Every morning dozens of men visit the Gillette Research and Development Labs in Reading just to shave. There they are watched by scientists through two way mirrors in little booths to see how exactly how they perform the act.

"Everyone is different," explains Troy Nimrick, Director, Gillette, Global Blades and Razors R+D. "Some take just around 100 brush strokes and are finished in a couple of minutes, others take over 700 brush strokes and are shaving for over 20 minutes."

Everything about the way these men shave is measured from the pressure they apply when holding a razor (anywhere from 100 grammes to 1Kg) to the angle of the blade as it comes across their face. Apparently, some men even drag the razor across their lips when shaving which, considering it is many times sharper than a scalpel, shows a little too much faith in the product for my liking.

3D Motion Capture

We're here at Gillette's Research and Development centre in Reading where about 120 people are responsible for bringing us the technology (and there is quite a lot of it) that goes into the humble razor.

Included is a visit to a 3D Motion Capture department where users are fitted with sensors on their skin like those used for special effects in movies or video games to see how they move their arm when they shave, how they hold the razor and how they move it across their face.

The results are then plotted on a computer screen, analysed and shared with other departments including design to ensure the optimum shaped razor is produced for all types of users.

There's even a 3D printing department that can make prototype razors out of polymers (ie. plastic) for testing and which one day may be sophisticated enough to produce the razors themselves.

Jelly face

While the adverts tend to show hi-tech graphics where the blade chops through straight hairs like a woodcutter ploughing through a dense, flat forest of trees at high speed, the reality of shaving is actually very different and a lot more gruesome. Using advanced filming techniques at 30,000 frames per second (compared to 25 frames for standard film and TV), Gillette is able to see exactly how the blade interacts with the skin.

"It's a bit like trying to cut copper wire in jello (jelly)," explains Gillette's Troy Nimrick. Hairs, which are very tough, grow out of the skin at all sorts of strange angles and even when the first blade tries to cut through them the chances are it won't take them out completely. Wetting the skin prior to shaving is essential because it makes the hair a lot less brittle and easier to cut through but it's still clear that multiple blades are better than one.

Whether that means you need to have five blades is another matter. Gillette introduced its first five blade razor, the Gillette Fusion, back in 2005. And while some cynics at the time were critical of the need for five blades, and their high cost, Gillette insists the solution was technologically far superior than its predecessors.

"We only ever introduce products where our research shows that twice as many people like the new design more than the old," insists Troy Nimrick. Interestingly, as Gillette points out, the patent for the first five blade razor was actually filed by Italian Mino Pelizzola back in 1929, but it has taken this long for the technology to catch up with the concept - in particular the ability to produce multiple blades in a single device which are close enough together for an optimum cut (apparently just 1.05mm between the blades).

Style and sensitivity

Though Gillette remains tight lipped on what's next for the humble razor it's clear that products which style facial hair - as well as other hairs on the body - are one key area of development. Launched last year in time for prostate cancer fundraiser, Movember, the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Style was developed in conjunction with Braun Technologies and is a powered razor designed to capitalise on the trend for more sculpted facial hair (as opposed to the old straggly beard look).

Another important focus for Gillette is sensitive skinned men. Once seen as something only women suffered from (or at least admitted to), sensitive skin is clearly a massive problem for men too. Approximately 70 per cent of men wet shave on a regular basis with 52 per cent admitting to doing so less often as a result of having problems with sensitive skin. 

Gillette Fusion Silver Touch

As a sufferer of sensitive skin myself I thought I'd try Gillette's latest solution to the problem: a Gillette Fusion ProGlide Silver Touch razor. I was also supplied with several types of gels and balms.  As well as the sensitive skin shave gel there's also Sensitive Balm and Moisturiser. What's really good about the razor, apart from that it's much easier to get out the box than previous Fusion Razors that I've used thanks to recycled packaging, is that it is powered with a single Duracell AA battery (included).

Although I think wet-shave razors give you a much cleaner shave than electric shavers, I've always been a bit wary of them thinking they are going to scrape half my face off. Which is why I tend to shave infrequently, usually only a couple of times a week at the most.

To me the Fusion Silver Touch seems like a good solution to the problem. It has the five blades of the Gillette Fusion (actually six if you count the one on the back which you can use for your nasal hair - I only just found that out). But because it's powered you don't have to press so hard on your face to shave the hairs off. It's a bit like the difference between a standard toothbrush and a decent electric tooth brush. And what's more at around £10-£15 it's not much more in price than a standard non-powered razor though of course the blades aren't cheap. There is also a manual version of the same razor for those who don't like the electrical noise/feel.

