Google has recently announced Project Tango, a new smartphone initiative from their Advanced Technology and Projects group. Google has demonstrated the project with this Youtube video. The Project Tango prototype is capable of tracking motion in three dimensions. It is also able to create a map of the surrounding area. Google is working on development with companies like Bsquare, universities like ETH Zurich and George Washington University, and groups like the Open Source Robotics Foundation.

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There are more than two million people in the United States alone with epilepsy, thirty percent (30%) of which do not have their seizures controlled in spite of anti-epileptic medications. An equal percentage suffer debilitating side effects from these drugs such as nausea and other stomach or gastrointestinal problems, impaired cognitive function, fatigue, and lack of coordination. Many in this group can find relief from surgery, but for the over five hundred thousand that cannot, but there is a new alternative. Continue reading →

Cochlear implants offer deaf people and others that are having hearing problems the ability to hear certain sound.  The device may be implanted through surgery to stimulate the cochlear nerves. For some people, hair cells activate these cochlear nerves to give them the ability to hear.  One of the typical drawbacks of the cochlear implant is the noticeable size of the transmitter, wire, and microphone.  This can lead to discomfort during the user’s daily routine, and unfortunately users may also face a social stigma.  A team of engineers and physicians may have a solution to those problems: a cochlear implant without external hardware. Continue reading →