Year: 2018

Impact Lab > 2018
China, Crazy Stuff, drones

China is using robotic bird drones with cameras to monitor its citizens

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When you gaze into the sky, what do you see? If you happen to live in China, the answer might be surveillance drones disguised as birds, according to a new report from the South China Morning Post. The new report alleges that Chinese military and government agencies have been using undercover drones to spy on segments of the population, especially in an area of Western China that borders Russia, Mongolia, and Pakistan, among other countries.

Continue reading… “China is using robotic bird drones with cameras to monitor its citizens”

Great New Product, Healthcare, Medicine

New wearable, high-precision brain scanner allows for patients to move around

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A radical new wearable magneto encephalography (MEG) brain scanner under development at the University of Nottingham allows a patient to move around, instead of having to sit or lie still inside a massive scanner.

Currently, MEG scanners* weigh around 500 kilograms (about 1100 pounds) because they require bulky superconducting sensors refrigerated in a liquid helium dewar at -269°C. Patients must keep still — even a 5mm movement can ruin images of brain activity. That immobility severely limits the range of brain activities and experiences and makes the scanner unsuitable for children and many patients.

Continue reading… “New wearable, high-precision brain scanner allows for patients to move around”

Analysis, Aviation, Cancer

Flight attendants have higher rates of many cancers, study says

Flight attendants are exposed to a number of known cancer-causing risks, but few studies have rigorously quantified that risk, and researchers say they are an understudied occupational group.

The Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study (FAHS), begun in 2007, addresses some of the gaps in understanding health risks among flight attendants. In the latest report, published in the journal Environmental Health, researchers found that flight attendants had higher rates of many cancers, including breast cancer and melanoma, compared to the general population.

Continue reading… “Flight attendants have higher rates of many cancers, study says”

Latest Trend, Legalized marijuana, Medical Breakthrough, Medicine

FDA approves first cannabis-based drug

Epidiolex treats two types of epileptic syndromes

The drug is expected to become available in the fall

(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration approved a cannabis-based drug for the first time, the agency said Monday.

Epidiolex was recommended for approval by an advisory committee in April, and the agency had until this week to make a decision.

Continue reading… “FDA approves first cannabis-based drug”

App, Architecture, City Planning, Housing, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Wellness real estate has blossomed into a $134 billion industry worldwide- and it’s growing fast

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From personalized wellness programs to fitness-focused apps, luxury homes are focusing on making residents feel better

It’s the non-stop pace of our digital lives. An increasingly isolated and aging population. Rising chronic illness. Climate change. Given the pressures of the modern world, a gym membership and taking the occasional “mental health day” often just aren’t enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

One way to achieve optimum wellness, experts and developers say, is by choosing a home that is designed for it.

Continue reading… “Wellness real estate has blossomed into a $134 billion industry worldwide- and it’s growing fast”

Biotech, cutting edge, Human Behavior

Thousands of Swedes are choosing to have microchips inserted into their bodies. Here’s why

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Thousands of people in Sweden have inserted microchips, which can function as contactless credit cards, key cards and even rail cards, into their bodies.

Once the chip is underneath your skin, there is no longer any need to worry about misplacing a card or carrying a heavy wallet. But for many people, the idea of carrying a microchip in their body feels more dystopian than practical.

Some have suggested that Sweden’s strong welfare state may be the cause of this recent trend. But actually, the factors behind why roughly 3,500 Swedes have had microchips implanted in them are more complex than you might expect.

Continue reading… “Thousands of Swedes are choosing to have microchips inserted into their bodies. Here’s why”

Healthcare, Inventions, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

New eyedrops could repair corneas, make glasses unnecessary

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“This is a new concept for correcting refractory problems.”

A Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Bar-Ilan University ophthalmologist has invented and patented “nanodrops” which – when placed on pigs’ corneas – have produced improvements in short-sightedness and long-sightedness.

If they improve vision in humans when clinical testing is carried out later this year, the nanoparticle solution could eliminate the need for eyeglasses, Dr. David Smadja said on Wednesday.

Continue reading… “New eyedrops could repair corneas, make glasses unnecessary”

Apple, Automation, Business, Latest Trend, Robotics, Science & Technology News

Here’s how the plan to replace the humans who make iPhones with bots is going

 

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Foxconn Technology chairman Terry Gou on Friday reiterated a pledge that the world’s biggest assembler of iPhones has made many times: that in a matter of years, human workers will be in a minority at the company.

Continue reading… “Here’s how the plan to replace the humans who make iPhones with bots is going”

Analysis, Employment, Future, Science & Technology News

These are the 5 “super skills” you need for jobs of the future

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Work is changing, so to stay ahead you’ll need to master these skills that you probably didn’t learn in college.

Chances are your job description has changed over the past five years. Or maybe your role didn’t even exist a short time ago. The workplace of today and the future looks quite different due to technology, the economy, the environment, and politics, according to the Institute for the Future (IFTF), a not-for-profit think tank that helps organizations plan for the future.

Continue reading… “These are the 5 “super skills” you need for jobs of the future”

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