Harnessing Human Energy for Medical Good (ing at a relatively fast pace wearing th...)

Harnessing Human Energy for Medical Good

Date:2/7/2008

ing at a relatively fast pace wearing the harvester -- which looks like a knee brace and weighs just over three pounds -- can generate 13 watts of electricity in one minute. That means you could get about six minutes of laptop computer time for one minute of fast walking. A low-effort walk would produce about five watts of power, which would give you roughly two and half minutes of laptop time, according to Donelan.

Results of the study are published in the Feb. 8 issue of Science.

The potential uses for such a device are many and varied, he said. Apart from powering laptops and cell phones in remote places, the harvester could be used to power pacemakers or implanted insulin pumps. It could also be used to help move robotic limbs.

The technology's current uses are limited by its expense, though Donelan said as they continue to work on the device, they hope its weight and price will eventually come down.

Dr. Gerard Varlotta, director of sports rehabilitation at the New York University Medical Center's Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine/Hospital for Joint Diseases, said he thought the study was very interesting, but he "wasn't convinced that it's practical."

Varlotta said he's also concerned that if the device helps to slow the muscle down, if it's used extensively, it could actually cause the muscle to atrophy, because the muscle isn't being used in the way it's naturally used.

If it's used in people that already have a problem walking, such as someone with multiple sclerosis, "it could weaken the muscle further and accentuate the original problem," said Varlotta.

"It would be interesting to see the effects this device will have with long-term use," he said. "They'll have to exercise caution when taking this from normal muscle to pathological [diseased] muscle."

More information

To learn more about robotic limbs that someday might be able to use this typ
'/>"/>

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. Embryonic Stem Cells Repair Human Heart
2. Embryonic Human Stem Cells May Help Repair Heart Muscle, Lab Study Shows
3. Human Papilloma Virus vaccines may decrease chances of oral cancer
4. Investigational Agent Targeting Metabotropic Glutamate 2/3 Receptors Demonstrates Antipsychotic Activity in Humans, Study in Nature Medicine Finds
5. MassMutual Promotes Debra Palermino to Senior Vice President of Human Resources
6. Toddler Study Proves Humans Outsmart Apes
7. Human C-reactive protein regulates myeloma tumor cell growth and survival
8. Altered expression of ultraconserved noncoding RNAs linked to human leukemias and carcinomas
9. AtriCure Reports First Human Implant of the Cosgrove-Gillinov Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion System
10. New class of RNA molecules may be important in human cancer
11. The Humana Foundation and Libraries for the Future Launch Health Literacy Pilot in Atlanta

Post Your Comments:

Harnessing Human Energy for Medical Good(ing at a relatively fast pace wearing th...),Health