I've always said that Computer Scientists will save the world. And along that line, I am not in the least surprised to read that therapists are using the Nintendo Wii for rehab (h/t).

We saw 77-year-old Jerry Pope getting a workout playing a virtual tennis game. He suffered a debilitating stroke in June. Pope said that the Wii has enabled him to regain his balance, and the use of his arms.

"Not only am I moving the hand, my feet are moving, I am jumping around, it is as if I am really playing the game. It is motivational, makes you feel like you are progressing, even if you are not and that helps you," he said.

Before his stroke, Pope was a semi-pro tennis player. He initially tried the traditional exercises recommended by physical therapists, but found them repetitive and boring.

He says the Wii is fun and it is helping him make progress. His therapists agree.

I had guessed that the Wii would make its first practical use in Phys. Ed. classes, to keep the brats in a more controlled environment with fewer weapons around.

Nintendo has also developed a pad that you stand on, which can detect most movements your body makes. Along those lines they are developing some really cool "games", like Yoga, and Soccer amongst other things.

Nintendo totally scooped the gaming console market with the Wii, which anybody will tell you is more fun than the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. And with an unknown number of practical uses for it on the horizon, Sony and Microsoft had better watch out.

Labels: etc, golf, technology, video games

Dean Kamen has been changing the world for many years now. To Kamen, it's nothing new to invent a device that can improve the lives of millions. His most notable invention to date has been the Segway Personal Transport.

Most of Kamen's inventions however have a medical aspect to them. The Segway was actually derived from technologies used in the iBot all-terain wheel-chair. Kamen has received awards for his work on personal insulin pumps and portable dialysis machines.

Recently, Dean Kamen has started work on revolutionizing the way we think of prosthetic limbs. From the Technology, Entertainment, Design conference:
I've got two friends who have lost their arms just above the elbow. Both have overcome the obvious obstacles that arise when one looses a limb and have achieved some incredible things. It boggles the mind to contemplate what they could accomplish with a prosthetic arm like that.

Labels: Dean Kamen, Real Life, technology, YouTube