OTC Archives

I, your humble correspondent, doubt that my wife wants me to find anything that would allow me to spend more time on the computer, but if the new Gunnar Optiks i-AMP digital eyewear lives up to claims, I may have to start racking up the “honey-do” points before I order them. Gunnar claims that company’s proprietary combination of lens materials, coatings, tints and geometry will significantly reduce eye strain related to short and long-term computer use. Reducing ocular muscle strain, Gunnar purports, enhanced digital screen viewing with a significant reduction in Digital Eye Fatigue (DEF) and “full blown” Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).
From company’s website and press release:

Gunnar proprietary lens technology lets you spend more time working or playing at the computer without feeling the adverse effects often associated with doing so. Gunnar i-AMPTM technology relaxes the occular muscle responsible for focusing one’s eyes at close distances. By putting this muscle more at ease, strain is reduced, and productive time increased. Innovative Gunnar frames and lenses increase the moisture pocket around the eyes, virtually eliminating dry eyes. Patent-pending i-AMPTM technology includes a scientifically formulated amber tint to eliminate additional stress placed on the eyes from external light sources such as pervasive flourescent lighting systems. The unique Gunnar anti-reflective coating has also been specially formulated to contribute to the delivery of the most comprehensive over-the-counter solution available today to address the effects of Digital Eye Fatigue and Computer Vision Syndrome.
How GUNNARS Work
Digital Performance Eyewear enhances optical performance with GUNNAR’S patent-pending i-AMP™ lens technology, an optical platform that includes the following components:

diAMIX™ lens material offers an optically pure viewing experience with ultra-light, ergonomic properties;

iONik™ lens tint takes artificial light and precisely tunes it to the physiology of the eye;

i-Fi™ lens coatings capture good light from digital screens while filtering out glare and reflective light; and

fRACTYL™ lens geometry mimics nature to aid the natural focusing power of the corneal lens and creates a preferential ocular microclimate

Gunnar Optiks, if you’re reading, we have 15 bleary-eyed doctors contributors here at Medgadget that just may be able to give your glasses a Medgadget stamp of approval!
Press release…
Gunnar Optiks Website…

This is not a medical gadget per se, but definitely a great instrument that will come handy to medical students and residents, and to all those who are preparing for exams and boards. According to Popular Mechanics, which just gave the 2008 Breakthrough Award, Livescribe Pulse Smartpen “uses an integrated microphone and a revolutionary method to record and retrieve audio.” The gadget comes in two models: the 1GB model ($149) and the 2GB model ($199).
Check out this video for a better idea:

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Here’s a nifty application that uses Apple iPhone’s microphone to listen to one’s heartbeat and displays the results in fashion that even the average iMac user will enjoy.

(hat tip: Gizmodo)

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ASUSTeK, a Taiwanese computer manufacturer, now has a mouse that supposedly detects the user’s heart rate and shows the info in a little widget on the screen. Let’s see if you can make it blink faster than the hard drive access light on your laptop.
Product page in Chinese..

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Not exactly a medical device, this baby feeding spoon may prevent all kinds of calamities, leading to less demand for other real medgadgets. The Boon Squirt essentially combines a spoon with a built-in bowl, freeing up one of the arms of the parent to have a more fair fight with the child. We can imagine liquefying everything from Cheerios to chicken soup to take advantage of the spoon.
Of course, this might not be all that new of a concept, but having enough new parents on the editorial board makes us excited of simple solutions like this.

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