Prosthetic Research Presentation Overview: Final Graded Posting

     On Friday, December 11th, of 2009, I presented the results of my research in emerging prosthetic technologies in front of my COM 435 class.  The experience was actually pretty awesome.  The way that the whole thing is supposed to work is that half of the class is composed of presenters while the other half walks around and learns about the research while tweeting for all to see.  The posters and presenters were organized into rows of posters on both sides, like walking down grocery store aisles of poster boards.  The coolest part about this whole thing was the fact that very few of the presentations were similar and all of them were very exciting new ideas.  They were also mostly practical as well, meaning that things like Google Voice, a Power Mat, virtual realities for video games, and wireless computer-brained dung beetles were all things that I could take home and make a useful in my life.  Maybe the last one on that list would be a stretch but at least it would be entertaining.

     My presentation was over prosthetic technologies, especially in areas that I have been focusing on for my senior design project.  I was able to blend multiple forms of media by showing a poster which looked like this:

I also was able to borrow my senior design group's prosthetic leg for display.  I actually ended up wearing the prosthetic leg during the presentation because people were not quite making it to our row due to the fact that a presenter near our row brought a solar powered go-cart that everyone just rushed to without taking a glance down our row of posters.  I thought that if I put on the leg and started hobbling around, at the very least someone would come over to investigate the odd-looking device.  This strategy seemed to work and I finally got to talk to some people about new technologies in the world of prosthetics.  The leg looked like this:

So it is easy to see why this got significant attention even in the face of a really cool go-cart.  I also managed to fit in a video, that I have previously blogged about.  The whole presentation was about the social, communications impact of devices like this one that are changing the way we think about people that have disabilities.  The concept was that legs like this one have the ability to allow people to jump higher than normal and lower the metabolic output of the body by decreasing effort expelled during activities.  These improvements would not just return the normal ability of the body, but actually improve upon it.  That means that losing a limb would no longer be a detriment, but an opportunity to have a piece of cyborg technology enhance the physical abilities of the body.  Some day, mental abilities will be added to that list as well.  If you wish to know more about my project technically then take a look at my previous postings, as I am have covered this topic throughout the semester.

Favorite Android App of the Day

Where's My Droid:  There are some pretty cool applications that come along with Android phones, but is is somewhat safe to say that this application knocks most of them out of the water.  So the question that you should ask yourself before you rush out and install this app is, "do I lose my phone often or am I very fearful of losing my phone?".  If the answer is 'yes', which it should be regardless because everyone knows that it sucks to lose your phone, then this is the application for you.
                Say, for example, that I lose my phone.  Using this application, I can txt my cell phone a special code word that the cell phone is wired to detect.  If the word matches that of the phone then, regardless of whether the phone is on vibrate or silent, the phone starts to ring so that anyone can hear where the phone is located.  This is useful if a person has just misplaced the phone, it saves on battery power, but it does not help solve larger phone loss problems.
                Do not be worried though, because I can also text the phone a different code word.  This code word will activate the private GPS locator in my phone and send the txting cell phone the coordinates of my phone.  It will also send a web link to my e-mail that will connect me with Google Maps and a pinpointed location of my phone.  There is absolutely no way that I can lose my phone now, unless the battery power dies before I can get to it, or someone is literally on the run with my kidnapped phone.  I know that this sounds unreal, but I have tested this function out to its fullest and let me tell you, this works on an almost scary level.

Favorite Android App of the Day

GTasks - Beta:  This is a really new application that is being tested on the general population right now, and so far it is working great.  The concept here is that everything else on Android phones seems to synchronize automatically with everything Google.  Your calendars are loaded, your e-mails are loaded, your blogs are loaded, and so on and so forth.  Well, for the avid users of Google Tasks, such as myself, this is the first application that syncs with it.
      Just in case anyone does not know, Google Tasks is a simple tasks list that people can use to keep track of the things that they have to do in a day, a week, a year, etc. on a list-by-list basis.  It is a simple application and so is the program Google Tasks, so the two blend very well.  The program does have a very import use though for people who constantly are asking themselves, "so what did I have to do today?" or "I know that I came in here for something, but what was it?".  My day runs smoother anyway because of this program.
       I do not usually recommend betas of software, nor the first models of any products because these are all things that still possess the ability to explode, literally or figuratively.  Most of the time it is just not worth the risk, but in this simplistic case, you are safe.

