People’s lives have been immensely improved by advancements in robotics technology. What was once impossible is now already attainable.
Adaptive and assistive technology, as well as brain-computer interface and implants, are only a few of the advancements that benefited the disabled.
Adaptive Technology
People with disabilities, including the blind, have also benefited from robotics technology. In the 80s, adaptive technology for people with sight impairments was developed. Experts have developed programs capable of synthetic speech based on texts appearing on screens and later on through scanned texts.
Robotics and computers have changed lives for the better. Around the world, a lot of children cannot attend school because of hearing or visual impairments, however, because of adaptive technology, learning is made possible.
BCI Technology
It is the goal of experts developing assistive technologies to aid those who are living with physical impairments. That is why extensive studies of brain-computer interface (BCI) is constantly pursued.
While viewed by many as invasive, the advantages of using neuroprosthetics cannot be understated. Vital functions such as sensing and motor capabilities are revived. Lost limbs can now be replaced by synthetic parts capable of transmitting signals to senses. Those who are hearing impaired benefit from cochlear implants.
Brain implants have also been introduced to help those afflicted by Parkinson’s disease. A very tiny device is embedded in a particular region of the brain so that electrical impulses reaches other regions thereby triggering the required movement.
Not all BCIs are invasive. There are those that involve merely neuroimaging, functioning as an interface tool. Signals are meant to stimulate implants to trigger movement. This non-invasive method can be a substitute for surgical procedures involving the brain.
Cochlear Implant Procedures
Those who are hearing impaired benefit from cochlear implants. These implants have been popular in Europe and to date, more than 120,000 patients have benefited from it. In three years’ time, it is projected that hearing impaired children could already be receiving cochlear implants before they even reach their 5th birthday.
Ethical issues could spring from robotics and technological advancements, yet no one is blind to the glaring benefits of applying these in the lives of people today. They provide each person the opportunity to lead a healthier life and with it come the privilege to engage in work and worthwhile activities.
Would you agree to swallow a tiny robot? Maybe not, if there’s no compelling reason to. But if it’s going to help you recover from accidentally swallowing foreign material without the need of surgery, you will probably give this amazing invention a try.
There’s a robot so small and ingestible that it could be swallowed. Once inside the stomach, it can perform its function – that of closing a wound or zeroing in on foreign material found in the digestive system.
Ingestible robot
Scientists from Massachusetts have come up with biodegradable robots so minute and flexible, they can be folded up and swallowed so it could do its function. It is a minimally invasive method of fixing wounds in the stomach as it will just disintegrate once it has done its job.
The tiny robot is made of pig intestines, particularly those used as casings for sausages. It looks like a tiny caterpillar designed using origami technique. A very small magnet helps with maneuvering while inside the intestines, according to experts.
Producing a bot that can be ingested did present many challenges. The team responsible for its development said that making it function inside a person’s stomach was difficult because it had to adapt to the organ’s anatomy. It should be able to move even when it accidentally flips over.
Structure and design
The robot’s material shrinks when exposed to heat. When this takes place, slits on its surface causes the robot to fold making it look like segmented structure, like a column of boxcars.
This segmented structure allows the robot to attach itself on a surface and then break free when it flexes. It moves around via a stick-slip motion.
The stomach is filled with fluids so it has to be made to adapt to a watery environment. The team restructured the robot, modeling it after a fish fin. It is capable of swimming and crawling at the same time.
Tests on an artificial environment
The invention was tested on an artificial stomach. The stomach was structured to simulate an actual one that has foreign material, a small watch battery that has been swallowed. The objective was to test if the bot can target the watch battery and mend lacerations it has caused.
Scientists used silicone mold to line the artificial stomach and esophagus. The silicone stomach also contains a liquid that is similar to gastric juices found in the intestines.
In one of the tests, the robot was placed in a capsule made of ice. It’s as small as a pill so it can be easily swallowed. Moreover, the robot has a tiny magnet attached to it so it can be propelled towards the floating battery.