I have to say I was pretty impressed. I thought the manual Fusion was a good razor when it came out a few years ago, but always a little rough on my skin especially when tackling a few days growth. In contrast, the Silver Touch seemed to chop through a week's growth in an instant and didn't feel rough at all.  I didn't even have to hold the razor that hard for it to work well. I still can't imagine shaving every day - it's such a chore and blades are so expensive - but at least I've found a razor that works without leaving me with a sore face every time I shave.

For most of us, a slight improvement in technology means that we can access our emails a little quicker or store more music and video on our mobile phones. But for some of the people in the video, it helped change their lives.

This week to mark Brain Awareness Week (Monday 11 March to Sunday 17 March), the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability (RHN) is highlighting its digital campaign using the hash tag #TechnologyMeans. It is hoping to raise funds for Electronic Assistive Technology to help some of the most disabled people in the country.

Take Deirdre featured in the clip below who, thanks to technology, can control the TV or open and close her curtains via her smart phone just by moving her head. Or how about Zita - who suffered a stroke at the age of 26 that left her unable to talk or walk - who is now able to communicate by blinking thanks to the computer team at the RHN.

Says Sarah Myers Cornaby, Director of Fundraising at the RHN: "Where I might use my tablet to do my weekly online shop, it can give a patient at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability their voice back through eye tracking and speech synthesis apps. Our new film has been designed to use bespoke, device specific endings, mirroring the way in which technology is adapted at the RHN, to give patients the best chance of regaining their independence."

Because it is Brain Awareness Week, all donations received until Sunday will be doubled by an anonymous donor, to help pay for electronic assistive technology. You can either donate via the newly launched website at www.rhncharity.org.uk or text BRAIN to 70111 to give £3.

In order to encourage a bit of friendly rivalry between mobile phone user the charity will be using device detection technology to determine whether Android or Apple users are the most generous!

You can see the video for the campaign below:

We've all been there, having been out "on the lash" with our pals only to realise too late that we've had one drink too many. Short of a good night's kip and the promise of a banging headache the following day, there's not much you can do to sober yourself up at present. But that may soon change thanks to a new study by researchers in California.

UCLA professor Yunfeng Lu and USC's Cheng Ji have created a work-in-progress drug that's become known as the Booze Pill. It quickly sobers up a person suffering the effects of a heavy drinking session. As first spotted by Gizmodo, the pill uses a combination of two enzymes wrapped in a nanoscale shell.

Tested on mice, those injected with the enzyme nanocapsule saw blood alcohol levels drop at a significantly faster rate than those that had not been given the drug.

Though a long way off from widespread human use, Lu and Ji's work could lead to a pill designed for Joe Public, and could potentially lower accidents resulting from drunkenness and drink driving. Lu describes the drug's effect as "almost like having millions of liver cell units inside your stomach or in your intestine, helping you to digest alcohol."

There's still a problem here though. Drink driving is bad. BAD. We've had 30-odd years of public service campaigns to hammer home the point. The same goes for binge drinking; it may be fun on the night, but it leaves you vulnerable and over time does serious damage to your health. If we become so comfortable with being able to drink and pop a pill to fix all the side-effects, that undoes all the hard work done to educate people of the dangers. What then happens on those occasions were a person used to popping a pill finds their supply has run dry on a boozy night? It's a great idea, but could a booze pill ultimately do more damage than good?

Oregon Scientific has announced a range of smart sports watches designed specifically for those who want to monitor and share their sporting performances via social media more easily. Two models are currently available: the sSmart SE900 (£129.99) and the sSmart RA900 Adventurer (£179.00)

Both feature a wireless connection for compatibility with your smart phone via a dedicated sports app enabling you to upload data from, say, your bike ride or run directly to your smart phone. They are also both water resistant up to 50 metres.

Compatible with various sports accessories, the watches can be used in conjunction with a chest belt (to monitor heart rate) and bike pod to monitor speed, distance and pedal rotations. More advanced is the sSmart Adventurer which also comes with built in motion sensors and a dedicated weather forecast profile using a built in barometer. Whatever next?

Fitness gadget specialists Fitbit have launched a new waistband tracking gadget at CES 2013 this week called Flex. Expanding the company's already impressive portfolio of fitness devices, it'll compete with the likes of Nike's Fuelband and Jawbone's Up bracelet in the battle for your cash in the wearable "health guilt gadget" market.