Intelligent Prosthesis Design Demonstration

        So today, as a group, Team Kid Kangaroo, had to perform its final design demonstration.  This is where we get to show off all the things that we have done during the semester.  Some are shiny and some are dull.  Some function and some... 'dysfunction'.  Good for everyone reading this, ours was recorded.  You will notice that in this video yours truly has three legs.  The only way that we could simulate a transtibial amputation (a cut right through the tibia or shin) was to design a device that would cock my real leg back in order to let the artificial prosthesis take over.  The leg cocked back is not actually touching the ground with only a few exceptions throughout the entire video.
       We do several tests all during the course of the same video, so make sure to pay attention.  This is really just something fun that I would like to bring to everyone's attention.  The final presentation of this prosthetic will actually take place on Thursday, 17th of November, from 3 to 6 PM in the Martin Jishke Biomedical Engineering Building.  This is the crescent shaped glass building on the East side of Martin Jishke Rd. south of State St.  Some tests to look forward to are the 'c-walk' test, shown after the first initial walking and the maximum load testing at the very end.  Enjoy!

Favorite Android App of the Day

Gmote:  This application allows your cell phone to browse any folder in your computer's library and play the contents of any folders either through your computer or, now, through your phone.  This application also has a touch pad that you can use to impress your friends by moving the mouse around by simply moving your finger on your cell phone screen.  The gmote is based on proximity, so you can't be a mile away and expect this application to work.  Also the computer or device of choice has to be activated or on when in use or the gmote will not be able to connect.  There is also a way to connect your cell phone to your television using this technology, but that is for another day when I have more time on my hands.

2009 Nobel Peace Prize Causes Ironic Unrest

This maybe just a little bit more of a passing thought that is incredibly out of date, but I just think it is noteworthy to take the time and examine the cause and effect of the Nobel Peace Prize (NPP) selection.  This is a group that takes it upon themselves to analyze the overarching contributors to peace, over long periods of time, and decide who has made the largest strides.  Atleast that was the initial pupose behind the NPP.  In the last century there have been several occasions where the NPP committee has selected a recipient whom the council has placed confidence of future strides towards peace.  This is not to say that this is a bad thing, for if anything, the award is being used to create peace in the world through motivation.  I think that this is what the committee was trying to do in the case of electing President Obama as the NPP recipient.  The reason that this could possibly cause turmoil is the fact that President Obama was certainly not the one on the list of potentials that had completed the most work towards peace.  For people that believe the NPP is to be used to recognized works of the past, this represents a problem.
       In terms of communication advancement, I believe that what the NPP Council is doing is actually a good thing.  They have taken a form of communication (recognition) in its simplest form (an award) and turned it into a method of world wide motivation.  Single-handedly the council instilled a sense of purpose and determination in the Obama peace campaign, while at the same time focusing the efforts and confidences of people, ordinarty citizens, looking to work towards peace.  Not all emerging communication modes need to brand spanking new.

Favorite Android App of the Day

       BarCode Scanner:   This is an incredibly fun and lively application for shopping, searching for bargains, and just plain impressing your friends.  What is fun about this application is that there is not a single barcode that the scanner can't compute.  There may be several that take the phone a little longer than others to find, and the choices of alternate products may sometimes be limited, but if you can even one item that is cheaper somewhere else that you already visit, then this app just bought itself.  This is because all of the best barcode scanners are free. It does take a tad bit of finness and talent to get the phone to recognize the barcode, so before showing off make sure to practice on difficult things like cans of Sprite.  Other than that, a few more applications and you are on your way to being the greatest multi-media bargain shopper on the planet.