Once near the battery, it attaches to it and together they can be rolled away from the digestive tract and passed out naturally.
This amazing invention proves to be a promising one but the team has to further improve controls to make maneuvering more effective and safe.
Home Improvement is a very important aspect of your home maintenance plan. Home improvement should be carried out on a regular basis as it is easier to deal with issues one by one rather than when they get all piled up. Home Improvement projects are run by companies as well as people themselves.
Its significance can be viewed by the fact that if you live in that house, it gives you a perfect place to reside and if you desire to sell it away, a well-maintained home fetches you the best price in the market!
DIY Pillow Cases
If you wish to change the entire look of an area you are bored of, all you need to do is let your ideas flow and create varied DIY pillows and you are all set to go! DIY pillows give you an option of choosing the color scheme and the desired fabric all by yourself. These can be simple if they are meant to be placed on a formal couch and can be really funky if they are destined to fall on your little girl’s bed!
These open you up to a number of options and makes it easy for you to personalize them.
Bringing Life to Your Living Room
Do you think your living room is really bland? Do you think of it as dull and beyond boring? If yes, not to worry! Just go with a few easy initial steps and you can bring it back to life. It is always advisable to keep your living area carpeted but if you seem to like the wooden floor, then place a few colorful rugs across the floor. Living room furniture and upholstery should be brave and bold, go all funky with the cushions and paint the walls a lighter color. Now look at it again, did you not see the difference?
It is believed that having a hobby adds years to your life or if put correctly, life to your years!
Having hobbies and leisure activities is very important in one’s life, especially for elderly. It not only improves your lifestyle but also keeps you mentally healthy. It brings happiness and joy into your life as you keep yourselves busy doing something that you greatly enjoy. This helps you focus on the positive things and keeps us distracted from the prevailing negativity.
Having a pet is sometimes very important for a few people. People adore them and consider them a part of their family. They are loved, played and even cuddled with by their owners. According to a survey, the majority of people like to have dogs as their pet but the question is, which breed to choose? How would one know that which breed would be compatible with his lifestyle? Well, there are many online guides and even questionnaires that lead you into finding the best companion for yourself!
You can also try following some simple steps that are as follows:
Know Your Lifestyle
First of all, you have to run an analysis on your own lifestyle and decide as to what you are actually looking for. What qualities do you want to see in your living partner, your pet? It is a crucial step because all pets don’t go with all owners, a lifestyle compatibility is a necessity.
If you visit a dog store or a dog adoption center, you’d get to see that they have a number of pooches over there and it’s a difficult decision to choose just one out of all of them! But that decision is for you to make very thoughtfully. You can go about having a look at all the breeds available and choose the size, color and other physical features by yourself.
Consult an Adoption Counselor
It is always a good decision to consult an adoption counselor before making your move. He’d give you all the required information about all the breeds that are out there. You can get to know about their general behaviors, their living cost, and all the other essential information.
Do your Homework
Don’t completely rely on consultants and friends for advice. Get your facts straight yourself too. Conduct an extensive research on the internet about all the breeds that you have as an option. Learn about their habits, nature, and individuality. Moreover, there are a number of online quizzes and questionnaires that judge your personality by a series of questions and suggests you a dog breed accordingly. These online applications always come in handy while making a decision like such.
Always make the adoption counselor answer three questions before he talks you into buying the right dog for you.
What is the Age of the Dog?
If you think you are free most of the time then you should go to buy a puppy because you’d have plenty of time to train it with chewing, eating and playing. But if you happen to be a busy man, always go for adult dogs who are already trained.
Is the dog shy?
If you are a very active person, go with a dog who tends to jump and play all around all day but if all you and is someone to be your living buddy and TV partner then go with a calmer pooch!
Is the Dog Good with Kids? Make sure that the dog you choose is nice and sweet. It should be calm towards all people specifically kids and you’d never go wild on anyone. It is a major safety precaution which must be taken.
