Musings and Mutterings

A US company claims that its Palm Pistol, a 9-mm specifically designed for people with conditions like arthritis that have trouble firing a standard handgun, has been granted FDA approval as a Class I medical device. The FDA hasn't issued a statement about it, just admitted that there has been discussion about it. The documentation that has been seen seems to indicate that the facility, not the gun, has been successfully registered with the FDA.

Scientists has discovered a gene variant that seems to correlate with whether or not a person responds will to placebo treatment for fear of public humiliation. The gene is involved in serotonin production so it is believed that those who have the gene variant are less affected by "fear" tests so respond better to the placebo treatment. Further studies are required to determine if the gene is generally linked to good response to placebo treatment or whether this is only specific to this disorder.

An Israeli medical researcher has solved the problem of how to use a laser to seal wounds. The trick is to monitor the temperature of the wound to ensure that it stays between 60 and 70 degrees Celsius. A "solder" of water-soluble protein is applied as the laser is moved over the wound. The result heals faster, has less inflammation, and has less risk of infection that traditional sutures.

A Vancouver company has developed a wind turbine that could generate up to 50% more power than current designs. The trick is using an electronic transmission that lets it continue to operate at high efficiency even when they blades are moving slowly, such as under low-wind conditions. it also makes the system more responsive to gusts so it can maintain high efficiency even under chaotic wind conditions.

An accident by a graduate student attempting to make a solar cell has yielded a high-conductivity photodetector that might one day lead to cheaper cameras with higher optical resolution and lower sensor noise.

Ottawa taxi drivers see the light - A recent knifepoint robbery of an Ottawa taxi driver has illustrated the benefit of in-car security cameras. The camera installed in the car of the driver that was yielded a video and photos of the cabbie's assailant.

There might be life, or something like it, on Titan - A graduate student at the University of Arizona postulates that ice volcanoes (volcanoes that spew liquid water instead of lava) on Titan might remain unfrozen long enough to hydrolyze into complex hydrocarbons called tholins, much the same way life is believed to have been formed on Earth.

Researchers create eSkin - Japanese researchers have developed a flexible, stretchable conductive "skin" that, when combined with sensors, could allow robots (or other devices, like steering wheels) to sense heat and pressure.

Hacking pacemakers - A recent study discovered that remotely-programmable Pacemakers can be easily hacked because they use an unencrypted communication protocol.

Monitoring the obesity of the population - A British engineer has designed what her refers to as a Static Obesity Logging Device that is able to measure the BMI of people that pass within it's field of view. The data can then be remotely accessed to determine the BMI statistics of people who recently walked near the device.