Favorite Android App of the Day

       Google Sky Maps:  This piece of GPS technology is actually able to determine where a person is based on satellite networking and triangulation, and from there determine what the entire sky pattern looks like for the user based on the angle of the camera.  It can do this from inside a building or anywhere you can get a network signal.  It can point you in the right direction, indicate where planets are, tell you the names and locations of different constellations, and even hunt and peck for orbital objects that you wish to find (pictured above).  There really aren't any problems with this application other than the moon's location fluctuates from time to time.  Other than that, this is my go-to app for scheduling dates on moonlit nights.  You are welcome to use this idea to benefit your own life.

Great Controversial Question: Check It Out

Hey make sure to check out sunsoutgunsout-joe.blogspot.com.  It is the blog page apply named "blog" from one of our fellow students in my Com 435.  He has a great article from November 18th, 2009 that comments of the question on the moral question of killing in reality versus virtual reality.  Check it out!

Energy Drink Palooza: Red Bull v. Monster v. Rockstar

      So though the developments of emerging social technologies have been far more extensive than those of energy drinks, I think it's time to deliver these waker-uppers some attention.  The world of energy juice has been filled with several changes and innovations.  When originally all we had were single versions of each brand, and now we have long term five hour, sugarless, low-carb, juice mixed, coffee flavored, and a host of others.  This is not meant to be a totally comprehensive look at these companies or to say that they represent the entire population of energy drinks.  But let me guarantee you that I am a tried and true member of the energy drink slurping college student body.

      So Red Bull is always a good choice if it is around.  The normal energy drink has an okay taste and is overpriced for the amount that you get, but it certainly gets the job done.  The sugarless Red Bull has an amazing taste and also gets the job done, yet it is certainly worth its sticker price.  These are the two main products of Red Bull and still it is the most successful brand of the three by far.  Must be the need for it in Jaeger-bombs.

      So Monster Energy is certainly the company that I consider to possess the most diverse array of products.  The regular Monster is a pretty good taste, the low-carb delight tastes just as good, the mixed fruit drinks leave something to be desired due to over sweetening, and all of the coffee flavors are to die for.  The best thing about Monster is that, in my opinion, you are always getting a good bang for your buck.  It is really cheap and it is always running specials for sale.  It is a brand that sports lots of sugar and some other unhealthy ingredients, but while one is drinking this kind of stuff anyway, I don't think that diet is the first thing on one's mind.

     RockStar Energy, regular, tastes the best of any of the regular energy drinks.  They have tried to pass down this taste from one drink to another.  This means that their sugarless drink is amazing, their mixed juice drink is amazing, and all of the coffee drinks are amazing although very fattening.  The five hour energy drink tastes like absolute crap, but other than that, the rock star product is a great choice.  It is also very well priced.
       Energy drink-wise you really can't go wrong.  You just have to try and find what you like to taste and what combos of energy get you wired the best.  RockStar does the best job for me, but I know that it does not work as well for others.    It all comes down to personal preference.

It's Never Too Late: Congratulations to my Mother

      I would just like to take a few minutes here and congratulate my mother on her finally turning in the completed copy of her discertation.  She still has to defend her thesis, but the point is that the massive body of work she has had hanging over her head is done.  This gives my such hope for the future.  No matter what or when, I will be able to accomplish whatever I want to accomplish.  She has been working on this for some time now and finally at the age of 55 she is able to say that she is done.  Here's to you mother and I wish I could be there to watch you defend your thesis.  Congrats on the PhD.

Pneumaticly Powered Artificial Muscle Response

        For this entire semester, I have been working on a Senior Design project, the goal of which is to make improvements on current prosthetic technologies.  My particular part of the project is aimed at building a direct bone integrator that will attach to the intelligent prosthetic, but that is not the point of this entry.  Recently the team that I work with made some incredible strides forward on the design of the intelligent prosthetic; designs that we decided were cool enough to share with the world.
        A little background into this video, the intelligent prosthesis system shown is an actuator that, when stimulated, opens and allows an inflation of the inner balloon.  The inner balloon causes the latex outer coating to stretch which leads to a vertical compression of the entire muscle.  This compression is what will provide our prosthetic leg with enough force to move as a regular ankle joint would move.  The muscle is stimulated by excitation of live calf muscle tissue.  Normally this would be on the leg of an amputee and the electrodes would be placed on remnant calf tissue, but since we didn't have a trans-tibia amputee on staff, we placed the sensors on the calf muscle of a normal leg.  Notice in the video that the muscle contracts at the exact same time that the artificial muscle contracts.  This is so cool.