40 is that age where you get closer to the possibility of many drastic changes in your health. Therefore, your 40th birthday might be the perfect time for you to put your health in stock! Your health even then is perfectly under your control, all you have to do is to get more cautious and put it under a regular check.
Look out for the following factors and you will be perfectly fine for years to come!
Look Out For Your Vision!
At the age of 40, you might start having a little problem with your vision and to keep it under strict check would be one way to keep it from progression. You should be able to read clearly all the medicine labels and you should use your reading glasses when required and not put your eyes under strain. It is suggested that you use sunglasses to prevent any damage to your eyes because too much of sun exposure can increase cataracts so sunglasses or shades (providing UV-A and UV-B protection) are always a good idea.
A diet high in fruits and vegetables can slow down the process of vision loss as it provides your body with anti-toxicants, vitamins, and minerals.
You Must Know Your Numbers
At the age of 40, it is about time that you memorize all your numbers for blood pressure, weight, cholesterol levels and diabetes. These four things must be kept under control because any disturbance in these factors can make a person fall prey to cardiac diseases, stroke, and kidney problems.
So the next time you go to a pharmacy, take a blood sugar test and have your blood pressure measured and keep a record of them for your doctor to have a look.
Muscle Up!
At the age of 40, you start losing one percent of your total muscle mass per year. To control this factor, you must have a weekly exercise plan, which is well supported by weight bearing exercises. If you manage to maintain your muscle mass, you will not find it difficult to enjoy all the activities you did in your younger days.
Fiber Should Be Your Best Friend!
At the age of 40, your metabolism slows down and therefore you must shift your diet to a much healthier side. Fatty foods should be minimized because they might interrupt your normal digesting process and fiber and fluids should be maximized. With the progression of age, your calorie requirement lessens and so you must maintain a high nutrient and a high-fiber diet. This will do you a lot of good in the long run and will keep you from getting any sorts of digestive dysfunction.
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Quit!
The age of 40 is a wake-up call for all the smokers out there!
Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things to do but if done, it prevents the incidence of all the major disease you can think of. Be it cardiac arrest, stroke, lung cancer or kidney failure, a nonsmoker is very less likely to fall victim to these.
To ensure a healthy life, men must be very cautious about their diet, visits to doctors, and the tests that are recommended to be conducted periodically. Following are some of the factors, which if given required consideration, will guarantee good health in men.
Coping With Stress
For almost all the men out there, financial, family, and career-related problems can make for 60% of their total stress. Stress in its initial stages might not be very harmful but in its chronic form, it leads to cardiac diseases. Heart diseases, caused by stress hit men at a relatively younger age than women and surprisingly enough, it is the leading factor to cause death in middle-aged men. The first step towards the healthcare of men should be to get all this stress off their backs! This can be achieved by regular exercise, yoga, meditation, stress, and anger management therapy if and when required.
Never Skip the Visit to Doctor
As they enter into their adult years, this is one of the most important habits that men should adopt. Men find it very annoying and inconvenient to get some time out of their busy lives to pay a visit to a doctor even if that is for their own good but this attitude must be shunned right here, right now!
This visit should include your regular check-up and some basic medical and fitness tests.
Drop the extra calories!
Men while entering their midlife, become less and less concerned about putting on extra fats around the middle. These extra fats must be burnt, as they are predictors of diabetes and heart diseases. Even slight obesity should not be left untreated. To deflate the extra tire, it is advisable to make working out at the gym or cardio-vascular exercises a part of your routine. This will not only keep you physically fit but will also relieve stress and anxiety!
Do not forget To Take the Basic Tests Periodically
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There are a few tests that all men need to go through after a standard specified time. These tests include the cholesterol level test and the diabetes test. You need to talk to your doctor about your weight and overall physical fitness. You must also get you blood pressure checked periodically (especially if it runs in your family) because high blood pressure causes stroke and heart disease.
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It is the goal of experts developing assistive technologies to aid those who are living with physical impairments. That is why extensive studies of brain-computer interface (BCI) is constantly pursued.
Structure and design
DIY Pillow Cases
Know Your Lifestyle