The Flex is similar to its competitors in that it collects data about how many steps you've taken, your quality of sleep, the calories you've burned and a range of other metrics, which are all then fed to a dedicated app instead of being displayed on a screen like the company's other gadgets. However, the Flex is unique in that it's able to sync data wirelessly via Bluetooth 4.0 - Nike's Fuelband uses Bluetooth 2.1 and Jawbone doesn't have Bluetooth capability at all. It's also set to be much cheaper than its other rivals as well, retailing for under $100 in the US.

The step towards a wristband-style gadget certainly makes sense for a company that's already proving to be a key player in the health and fitness tracking arena and may have been overshadowed by similar offerings in the past.

Via: ShinyShiny

Click here for more news from CES 2013

From wire-free 3D TVs to web-connected wine cellars, Haier's IFA 2012 stand is one of the show's most diverse offerings. An obvious highlight is the Chinese manufacturer's Eye Control TV, a television controlled solely through the movement of the eyes and blinking. We tried it out and share our thoughts here.


The Eye Control TV user sits in front of a sensor roughly three feet away, which is hooked up to a television via a standard Windows 7 PC. Things kick off with a short calibration process, asking the viewer to follow a series of orange spots on the screen as the sensor adjusts itself to their eyes' movements.

After this point, the viewer is in control. Focussing eyes on key points of the screen activates UI elements, with a long, deliberate blink making selections. For instance, hovering over the bottom left corner of the screen brings up the volume bar, and looking intently at the buttons on either end of the volume slider adjusts the sound. This technique also allows the user to scroll through programmes and movies and (with the set also being web-connected) social networking feeds such as Facebook and Twitter. Raised up from a tabletop on a short stand and roughly a foot wide, there's absolutely no need to touch the sensor at all.

If you're a long-time Tech Digest reader (and so you should be!) and this sounds familiar, that's because it's using technology built in partnership with Tobii, the Swedish company that wowed us at the end of last year with their EyeAsteroids arcade machine. You can view our hands-on video of the game here.

Speaking of the Tobii game last year, we said:

"It almost feels like the game is reading your mind, as the way we chose to focus our gaze on items in the world is so closely linked to the lightning-fast way our brain reacts to make decisions and interact."It's exactly the same feeling with Haier's Eye Control TV; no sooner had we thought about making an adjustment to volume or switching to another program than the sensor had already registered and made good on our intentions.

As with other products that use the Tobii technology, the application is obvious; for those who live with disabilities that make movement and lifting difficult, they'll be able to throw away their remote controls and enjoy controlling their televisions with comfort. It has the potential to make television viewing far more accessible for some people.

Not quite ready for market yet, Haier are looking into fine-tuning the UI so that its integrated into the television, rather than accessed through a connected PC, as well as the possibility of integrating the sensor into the bezel of the screen (though this may need a far more sensitive sensor to achieve).There will of course be potential problems to overcome before the Eye Control TV goes mainstream. Previous applications of the Tobii technology that we've encountered have been in devices that are intended for personal use, in laptops and computer monitors. Even the EyeAsteroids game was to be played by one person at a time. With television viewing being often a social experience, Haier will have to work out a way to isolate one controller in a room full of eyes. There's the potential for even a pet owner's dog to affect your viewing here. Facial recognition is almost certainly the next step in highlighting who should or shouldn't be given control of the set.

But again we've come away impressed by the potential of the technology. Tobii have done the groundwork, and Haier are forward-thinking enough to bring it to the living room. With our eyes already focussed on the set when watching television, controlling it solely with our peepers rather than a remote control and our hands seems the logical, natural step forward. Watching television may soon become an even lazier pastime, and we're not going to argue against that on a sleepy Sunday afternoon.

Tech Digest travelled to IFA 2012 as guests of Haier.

Click here for more news straight from the IFA 2012 technology show

Mahoro is a new, 8 foot robot in Japan that currently handles 'dangerous' lab work. The robot is able to complete many tasks, which takes years of training for most people, much quicker and more precise than any technician would be able to.

Its 7 joint arm differs from the standard 6 or less jointed robots made in factories, and Tohru Natsume, the team leader of biological systems control team at AIST claims this improves the flexibility of the arm by allowing more elbow movement. Additionally, Tohru insists that this work is very hazardous, and so it should be done by robots.

When Mahoro's work was compared with professional lab technicians, Mahoro was considerably more precise and only consumed half the time. Many people believe creating a robot of this level requires a ton of advanced programming, but developers ensure it can be developed on a computer using minimal programming.

