Dynamics Controls managed to integrate an iPhone with its power wheelchair electronics, allowing iPhone or iPod touch owners in such a wheelchair to navigate using their device instead for a different experience. This solution also will show off the current speed, battery life and relevant wheelchair information in an easy-to-understand manner at a glance.

Intel wants to have chips (theirs, obviously) inside our brains in the future so that there is no need for a mouse or keyboard to take charge of our computers. Dean Pomerleau is the brains behind this vision, where he works for Intel on matters of cognitive neuroscience, machine learning, computer vision, robotics, man-machine interfaces, brain processing of semantic information, and various brain-scanning technologies including fMRI, MEG, EEG and ECoG. We don't think something like this will ever take off - it would certainly leave the thought of Big Brother knowing our every move and thoughts.

The DermaStream CST system is currently about to embark on the FDA approval process, where should it prove to be successful, we will soon have a new method of healing open wounds. This device is meant to be placed over a wound where it will provide continuous cleaning and washing away of debris and extravasated fluid round the clock. Currently awaiting FDA approval is its bio-active chemical solution. This sounds like a much more hygienic manner of keeping wounds free from infection while speeding up the healing process - at least it is way more scientific in approach compared to footballer (soccer to folks living Stateside) Robin van Persie of Arsenal who is willing to have placenta rubbed over his ankle in hope of a speedy recovery from injury.

Philips has announced their latest BiliChek bilirubin measurement system which is capable of detecting and quantifying jaundice in newborns via a non-invasive manner (which also equates to painless). How does it manage to perform such a miracle? Well, that is due to the implementation of using light to measure total serum bilirubin levels in skin though a special touching tip sensor. The LCD color display makes it easy to view even in the low-light levels of a nursery, while step-by-step instructions, graphics and a faster measurement system offers increased proficiency and productivity. Implementing a barcode scanner makes room for accurate entry and verification of nurse and patient identification information in a jiffy. As mentioned earlier, this non-invasive method is so comfortable, newborns can just continue snoozing away without feeling disturbed!

The boffins at GE are currently working on a new batch of wearable RFID sensors that are smart enough to detect airborne chemical agents. No idea on how they're going to commercialize this though, but that's a good problem to have (and solve down the road). Apparently, the final product can be part of a badge and worn on clothing, being fully capable of detecting chemical agents in the air even when they're at ultra-trace concentrations. Could this help alert ordinary folks to the presence of anthrax or other poisonous gasses during a terrorist attack? Might be a tad too late then, but at least it will be able to pinpoint who was the culprit that let out a silent fart in the elevator. [Press Release]

The EyeWriter project might not be finished just yet, as it is still undergoing a concerted research effort to help folks who are suffering from ALS, with the assistance of creative technologies. The members involved are Members of Free Art and Technology (FAT), OpenFrameworks, the Graffiti Research Lab, and The Ebeling Group communities, working in tandem with a legendary LA graffiti writer, publisher and activist, known as Tony Quan, aka TEMPTONE. The end result is expected to be a low-cost, open source eye-tracking system which will enable ALS patients to draw using just their eyes.

We were raised to cover our mouths with a hand whenever we cough, but that could very well change in the future as acoustic vocalization analysis software is included in cellphones. All you need to do is cough into your handset, and it will get to measuring and interpreting the cough characteristic of pneumonia. Talk about turning the cellphone into a medical diagnosis tool which could eventually phase out the stethoscope or perhaps even function as a personal body scanner. No fart analysis or one that detects bad breath, eh?

Nintendo DS owners will find another use for their highly versatile portable console, with a new game developed for that platform that aims to help diabetic children monitor their condition. Known as the Didget system, it was specially designed to encourage young people to test their blood sugar levels regularly. Results can be downloaded onto the console, where they are then rewarded with game points. Those suffering from type 1 diabetes will need to test their blood every few hours, and the Didget helps you keep on time/track.

The SmartPill has received FDA approval, arriving in its second iteration. This device is meant to be used to evaluate one's constipation, measuring temperature and pH levels as it moves through the GI tract, while offering temporal-spacial analysis of its voyage. It has already been approved for analysis of suspected delayed gastric emptying (gastroparesis). Inside the SmartPill lies a GI Monitoring System that is capable of transmitting data wirelessly to the SmartPill Data Receiver. The latter is then returned to the physician's office, where collected information will be downloaded onto a computer to be interpreted correctly.

Intel just announced the Intel Reader and no, it's not an eBook, it's actually much more useful than an eBook in some ways. The Intel Reader is a Healthcare device that has been designed to help those with vision/blindness issues or learning disabilities (Dyslexia), which makes reading difficult. Intel estimates that this concerns 55M people in the USA. It has a camera that can translate text in pictures into ASCII text that can be read out loud by the computer (thanks to an Optical Character Recognition, or OCR, engine). In some ways, it is a new "eye" for those who can't see. Of course, it is possible to download text documents (simple text files, no complex files like .PDF or .DOC) or audio files (.wav) on the device.

The Intel Reader isn't there to compete with consumer devices like the Kindle. The Kindle has been designed for entertainment purposes, and although it has a text-to-voice function, its user interface is definitely built for users who can see.

Having a crutch due to a leg injury seriously impedes one's movement, but the Freedom Leg from Forward Mobility aims to change that, where it is constructed from composite materials, making it tip the scales at a mere 2.6 pounds. This off-loading prosthetic enables the user to fully integrate the device into their lives for complete mobility that is unprecedented. This allows the user to go about the day's tasks without the need for any assistance, ensuring strength in the upper muscles of the injured leg is retained.

Who would've thought that furniture would actually no longer play dumb? That would be the case in the future if Lucas Maassen and Dries Verbruggen had their way. After all, they are the designers behind the Brainwave Sofa, where sitting on this will cause the furniture to analyze your brain activity for 3 seconds, using the extracted EEG data to create a 3D landscape on the sofa's surface which is made of of foam. Definitely not the most comfortable sofa there is, that's for sure.

In a world chock full of wireless technology, here comes the Sensium Digital Plaster which is actually a wireless monitoring patch that stays on a patient's body just like a Band Aid strip, albeit this one helps monitor the patient's vital statistics. It will be powered by extremely slim batteries, gathering information on one's heart rate, temperature and perspiration for a period of several days. Apart from that, it will also play nice with smartphones and PDAs, sending all relevant data to your physician wirelessly. Currently under clinical trial, the final product might be out sooner than you think.

The ROLA (Robot Of Living Aid) intelligent home-care robot was developed by National Chiao Tung University of Taiwan. Capable of understanding Mandarin, Taiwanese and a smattering of English, ROLA will help keep a watchful eye on elderly occupants of a home and is capable of sending distress calls automatically in the event of an accident to a family's cellphone or ambulance. This is made possible thanks to its live video feed, allowing people to tell the difference between an actual emergency and a false alarm. Measuring around $100,000, ROLA won't come cheap but hopefully with commercialization, the overall cost will be lowered.