The Surveillance Campus When I first got to campus, I was impressed by how high-tech everything was. I could use an app to see where the campus shuttle was and use my digital ID to pay for laundry. But after a while, I started to realize that every one of those conveniences comes with a digital footprint. Between the Wi-Fi logs that track which building you are in and the apps that monitor your attendance, the modern university has become a massive data-collection machine. We are living in a surveillance…
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The Chip Wars in Your Pocket
The Chip Wars in Your Pocket Most of us do not think about geography when we are scrolling through TikTok or checking our grades on Canvas, but the tiny chips inside our phones are currently the most contested objects on the planet. Almost every major diplomatic tension in the world right now can be traced back to semiconductors. They are essentially the “new oil” of our generation. Because a huge percentage of these high-end chips are manufactured in just one or two specific locations, the entire global economy is incredibly…
Read MoreHow Predictive Data Analytics Is Revolutionizing Environmental Public Health Risk Management
The rapid evolution of technology has ushered in transformative tools that redefine how we approach complex societal challenges. Among these advancements, predictive data analytics stands out as a revolutionary force in environmental public health risk management. By exploiting enormous datasets acquired from many sources, both researchers and policymakers can outline trends and forecast possible health risks, which, in the end, will result in better evidence-based decisions. This technological paradigm shift is consistent with the trends in Big Data, which are not only characterized by volume but also by variety and…
Read MoreHealth Disparities from AI and Data-driven Technologies
Health Disparities from AI and Data-driven Technologies The healthcare AI technology industry is rapidly growing, reshaping the landscape of medical services. Innovations such as AI-powered diagnostic tools, remote healthcare services, predictive analytics, and personalized treatment plans are significantly enhancing healthcare efficiency and outcomes. However, this optimistic view often overlooks a critical issue: the inadvertent widening of disparities in access and resource allocation in healthcare. As AI and data-driven technologies become more prevalent in healthcare, these concerns must be integrated into mainstream discussions to ensure the industry evolves sustainably and benefits…
Read MoreVirtual Reality In Medicine
Virtual reality is used in both the medical and dentistry fields where it has several advantages over conventional systems. The dental applications of this technology are discussed in more detail in our virtual reality in dentistry article. But what about medicine you ask yourself? We know virtual reality is used in surgery, especially the field of robotic surgery where it has proven to be very successful. This is discussed further in our virtual reality in surgery article. Virtual diagnosis This article concentrates on virtual reality within a medical setting. For…
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Synthetic Cardiac Valves, Arteries, and Veins for Practicing Surgical Techniques
A recent publication in the journal Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology describes the production and utilization of synthetic heart valves, arteries, and veins by surgeons and medical residents to practice and improve their cardiac bypass surgical skills, without the use of animal or human cadaver tissues. Researchers from the University of British Columbia used a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel to create the synthetic tissue, which unlike animal and human tissues, does not decompose or become contaminated. The treatment of arteries from animal or human cadavers with preservatives to prevent decomposition alters…
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Industry heavyweights come together to standardize the Internet of Things
AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel are the latest companies to band together with the aim of standardizing interoperability across smart machines and ultimately, drive adoption of an Internet of Things. Announced last week, the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) is a not-for-profit open membership group created to establish common frameworks for development of inter-connected digital and physical worlds. While the notion of device-to-device communication holds great potential across a range of industries, with different manufacturers using different engineering standards, development has been slow-moving in the eyes of some. In December last…
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Fastest home internet access ever rolls out in US city
Some residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota, received a holiday gift this December – the fastest home internet speed available just about anywhere in the world. US Internet, based in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka, announced this week that it has begun rolling out 10 gigabit per second internet access, ten times faster than Google Fiber‘s much-publicized gigabit connections, and similarplanned networks in the UK. It’s also much faster than typical speeds in South Korea, often cited as having the fastest average connections in the world. The company says that compared to the…
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Packable device keeps mosquitoes away in the boonies
Beyond heated insoles, Thermacell makes a variety of battery-powered gadgets for outdoor lovers, among them a line of mosquito repellers. The company is preparing to launch a lighter, more compact repeller designed to go deeper into the wilderness. The packable Backpacker Repeller drops Thermacell’s mosquito-fighting technology into your pack so you can easily carry it to even the most faraway backcountry destinations. We’ve used one of Thermacell’s larger repeller lanterns and can say that it’s an absolute pleasure. Thermacell claims 96 percent effectiveness against mosquitoes, black flies and other pesky flying…
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Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality: What are the differences and similarities?
Technology is improving at a rapid pace, as many things are possible today that were not possible 10 years ago even if we tried our best to make it happen. Today, some of the impossible things are rising to the occasion in the form of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. But what are they exactly? Let’s find out. Back in the 1990s, virtual reality was on the lips of everyone as multiple companies tried and failed to make it happen. The most notable device back then was the Nintendo Virtual…
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