iPod Maps vs. Verizon Navigator

        I have only used Verizon and AT&T for cell phone services, so those users of Sprint, Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile, etc. I cannot speak for.
        This weekend I took a trip through Wisconsin.  I flew into Milwaukee to meet my father.  There we traveled to my grandmother's house so that we could take her out for dinner.  The next morning my father and I traveled to Madison so that we could catch the Purdue vs. Wisconsin game that turned out to be a slaughter of the Boilermakers.  That night we traveled to Osh Kosh, one of the coolest city names on the planet, so that we could be closer to Green Bay.  The next morning, we again woke up to travel to Lambeau Field to watch the Packers vs. Vikings football game.  That was awesome, but when we left we had to drive from Green Bay back to Milwaukee so that I could fly home to get back for class on Monday.  Got to love those Com 435 8:30 AM classes.
        The point of this incredibly summarized narrative is to say that I traveled a lot this past weekend in territory that I had not navigated through previously.  Therefore, it is safe to assume that I had to use a GPS system of some type to get us there.  My phone serves me with VZ Navigator and my father's phone delivers him the ever magical iPhone Maps.  The beginning of the weekend was a debate over which system worked better, but it soon became clear.  The iPhone App, though it is very clear on a vehicle's current location, does not allow a user to change the road course or choose a different route.  It does not allow for multiple guidance routes to the same location in the case that a user does not want to use the highways.  Most importantly, the AT&T coverage sucks, so it is hard to get a map to anywhere in rural America.  Don't get me wrong, the street view application is incredibly useful for things like finding a parking spot or getting an idea of what is coming up in the future.  All in all though, the Navigator was reliable, it recalculated routes automatically, it gave the user the option to choose different paths, and even displayed search criteria for routes that included stuff like shortest distance, no highways, and avoid traffic.  It is harder to zoom in and zoom out with this product but we would have easily lost ourselves in Wisconsin without its help.

Agassi does Meth... Phelps takes a Hit from a Bong... Who Cares?!?!

        So, everyone should remember the article and the picture of Michael Phelps taking a hit from a bong.  Michael Phelps managed to get caught doing this right after he won a record-breaking number of gold medals in his pursuit of athletic perfection.  There were a lot of teammates that were able to help him achieve this goal, but for all intents and purposes, it was his own determination and will power that got the job done.  The man for a total of four years did nothing but stick to the strictest of diet plans, workout twice a day 6 days a week and once on the seventh, and refrain from all drugs and alcohol.  Keep in mind he was doing all of this while in college, or what is supposed to be the largest time period of most people's avid drinking and fun-time events.  Great job.

        Andre Agassi, though not as intense a short-time period work effort, has performed just as diligently in his athletic field.  He has won title after title, and has actually managed to be one of the longest running tennis champions of all time, competing with tennis icons half his age.  His prolonged competitions finally culminated in a major championship match against the great one-hand back-hander, Roger Federer.  He did lose that match, but getting there was a feat in itself.  Now he is admitting that back in 1997, he failed a drug test because he snorted a single line with a person of bad influence of his life.  That person was also fired from his staff soon thereafter.

          The point of relaying both of those stories is to say: Who Cares?!  How this relates to emerging technology is that recently better drug testing paradigms have been released.  What will be caught now?  Will a teenage gymnast lose her medal because she rubs lotion on her skin before competition?  Will there ever be a method for controlling what substances are considered enabling and which ones are not?  It seems to me like the drugs that everyone is making a big deal over are ones that are not enabling, but comically inhibiting (especially meth).  Let me hear about drug testing before Mr Universe or a non-Olympic weightlifting/bodybuilding competition.  I am sure that that drug test would be a true test of its accuracy and scope.

Question of Effect of Internet on Kuwaiti Culture

         I just have a simple question over the 'limited' effect that the introduction of the Internet had on the women of Kuwait.  The article stated that women were mingling, choosing new members of the opposite sex to find of interest, and even selecting spouses over the internet.  This does not seem like the most novel concept to anyone in this country, but I am sure that in Kuwait, this is incredibly original.