Tohru also claims that Mahoro can be "taught easily". Using a 3D scanner, developers at AIST and Yaskawa are able to create a virtual bench and a virtual robot which allows them to simply click and record commands which the robot will carry out.

Mahoro robots are used in labs at pharmaceutical companies and universities all across the world, supplied by Nikkyo Technos and experts expect a collaboration of people and robots is likely to begin within the next decade.

However, until Mohoro's safety is improved, its likelihood of working alongside technicians is rare.

Sponsored post

We all know that if you want to get fit you need to eat well and exercise. We also know that you won't see results overnight and no product on earth can turn you into Vin Diesel. What many of us don't know is the science behind building muscle and how you can help your body along.

Quick breakdown of the facts:
• Muscle building is a natural process and is your body's reaction to damage from strenuous activity
• The body will overcompensate to reduce the risk of this damage happening again by building more muscle than needed
• By gradually increasing the workload for your muscles through increased repetitions, heavier weights or frequency of exercise you can build your muscles up
• Your body uses amino acids to build muscles
• Amino acids are the structural units that make up protein
• To give your body the amino acids it needs to build muscle you need to increase the amount of protein you take on board
• The process of building muscle slows if you do not have sufficient protein

The level of protein you require can be obtained through changing your diet to focus around eating turkey, chicken and fish. These have to be eaten in larger quantities and regularly.

If you are like 90% of the population and not quite ready to relinquish potatoes, pasta and rice in favour of high protein foods, then you can supplement your intake with protein shakes.

Protein shakes are often based around whey protein and this is because it contains high levels of all the essential fatty acids (amino acids) that your body cannot synthesise and must be added through diet.

You will need to have 2 - 4 protein shakes per day depending on the level of exercise you are doing.

You will consume a 1kg bag of whey protein powder in 20 days if you have 2 a day, or 10 days if you have 4 per day. If we take a figure in the middle - 15 days, you will be using 2kgs per month.

This can begin to be expensive, but you don't want your hard work going to waste.
Pro-10 offers high quality whey protein, but they have reduced the price to only £12.99 per 1kg. Gram for gram that is the same price as organic chicken breast. Each week special offers enable you to try new supplements or bundle packs, and they are launching over 40 new products over the next 6 months.

There is no witchcraft involved with protein shakes and if you want to see the best results from all your hard work then take advantage of our 10% discount to give it a try. Visit www.Pro-10.com and enter TECH10 at the checkout to receive your discount. Valid until the 17th August 2012.

Google's PageRank algorithm revolutionised the way we search for content on the web. But could it now be used to aid medical advances?

That's the theory from the team at Washington State University, who are using the algorithm to more accurately model water molecule behaviour.

Chemists Aurora Clark, Barbara Logan Mooney and L. Rene Corrales have published a paper called moleculaRnetworks in the Journal of Computational Chemistry, detailing their findings.

They have noted that Google's PageRank system (which determines a website's popularity and relevance based upon the number of links to it from other sites, and how influential those sites are) can be applied to water molecules, ranking them by the number and strength of hydrogen bonds to neighbouring molecules.

With water involved in nearly all biological reactions, a better understanding of the molecules could lead to safer, more effective drugs and treatments, as well as understanding the protein misfolding associated with some degenerative diseases.

It's not the first time the PageRank algorithm has been applied to areas beyond the web. It has in the past also been used to analyse food chains, quantum networks and even the relevance and worth of scientific journals themselves.

A new year usually starts with great intentions of watching your calories, changing to healthier diet and exercising more. Yet for many those resolutions are shelved by the time February comes around as you just didn't have the right tools to keep you motivated. This is where the Timex Health Tracker comes into the picture.

Aimed at women with hectic lifestyles the Timex Health Tracker has a built-in walk sensor that automatically records distance, steps taken and calories burned. It also lets you record calories consumed in a diet diary and allows you to create custom fitness goals and track your progress to keep motivated. And as it sits on your wrist, you can easily review your stats whenever and wherever with just a few clicks!

We've been testing the Health Tracker for a week and have found it does really help with motivation. Working as a little nudge each time we look at our wrist, being able to easily record calories and check how many steps we've taken at any time is definitely a bonus. Now there is no need to remember to bring that notebook or recall what you've eaten throughout the day when you sit down in the evening to log it online.

The Health Tracker is available in three colours; purple, grey and black for £59.99 from www.timex.co.uk/wellness.

