Gimme A Hand

Been reading up on the latest bionic/prosthetic tech available today.  Aside from Össur's Power Knee, another company, BeBionic has the coolest bionic hand.

There are various battery, skin, and interface options.  It's controlled by your body's electrical impulses so, essentially it works like your regular hand.  Very Star Wars.

I Coulda Gone Pro If It Wasn't For My Bum Knee

Össur, a company that specializes in artificial limbs, has one of the most advanced artificial knees available (availability might be a stretch, since they are not readily available)

The next generation Power Knee is on of the most advanced above-knee prosthetics today.  Adaptive technology allows the knee to adjust to the users actions and provides powered motion for walking and provides necessary power on inclines and stairs.

The technology built into the knee itself seems to be self contained.  A bunch of sensors and processors calculate what the user is doing and lets the knee adapt.  It doesn't seem to take instructions from nerve endings or synaptic activity, but is still impressive nonetheless.

Gulp...gulp....gulp: A CamelBak Review

Do you like running?  Hiking?  Biking?  Or any kind of outdoor activity that lasts more than an hour away from fresh drinking water?  You may want to invest in a good hydration pack.

My hydration pack of choice is the CamelBak Pakteen. Why invest in a hydration bladder?  Why not just recycle your bottled water bottle?

First of all, the material is different.  They may both be plastic, but disposable water bottles are not made from the same high grade plastic used for hydration packs and reusable water bottles.  Most disposable water bottles contain toxic materials that leak into your water.  Although deemed 'insignificant amounts' by the FDA, I'd rather not risk it.

Second, hydration packs save space.  They store flat when empty and conform to your body when filled.

And third, hydration packs usually have drinking tubes that make it more accessible than a water bottle.

What I like about the Pakteen is that even the drinking tube is insulated.  In the summer, this means that first sip isn't hot water!  It's also just a hydration pack, not a backpack.  That means I can throw it into any bag I'm bringing.  The quick release connector, bite valve cover and flow control also make it more rugged and dirt free when using it in the beach or hiking.

Although it's one of the smallest hydration packs out there, holding only 1.5L (50 oz) of water, it's more than enough for a day hike or an average run.  Find out more about proper hydration here.







**Unfortunately, the Pakteen is not available here in the Philippines.  I already asked Camelbak if they have it here, and I think it's not allowed for sale outside the U.S.

The irony...

Android App of the Day: My Tracks

Are you one of the many people into running?  You've got an Android phone with GPS.  How do you make use of it?  My Tracks offers a very easy to use way of tracking and measuring your progress.

Fairly simple to use, My Tracks shows your movement on Google Maps, and provides performance stats.  Aside from recording your tracks, My Tracks allows you to upload your routes to Google Maps for saving or sharing.

Like any GPS product, line-of-sight to satellites is needed and accuracy may be compromised if under heavy foliage or cloud cover.  But so far, I haven't had any accuracy issues with my X10 Mini Pro.

Yesterday, I posted a review on the Mio Motiva heart rate monitor.  And its a great simple watch to have for simply keeping track of your heart rate without the addition of a chest strap.  But what if you want more?

Well, a particular feature of My Tracks, and an upcoming feature for the Sony Ericsson Xperia line of Android phones is ANT+ support.  This will allow a wide range of health and fitness sensors to work with My Tracks and display their data right on your phone without the need of an additional receiver.

AFAIK, My Tracks does not compute for calories burned, which I think would be a great addition specially when combined with an ANT+ sensor.  I hope they add a calorie counter in a future update.  For now, My Tracks is a great little app that performs very well.

Be Still My Beating Heart

In keeping with the whole Valentine festivities, today's tech gospel is on health and fitness.  Don't know about most of you, but I really slacked off the gym last year.  And this year, I'm paying for it.  Before things get out of control, I started my exercise routine at the beginning of the year.

Heart rate monitors aren't really new.  Polar has been making them for some time now.  But some people may not be fond of wearing the chest strap.

One of the cool simple gadgets I found are Mio Watches.  The one I'm using is the Motiva.  It's main features are it's heart rate monitor, and Mio's patented calorie management system.

This is a great little watch since it combines two essential factors in weight management and exercise.

The heart rate monitor is ECG accurate +/- 1bpm compared to a Life Fitness treadmill.  Just touch the two front face buttons with your fingers and in a few seconds, it shows your heart rate.  You can also set your maximum heart rate and calorie intake so the watch will tell you if you're approaching your limit.

Pre-blog: Osim iCare 100

Considering how much time I spend in front of a computer screen, I decided to try this thing out.

Osim is known for their really good (and extremely expensive) massage chairs. Since those are out of reach, I was looking around their shop and came across the iCare 100.

It's not a miracle machine. But it does help. Makes you fall asleep easier... if that was an intended side-effect.... good!

I think Osim has a higher end version (iCare 200) which has heat, and temple massagers as well, but costs 3x more than the iCare 100.