         My question is not over the boldness or the nuance of the Internet's social abilities.  I think that the article only mentioned once briefly that before private, casual social infrastructures like the Internet came along, women of Kuwait picked men to marry based on their mothers' suggestions or the men were just picked for them.  Was there some piece of technology that came to light, before the Internet, that allowed the two opposite sexes to interact on a higher level than public stigma allows.  If the Internet is the first piece of technology that allowed for this type of interaction, then I believe that the author has much underestimated the affect of the Internet on the women of Kuwait.

Dr. Geddes passes away

         I know that this COM 435 blogging effort is meant to highlight emerging technologies, but there was a significant loss to the world of science on Sunday, especially for students of Purdue.  Dr. Leslie Geddes died on Sunday at the age of 88.  For those of you unfamiliar with his contributions, Dr. Geddes developed the world's first implantable defibrillators, which opened the door to vital technologies like pacemakers and heart monitoring devices.  He was also an invaluable contributor to other areas of medical treatment, including blood flow monitors for children and other bio-electric medical therapies.
         I am a Biomedical Engineering student, so I actually was lucky enough to take one of his classes, Medical Device Accidents.  It was a fun course, but judging from the amount of class time that was professed by the TA versus the amount Dr. Geddes was able to work through, he was growing older.  It still didn't stop him from performing his signature unbelievable act every weekday: coming into work at 5:00 AM.  He would do this just so he could be more prepared than anyone else for the day.  He truly was a man apart from the rest.
        In fact, even when he was moved to full time care facility during the last few months of his life, he still requested that his graduate students that worked for him come in and update him on their work.  He would still offer them suggestions and places to look in the case that they were stuck for any reason.  He refused to quit contributing to the grand body of medical knowledge throughout his entire life.  By this fact, I believe that Dr. Geddes went out with his boots on.  If I could choose a way to fight through to the end of my life, I can think of no better manner than that of Dr. Leslie Geddes.  Here's to you Dr. Geddes.

The Exponent needs to hire a better Editor

        There is what is supposed to be a professional newspaper that finds its way to my doorway every morning.  The delivery service is free, the crosswords and Crypto-Quips are fun, and even one of the comic strips is humorous consistently.  Other than that, there is no reason to look at the rest of the paper.
        The pictures on the front page are so poorly placed and so incredibly 'blaaaah' that every day the paper looks just like the previous day's paper.  Most of the main page pictures are poor pixel quality like the editor tried to expand a small picture after copying and pasting off of the internet.  The only good pictures are the ones in the sports pages, and even those pictures are under par for the professional photographers that line up to snap shots during the home football games.  Still the front page, at the very least, should be somewhat of a priority.  It is also not just the front page picture that makes The Exponent a disappointment; the front page headlines always have a tendency to be very confusing, misleading, and all around unimpressive.  That is just the criticism of the front page.
        The rest of the paper isn't any wonderful cup of tea either.  The paper is littered with poorly planned and obnoxiously large advertisements (sometimes whole pages with nothing else) for things that positively no one could care about.  The Exponent seems to think that people care about random interviews of unimportant people on campus, and what they think on very important topics.  The sports reports are mostly redundant and reduced to quoting from sporting icon's twitter accounts, as if that is real news reporting.  The opinion articles have a tendency to be neutral, and those that write slightly radical in this section typically do not appear as writers in the paper again.  As a college newspaper, it should attempt to be 'on the edge' and provide spicy journalism (Sex Position of the Day was a good example of something to look forward to in the paper).  Some of the best articles in the paper are just copies of interesting reports from other, better, newspapers.  But, with the use improper grammar and spelling errors, the editing staff at the wonderful Exponent can manage to screw up not only their own articles, but also those articles that are just copies from outside sources.  This was printed in the newspaper today: "The football coach at the University of Connecticut said Tuesday he's heard nthng toinictemebes f hi tamwee nvlvd n fgh befoe player Jasper Howard was killed over the weekend."  If the people at the Exponent are honestly too lazy and apathetic to their own work, then they should just hire a person to read the finished newspaper before they print thousands of copies.  That way things like this don't happen and the Purdue population receives a semi-decent newspaper.