Win a Timex Health Tracker

To help you take your first steps towards a healthier you, we have teamed up with Timex to give one of our readers the chance to win a Timex Health Tracker.

To enter simply Like Connected Health Store on Facebook and leave a comment on our Wall saying where you like to walk and why.

The winner will be picked at random and will be announced on Facebook. The competition closes on Thursday 2^nd February 2012.

While you are at Connected Health don't forget to check out the latest news on health and fitness gadgets.

NIKE have added a new gadget to their range of digital fitness products today. The NIKE+FuelBand sits on a user's wrist, and is designed to track everyday movements that could encourage people to live more active lives.

Pairing up with the NIKE+ website or a free iOS app over Bluetooth, the NIKE+FuelBand uses an incentive system called NikeFuel. A normalized score that awards equal points for the same activity regardless of physical makeup, users can set a daily goal of how much NikeFuel they want to earn through being active during the day.

Whereas previous NIKE fitness systems have required users to set aside time for a workout, the FuelBand instead uses four slightly more passive metrics (Time, Calories, Steps and NikeFuel) that can be tracked throughout an entire day, letting users gradually adapt their days to make them a little more active.

The wristband itself lets you track how close you've come to reaching your target goals over a day through a series of 20 LED lights, gradually building from red to green as you approach your set achievements.

"The NIKE+ FuelBand is a way for Nike to further evolve the exciting possibilities of merging the physical and digital worlds," said NIKE, Inc. President & CEO Mark Parker.

"Nike has always been about inspiring athletes, and the NIKE+ FuelBand will help motivate them in a simple, fun and intuitive way."

The NIKE+ FuelBand already has the backing of some major names in the world of sport too, including seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstong, Oklahoma City scoring champion Kevin Durant and 2011 IAAF women's 100 metres World Champion Carmelita Jeter.

"What's great about the idea of NikeFuel and the FuelBand is the way it provides real information and numbers to show how much people are doing all day, every day," said Armstrong.

"That's what will get people challenging themselves to do more and better their own scores. It's a tool to get people more active."

The Nike+ FuelBand will be available in the UK from the 1st May, priced at £139.

From research papers, new companies and industry rumours, we always knew 2012 was going to be a big year for fitness gadgets and technology that gives us the power to take control of our own health in a way we've never quite experienced before. Here at Shiny Media we've even set up a dedicated sister site called Connected Health, focused on exploring ways we can monitor our well-being and live happier, healthier lives. What a lovely vision.

But the big question is, are any of these products really innovative or are they just jumping on the "improve your life" bandwagon?

Well, here's our pick of the ten best health and fitness gadgets of 2012 so far that we think are more than just faddy gizmos. We've seen a few at CES, we've only heard rumours about the others, but they could well shape the way we view our personal health and fitness over the next twelve months.

1. The Basis health and heart rate monitor

From the Jawbone UP bracelet to the Fitbit, we've come across all kinds of monitoring devices in recent months that promise to give users detailed stats about their health and fitness.

The Basis works on that same kind of principle, but its watch design would make it much more practical for most users and the simple interface you use to look through your data is the cleanest and most intuitive we've seen so far.

Check out our video demo of the Basis watch and its computer dashboard from CES 2012.

2. Striiv pedometer gadget

Striiv is a cute little device, which is being billed as a handy personal trainer for your pocket. It takes the features of a basic pedometer and builds on them to create a device that gives you all kinds of readings about how much you move during the day.

As you'd expect, it's a small gadget that you attach to your belt and has a colour screen, which not only allows you to track your steps, but lets you play games and encourages you to be more active along the way.

To find out more about the device, check out the post Striiv - a pedometer on steroids over on Connected Health.

3. Ideal Life's connected health system for the home

Ideal Life's booth at CES was less about a specific gadget and much more focused on how to integrate a connected health system into your home.

Primarily devised for those already living with a medical condition, Ideal Life's products and services allow you to use gadgets, like pedometers and blood monitoring devices in your home. These gadgets then send the readings that are taken throughout the day to a dedicated patient portal, where users can monitor them. This data is also accessible via a clinical area, where medical professionals can keep a close eye on their patients too.

Check out our video demo of Ideal Life's connected health home system from CES last week.

4. STMicroelectronics' smart suit prototype

STMicroelectronics has recently unveiled a new kind of smart suit technology with sewn in sensors that track movements and turn them into a digital model. It all sounds a bit sci-fi, but the technology used in the suit could help to improve outcomes in clinical and sports medicine applications. The technology is still in the early stages of development at the moment, but watch this space for Tron-style light suits over the next year.

