’s heart, and fabricated on a form made using a rapid prototyping technique. Check out all the details at The Engineer. [via Boing Boing]
The Zambulance
Sometimes you don’t have the option of calling for an ambulance. That’s when something like the Zambulance comes in. Made by Zambian bicycle manufacturer Zambikes, this modified bike trailer is outfitted with a mattress and a tent-like curtain to offer shelter from the heat and rain. What used to be a 2-3 hour ox cart ride can now be accomplished in as little as 30 minutes.
