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Medical Manikins Freak Us Out
Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 9:15 AM on July 3, 2008
Meet the manikins (not to be confused with mankinis), medical dummies (spelled "manikin", apparently) used to train future doctors on how to do the bare minimum to keep you alive that the HMO will pay for. There are all types, from the sexy Overweight CPR manikin to the Deluxe Child Crisis manikin. My favourite is the Multi Man CPR manikin, because it reminds me of last weekend. Vote on your favourite, then report back here and we'll compare notes. Next week we'll feature Manikin II: On The Move. [Medical Mainikins on Oobject]
Train operators-in-training will no longer have to deal with plain, unrealistic, standard-definition simulations thanks to a new system that uses full HD video. Jointly developed by Fujitsu and video game maker Ongakukan, the world's most advanced train simulator uses variable-speed playback technology and HD video that was shot on actual train lines.
Sega Toy's new Body Trainer is a "medical entertainment" product, we kid you not, designed to guide you through your exercise regime. Taking account of your age, weight and so on, it advises you with spoken prompts along the lines of "Let's start warming up." It actually measures your heart rate with an earlobe clip, so it can tailor its advice and can even detect if you're slacking— you wont get a crazed Army drill instructor-style insult from it though, just a wimpy "please exercise a little bit harder." 
According to the experiments by the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Centre team, playing some Wii games improve surgeons' performance. The study pitted a group of eight trainee surgeons, who spent one hour on the Wii, against normal trainees in a surgery virtual reality simulator. However, only a few games help this:
Hang this gizmo behind your ear, and it measures your posture, gait and other biomechanical data, perfect for athletes who want to improve their performance. The scientists who created it at Imperial College in London also say it will also be useful to monitor orthopedic patients as they recover from surgery. It can measure step frequency, stride length and acceleration, data that can help trainers enhance the performance of Olympic athletes, for example..
Now you can hone your putting to a laser-sharp edge with this GreenHawk LPT Ultimate Laser Putting Trainer, showing you how to best align your putter to nail those tough putts. You place the AccuGuide alignment tool onto the cup, and clamp the lightweight laser putting trainer onto your club. Then its laser projects a tiny red dot on the exact spot where you should aim the putter.