5. Valencell's fitness monitoring in-ear device

We've seen a number of new gadgets that utilise in-ear technology to give users the best readings recently, and at CES we came across Valencell, a company which aims to give you a better workout by providing you with detailed health and fitness data from within your ear.

Valencell's technology currently exists in small earbuds that contain sensors to collect important data, which is then delivered back to a mobile device.

Check out our chat with one of the Valencell team about the in-ear technology and how it could evolve in the future.

6. The Fitbit ecosystem

At CES last week we had a demo of Fitbit's new Aria scales, which give you accurate information about your weight, body fat and BMI. Although the scales are pretty cool, it's the ecosystem Fitbit is building up around its products that we're particularly interested in. Now you can track everything you do with the Fitbit Ultra and then see your results with the Aria scales, as well as share everything among friends, set challenges and store all of your data. So the devices themselves are certainly interesting, but its the way everything connects together that we think will make Fitbit a big player in the health and fitness arena in 2012.

7. Qualcomm AliveCor iPhone ECG device

This ECG mobile device from AliveCor has been making the headlines recently because it was used to save someone's life on a flight. Despite the circumstances, that's a pretty brilliant testament to just how well it can detect heart problems.

We spoke to one of the AliveCor team at CES, who explained the basics behind the technology and how it was used to diagnose someone in the real world.

8. Iqua Beat fitness gadget

Like the Valencell earbuds, the Iqua Beat tracks your exercise and fitness through little buds in your ears. We particularly love the fact that the device comes with a way to answer calls and intuitively skip music tracks with a simple swipe. It's less of a ground-breaking device and more of a handy gadget for fitness fanatics ho want to know more about their workouts.

Check out our video demo of the Iqua Beat from CES last week over on Connected Health.

9. Wahoo Fitness Bluetooth heart rate strap

Although many devices measure your heart rate, this strap from Wahoo claims to be the world's first Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap made for the iPhone 4S (and also other Bluetooth Smart Ready devices). It's also pretty clever because it works with a range of different fitness apps too, like RunKeeper and MapMyRide.

10. BodyMedia's adhesive patch

BodyMedia already has a new personal health system and part of it consists of an adhesive patch, which when placed on the skin can be left for several days to record as many as 500 data points each minute including calories burned, steps taken, activity levels, and sleep pattern.

Although BodyMedia's system looks great as a whole, we're interested to see whether an adhesive patch is more or less convenient than the straps, watches, clothing devices and ear buds we've seen from other companies.

One of the hottest trends at this year's show has been health and fitness gadgets and we have already compiled a list of some of the best here.

However they keep on coming, and here are a few more for you to check out.

The Basis, a wrist based rival to the FitBit, Jawbone Up and BodyMedia Fit

We like the design of this Fitbit Ultra and Jawbone Up rival as it looks more stylish and high tech. As for features it has many you'd expect, like a 3D accelerometer to track your movements, temperature gague and a heart rate monitor.

Qualcomm's Alivecor software and how it saves lives

Do mobile self-diagnosis devices mean people could get more accurate assessments of their health than they necessarily would from their doctors? Qualcomm thinks so.

Second generation Striv 'pedometer on steroids' on its way

Everyone's favourite pocket pedometer to get even smarter.

Forget hospital Matrons - here comes Ava the healthcare robot from iRobot

At CES 2012 iRobot, the company that makes the Roomba home-cleaning robots, was parading its Ava bot, a three-to-five-foot tall robot with an Apple iPad for a head. And it could be heading for your nearest hospital.

So you think medical and health gadgets a bit gimmicky? Well maybe, but they may have already saved one life.

In a keynote speech at CES 2012 Dr. Eric Topol, the chief academic officer of Scripps Health told a story about how he was able to use a software called Alivecor from Qualcomm - which is being trialled on mobile phones - to save a man's life.

He was apparently on a flight when someone was taken ill with chest pains. Using the tool Topol was able to quickly diagnose that the passenger having chest pains was having a heart attack, and not just indigestion. The airplane made an emergency landing, allowing the man's life to be saved.

Here's a video of the device in action. For more on some very cool medical gadgets and apps from Qualcomm go here, and check out Connected Health for full CES coverage here.

Fitness freaks get another gadget to add to the growing pile of workout-monitoring tech at CES 2012 thanks to the new Iqua Beat headphones.

Pairing with an iPhone over a Bluetooth connection, and syncing with its own iPhone app, the Iqua Beat headphones can monitor heart-rate, calories burned, miles ran, steps taken and your speed.