New Mac Magic Mouse: Not quite far enough

       So, this week, Mac released the brand new Magic Mouse.  This product is a streamlined replacement to the Apple Mouse and the Mighty Mouse that come standard with Mac products.  It features the same multi-touch, point-and-click, and scrolling abilities that the iPhone and the iTouch sport.  The only difference seems to be that there is a laser tracking engine on the bottom of this device that allows it to function as a normal mouse.  Also there is no screen of any function on the top of this smooth surfaced development, so there is no way to interact with the mouse alone.  In order for the mouse to be of any use, the user has to also be the owner of an iMac, a MacBook, or another Mac computing system.
       Don't get me wrong, the mouse will make computing more convenient, especially with the elimination of annoying wires using its wireless bluetooth connection.  I just don't believe that Mac has yet gone far enough.  If the Magic Mouse has the ability to function as a mouse with the touch abilities of the iPhone and the iTouch, and the iPhone and the iTouch have functional abilities of interaction without the abilities of a wireless mouse, then why isn't there a fusion between the two?  I know that this might seem crazy, but it also seems like this is just the natural flow the Mac technology.  Feel free to comment as to whether or not you think that this might be a pliable next step or on the viability of this as a future endeavor for the Macintosh company.

A Change of Heart

       I thought that the most positive note to start a blog off with would be an opinion article on the guest speaker from Friday the 2nd of October.  This rather young, accomplished man is an Intel Insider, a co-founder of thirty plus technology exhibits, creator of the blog page SomewhatFrank, and a distinguished employee of the AOL corporation.  I am sure that there are several other additions to this resume, but these were the simple stand-outs that we heard about during class.  This man, of course, is Frank Gruber.
        I have to admit, that during the first 15 minutes of his speech I could not help myself from thinking, "man, what a nerd".  The man spent all of his free time off from work on blogging and writing up tech reports or market comparisons for all of his "followers" to read.  After all of this was over, he would take pictures of his breakfast to send to his relatives and other breakfast fanatics in order to update their knowledge of his morning eating items.  And then we found out about his love for the Twitter technology, which is just beyond my scope of tolerance.  Honestly, I think that he was trying to build himself as a huge dork that was following his passion, but everyone eventually learned of the incurring benefits.
        Think of the just the connections that Frank was able to obtain over internet interaction.  He was close personal friends with several major company heads of zappos, Wine TV, and several other utilizers of the internet as a social technology.  Not only that, but when he went in for his job interview with AOL, the interviewers were using a chart that he himself had created for a report on the future of the market.  Guess what?  The interviewers were showing it to him as their perception of where their technology should be heading.  I don't know if it was awkward when they found out the Frank was the original creator of that graph or not, but one thing is for sure: the interview just became a job orientation meeting.  There honestly would have been no need for a resume; his work ethic and devotion to technology speaks for itself.
        Well, I just have to say that I am sold.  I am going to start finding something on the World Wide Web that motivates me enough to write about it, read about it, or maybe advance it.  There were so many people and stories that he brought up that chronicled a rise from little-known to stardom using only motivation and enthusiasm.  The advantages that Frank has today because of his devoted work are extensive and they certainly invoke my envy.
         This brings me to the most important point of Frank's speech.  There was a time in the class where he used a student's love for crocheting  as a platform to kick off an internet crocheting sensation.  He spoke of making connections, establishing relationships, and building up a report with the public in the pursuit of  becoming some social internet expert on crocheting.  Yet this example was not meant to apply only to crocheting.  After speaking with him after the class was over, it became very clear that he was perfectly serious about his confidence in inevitable rise to success in just a short amount of time.  In fact, he said he would not be surprised if the time period was anywhere between three to six months.  I intend to test this belief, whether within this current six month period, or in one soon to come.  Either way, it is a guaranteed certificate of confidence that I want to accept.

Link to my TA

This is a reaching out to my TA.  Zaynep

Pilot Posting

There is much more to come