Friday, February 28, 2014

LumoBack - to monitor your posture

Vibrates to remind to correct posture - sit straight, stand tall.



LUMOback 3 New Generation LUMOback 3 Posture Sensor Sports New Improvements over Previous Models

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Vibration improves motor status of elderly

Experimental group received a whole-body vibration exercise alone (vibration amplitude: 1–3 mm; frequency: 6–26 Hz; 4–5 bouts × 60 seconds; 3–5 times weekly). A control group, who received usual care and exercises for eight weeks.
The repeated-measures ANOVA showed that there were significant differences in the Timed Up and Go Test, 30-second chair stand test, bilateral knees extensor strength, activities-specific balance confidence score and general health status between the two groups (P < 0.05). No side-effects were observed during the training. Whole-body vibration exercise -
  • reduced the time of the Timed Up and Go Test (40.47 ± 15.94 s to 21.34 ± 4.42 s)
  • improved the bilateral knees extensor strength (6.96 ± 1.70 kg to 11.26 ± 2.08 kg)
  • the posture stability improved (surface area ellipse: 404.58 ± 177.05 to 255.95 ± 107.28) 
  • General Health Status improved (Short-form Health Survey score: 24.51 ± 10.69 and 49.63 ± 9.85 to 45.03 ± 11.15 and 65.23 ± 9.39, respectively)

Monday, February 24, 2014

Reduced feedback - lower results

Nineteen children with spastic hemiplegic CP (nine males, 10 females; mean age 11y 7mo; range 8–16y) and 20 children with typical development (12 males, eight females; mean age 10y 8mo; range 8–14y) were assigned to 100% or reduced (62%) feedback subgroups as they practised 200 trials of a discrete arm movement with specific spatiotemporal parameters. Children with CP used their less involved hand. Learning was inferred by delayed (24h) retention and reacquisition tests.


All children improved in accuracy and consistency. Children with typical development demonstrated significantly greater accuracy than children with CP during acquisition (p=0.001), retention (p=0.031), and reacquisition (p=0.001), and greater consistency during retention (p=0.038). The typically developing group who received 100% feedback performed with significantly less error than the 62% feedback group during acquisition (p=0.001), and with greater retention (p=0.017). No statistically significant difference was found between feedback subgroups of children with CP, although the 100% feedback group consistently demonstrated less error.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Withings Pulse measuring device

The Withings Pulse captures steps, burned calorieselevation climbed and distance traveled. 

You activate it from the menu option and then place your finger on the back of the device over a small sensor. So no, it wont do a constant heart rate like a Polar watch.

Metrics tracked
  • Steps taken
  • Elevation climbed actively
  • Distance travelled: based on user’s profile for high precision
  • Calories burned:
  • Run: daily recap of duration and distance
  • Instant heart rate
  • Sleep duration


Thursday, February 20, 2014

Vision in CP

In addition to these numbers:

Close to half (49.8%) - visual impairment. 

Of these 

  • strabismus 55.7%
  • refractive errors 20.7%
  • severe visual loss 18.9

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Bodily maps of emotions

Monitoring the topography of emotion-triggered bodily sensations brings forth a unique tool for emotion research and could even provide a biomarker for emotional disorders.

Fig. 2.


Fig. 4.

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Monday, February 17, 2014

Walking on uneven surface may improve knee flexion in stiff-knee walkers

Patients with cerebral palsy frequently experience foot dragging and tripping during walking due to reduced toe clearance mostly caused by a lack of adequate knee flexion in swing (stiff-knee gait). Walking on uneven surface has the potential to improve knee flexion in stiff-knee walkers.



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Friday, February 14, 2014

Mio ALPHA - strapless continuous heart rate monitor

LED lights & an electro-optical cell “sense” the volume of blood under skin.

  • Intuitive 2-button navigation
  • Bluetooth® Smart wireless transmitter
  • USB charging dock with magnetic alignment
  • Rechargeable lithium polymer battery


  • Thursday, February 13, 2014

    Numbers about CP

    • More than 1/2 of children with CP have bilateral spastic paraparesis (leg weakness)
    • There are more boys born with Cerebral Palsy than girls (for every 100 girls there are 135 boys)
    • About 1/2 of children with CP are born prematurely.
    • 1 in 9 people with CP have features of Autism.
    • 1 in 4 people with CP have epileptic seizures.
    • 6 out of 10 people with CP have normal or superior intelligence.
    • 1 in 11 children with CP are legally blind.
    • About 3 of 10 children with CP have severe learning disabilities.
    • 1 in 50 children with CP are deaf.
    • 1 in 20 children with CP have tremor and ataxia.
    • 1 in 3 children with CP cannot walk.
    • 1 in 4 children with CP cannot feed or dress themselves

    Tuesday, February 11, 2014

    Walk to think

    Exercise improves learning on 3 levels: first, it optimizes your mind-set to improve alertness, attention and motivation; second, it prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind to one another, which is the cellular basis for logging in new information; and third, exercise spurs the development of new cells from stem cells.


    Children solve problems better after exercising. Those, whose brain is alert "as during exercise" do cognitive tasks better even without exercising.

    Full-size image (54 K)

    via, via