A touch-sensitive controller unit also allows you to answer phone calls, and select new music tracks by swiping across the controller's surface.

Shipping with an iPhone arm-clip, the splash-proof headphones look a good new tool in the fight against the flab.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Ok, so CES 2012 hasn't exactly been that exciting so far. We are however noting the emergence of one very important new product category - namely health and wellness gadgets. We have already been tracking these for a while on our sister site, but what started as a trickle a year or so ago has now turned into a flood. On day one we have already the following...

The smart suit for athletes and Parkinson's sufferers

Want to analyse your body movements so you can run as fast as Theo Walcott or play tennis like Roger Federer? Well STMicroelectronics NV has unveiled a smart-suit prototype with motion sensors which is designed to help people recover from injuries quicker or improve their co-ordination if they are suffering from conditions like Parkinson's Disease. It will also enable athletes to closely study their movement and learn how to perform to higher standards. More here

The first Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap made for the iPhone 4S

The Wahoo Fitness Blue HR heart rate strap's big claim is that it is the world's first Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap made for the iPhone 4S (and also other Bluetooth Smart Ready devices). It is a standard format of a strap and an accompanying app. The clever bit is that it works with a load of different iPhone apps More here.

The ultra smart blood pressure monitor

The Zensorium Tinke is a two unit system with dongle that fits on to your iPhone that then connects to a wearable heart monitor - which incidentally comes in an array of bright colours. It measures heart stats like blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen levels through shining infrared and red light beams onto the tiny blood vessels in the tip of your finger. More here

The intelligent disposable adhesive patch bandage

BodyMedia is parading a new and highly innovative new way of capturing data about our bodies. It has unveiled an adhesive patch which you place on your skin and leave there for seven days. During that time it records as many as 500 data points each minute including calorie burn, steps taken, activity levels, and sleep pattern. More here

The baby scales that tweet your child's weight

French technology company Withings has just announced an Internet-connected baby and toddler scale, the Withings Smart Baby Scale. The idea is that thanks to its Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity it will automatically update your child's weight on any manner of devices from PCs through to phones and tablets in some instances using a dedicated WiScale app. It can also instantly update Facebook, Twitter or send an email to private email addresses with new readings. More here.

Name: Philips Sonicare DiamondClean

Type: Electric Toothbrush

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: £250

Can you covet a toothbrush? That's a question Philips are hoping to answer with a resounding "YES" with their latest electric brush, the Sonicare DiamondClean. Packed full of teeth-tidying features, it's about as techy as a toothbrush is ever going to get, and as expensive too. But is it worth the £250 asking price? Read on to find out.

Though far thicker and a good inch longer than your average manual toothbrush, the DiamondClean is an attractive bit of kit, in so far at least as a toothbrush can ever be attractive. With an oblong handle that features a power/mode select button and an illuminated display to indicate which of the brush's five cleaning modes you're currently using (as well as battery charge levels), it tapers off at the neck into a thin, slightly angled head. It feels a little heavy in the hand, but never uncomfortably so, with much of the weight likely made up of the motor system inside and the impressive rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, which is good for 3 weeks of regular usage from a single overnight charge. The brush head (of which two are included) snap satisfyingly on and off, making it easy to hygienically share the DiamondClean with your partner providing you each grab your own head piece.

The DiamondClean looks great on a bathroom shelf, and that's not least of all down to some premium extras thrown in. As well as the brush itself, heads and charging cables, the DiamondClean package also includes an eye-catching silver travel case and a nicely cut glass tumbler with a silver base unit that it rests in.

There's more than meets the eye with these two add-ons however, as both are used to wirelessly charge the DiamondClean. Using an inductive charging system similar to that found in Powermat chargers, simply placing the brush into the glass resting on the base unit (with the base unit plugged into a wall socket) charges the DiamondClean. With the green-lined travel case, it's a similar principle, lying the toothbrush down inside rather than standing it up, and connecting the case via a USB connection on a PC or laptop to charge the brush. Though it may initially sound silly, the USB support is actually a nifty addition; anyone who regularly works while travelling on trains or planes will be able to conveniently charge the brush at the same time.

If you've only ever used a manual toothbrush, how clean your teeth feel after using the DiamondClean will be a revelation. Your teeth feel remarkably polished and genuinely "squeaky clean" afterwards. It's a strange sensation using the brush at first, causing your teeth to vibrate in a peculiar way, but Philips have cleverly designed the DiamondClean to ramp up the intensity of the cleaning cycle progressively after your first few brushes, letting you get used to the way the brush works gradually. If, once the DiamondClean has hit its regular level of cleaning intensity, you still find it too much, you can choose the gentle "Sensitive" mode instead.

There are 5 cleaning modes programmed altogether in the DiamondClean (Clean, White, Polish, Gum Care, Sensitive), each designed to focus on a particular cleaning process. However, apart from the light touch of the "Sensitive" option, we felt little difference between the modes apart from cycle lengths, and generally stuck with the default "Clean" setting which got the job done fine.

On the "Clean" setting, the DiamondClean uses a 2 minute "Smartimer", automatically switching off after you've brushed for the recommended 120 seconds. This particular timer takes it a little further though, stopping the motor for a split-second at 30 second intervals to help you better judge when to move onto a new area in your mouth. It's a great way of making sure you've brushed each area equally, and for the recommended length of time, considering both over and under-brushing can be just as damaging to the health of your teeth.

For all its bells and whistles though, at the end of the day the most important part of the DiamondClean is whether or not it has the ability to give you a Hollywood smile. And, after around three week's use (give or take a day) I've noticed my teeth look notably whiter. The small, pointed head lets you easily get into the nooks and crannies between your teeth, and while I've never suffered from gum disease to know whether or not the DiamondClean has made them feel any healthier, the brush has certainly done a good job of keeping the fleshier parts of my mouth feeling fresh too.

Verdict:

OK, so no matter how hard you try, it's never going to be easy to get all that excited about a toothbrush. But credit where it's due, Philips have managed to "tech-up" the humble gnasher polisher into an attractive package that's made a genuine improvement to the sparkle of Tech Digest's pearly whites.

The DiamondClean is to toothbrushes what the iPhone is to smartphones. It looks great, has a solid battery, travels well and cleans teeth almost as well as my dentist. Is it drastically better than cheaper alternatives? Perhaps not, but it still impresses with a rich feature list that rivals just cant offer. If money is no option (and you're hoping to be munching on steak with your own set of molars well into your old age) then the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean is for you.

For the purpose of this review, Tech Digest were given a sample model of the Sonicare DiamondClean electric toothbrush by Philips.

Do they? Don't they? Do they, don't they??? Today, they don't. New research looking at a large selection of the Danish population has found that there is no definitive link between mobile phone usage and an increased chance of brain cancer.

The study, published in bmj.com looked at 10,729 central nervous system tumours between the years 1990 and 2007 and found that there was little difference between the cancer rate of those who used mobile phones heavily for 13 years of more and those who hadn't.

The report contradicts recent reports from the World Health Orginisation, who claimed they could find a link between mobile phone usage and an increased risk of cancer.

Still, if you're finding yourself still a little worried about potential health risks, check out our mobile phone health tips here.

The Formula One Mercedes GP Petronas team have helped a British teenager improve his quality of life by helping him grab an expensive bionic arm from Touch Bionics.

14-year-old Matthew James was born without a left hand, and had been using a crude bionic arm which he described as "like a claw", which only allowed for simple gripping techniques.

He'd been dreaming of having an i-Limb Pulse from Touch Bionics fitted, a far more advanced arm and hand combo that allowed for individual finger movements. However, priced at £30,000 and unavailable through the NHS, the teen seemed out of luck.

That was until he came up with the ingenious plan of approaching the Mercedes team for funding, in exchange for advertising space on the side of his futuristic limb.

While Mercedes declined the advertising offer, they did manage to broker a deal for £25,000 off the price of the arm for Matthew by offering an exhcange of technologies between themselves and Touch Bionics. Mercedes are also helping raise the final £5,000 needed.

A great feel good story, with a sci-fi happy ending.

Well almost; Matthew one regret:

"Unfortunately there's one downside to it, I'm having to do more chores," he said.

Via: BBC

Tokyo Flash are back with another crazy watch idea to make your wrist-wear a talking piece as well as a time piece.

One for those who rightfully fear the dangers of drinking and driving, the watch comes equipped with a breathalyzer, relaying your blood alcohol levels on a touchscreen. Rather than using osmosis however, the watch has a fold out port to blow into which gauges how fit you are to drive.

It's just a concept for now so no word on when (or if, even) it will ever be released, but Tokyo Flash do have a good track record for turning their madcap designs into real-life products.

What they don't have a good track record for however is making watches that you can actually read the time on. Few people can ever make out the wacky watch faces, and God only knows who will be able to read one of them when they're pissed.

More info here.