Oh! Gizmo

By Luke Anderson

Have you ever wondered where your kid was, and thought it would be nice if you had some way to track them down at any time? I don’t have kids yet, but I seriously hope I don’t have those thoughts. Well, if you do have those thoughts, and want to ensure that your child hates you, then you should definitely check out this device from Keruve.

There are actually two devices here. One is a somewhat ordinary-looking watch, which also happens to be a GPS transmitter (it also uses cell phone towers to help gain the correct location). The other is a handheld GPS receiver which, as you guessed it, keeps track of your kid. Don’t worry about them taking th watch off either, it only comes off with specialized tools. There’s no word on pricing or availability, but I’m sure you could get one for the whole family. I’m sure you’ve always wondered where your grandparents and spouse are at all times as well.

[ Keruve Technology ] VIA [ Medgadget ]

By Andrew Liszewski

With all the hustle and bustle of daily life, who has time to read a simple LCD display on a digital thermometer these days? Not me, that’s for sure. That’s why I’m replacing my perfectly fine non-talking digital thermometer with this new model from Pro-Idee that will actually tell me the current temperature reading. All you have to do is place the sensor on your forehead and using infra-red technology the thermometer will provide an accurate reading (± 0.2 °C) in just 1.5 seconds. Unfortunately the Voice Thermo only has a measuring range of 35.5 to 42 °C, so it’s not really useful as anything other than a medical gadget, but hopefully someday the technological and medical advancements that allow it to talk will make their way to digital kitchen thermometers as well.

The Voice Thermo is available from Pro-Idee for about $63.

[ Voice Thermo ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You probably already have a first aid kit at home, at work or even in your car, but do you really know how to use it effectively? In an emergency situation most people are probably not as calm and collected as they should be, and fumbling around a first aid kit trying to guess how to properly deal with an injury is not exactly an effective treatment. That’s why this first aid kit from IntelligentFirstAid is actually separated into individually labeled ‘kits’ that are color coded depending on the injury. Each kit includes the specific supplies you’ll need for the injury at hand, as well as an easy to follow set of instructions with steps and illustrations that are broken down in order of importance.

The kit even goes one step further by including a simple audio player on each injury card. Squeezing the audio icon button will start the playback of a narrated version of the step-by-step instructions in a calm female voice. The playback even pauses and repeats where necessary, allowing you to accurately follow and keep up with the instructions. At $129.99 the Talking Intelligent First Aid Kit definitely isn’t cheap, but it’s one of those investments you’ll probably be happy you made when you actually need it.

[ Talking Intelligent First Aid Kit ] VIA [ Cool Hunting ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The Roll-A-Bout SW-500 pictured above is the Roll-A-Bout Corporation’s flagship model and is designed to be used by people suffering from a lower leg injury in lieu of crutches or even a wheelchair. Not only can the SW-500 support up to 500 lbs, but it’s also the company’s first model that can actually be steered. (Which makes me wonder how you turn with their previous models.) Their website also claims that the ‘hopping’ motion you use to get around with the Roll-A-Bout is preferable to the ’swinging’ motion you use with crutches. Now I don’t want to make light of anyone suffering from a lower leg injury, but is this really a better alternative to a set of crutches? I can see the advantage to using this over a wheelchair, since it keeps the rest of your body active while you recover, but if I ever had the chance to play around with a Roll-A-Bout, I’m pretty sure my antics would actually result in a lower leg injury.

And believe it or not the standard SW-500 model runs $599, while an ATV or ‘off-road’ version runs $739! The lovely wire basket you see in all the photos is included in that price, but the fancy cup holder seen in that last photo is actually a $15 option.

[ Roll-A-Bout ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I imagine that bringing home a newborn baby gives you plenty of things to worry about, but you might find a little of peace of mind with a device like the Angelcare Movement Sensor constantly monitoring your child while they’re in their crib. It uses a sensor pad that is placed under the middle of the baby’s mattress that connects to a nearby transmitter. The pad and transmitter then continuously monitor the baby’s movements and sounds and provide varying degrees of audio and visual feedback via a remote sensor designed to be carried by the parents at all times.

With the Sound & Movement function, you can hear your baby’s sounds, see sound lights, and hear a “tic” sound with every movement the baby makes. If no movement is detected, the “tic” will stop and after 20 seconds the alarm will sound. In the Tic Off mode you will not hear the ticking sound with every movement. However, you will still hear the baby’s sounds and see sound lights, and your baby’s movement is still being detected. An alarm will still sound if absolutely no movement is detected for 20 seconds. And finally, with Sound Only, the movement sensor is disabled, but you will still be able to hear your baby’s sounds and see sound lights. In this mode, the Angelcare functions as a regular sound monitor. For many parents, just being able to hear the sighs and squeaks of the newest member of the family is reassurance enough. For those who need more input, for whatever reason, the additional sensory features of the Angelcare can be lifesaving.

The BébéSounds Angelcare Movement Sensor is available from Amazon.com for $79.39.

[ BébéSounds Angelcare Movement Sensor ] VIA [ InventorSpot ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While a regular flashlight can be handy in times of emergency, this particular flashlight could quite literally be the difference between life and death for someone who has stopped breathing or is experiencing cardiac arrest. At the touch of a button this talking flashlight will prompt you through the CPR process with a clear and calm female voice. It includes adult, child and baby specific instructions and even features a pause button so you don’t miss any of the important steps. The spoken instructions are compliant with the AHA 2005 guidelines, but I would not recommend relying on the flashlight without taking an actual CPR course first. While the procedure can help save someone’s life, it can also be quite dangerous if done incorrectly. So instead, you should think of this flashlight as a handy guide for remembering the CPR steps you’ve already learned when an emergency does arise.

You can get it from FullOfLife.com for $35.98.

[ Talking CPR Flashlight ] VIA [ bookofjoe ]

By Luke Anderson

I am fortunate enough not to have any allergies, but one of my close friends is very allergic to smoke. If we go anywhere that’s very smoky, she can’t stay for long before her allergies kick in. There’s not much that she can do, aside from wearing a face mask, which no one wants to do. Luckily these little guys should also do the trick.

They are basically small air filters that stick up inside your nose. While they probably wouldn’t be the most comfortable things in the world, they are very discrete. Only a small clear band is visible at the base of your nostrils. You can pick up a pack of them for around $14.

[ Bio-Pit ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Luke Anderson

This product looks like it has to be the product of some sick twisted mind. Seriously, a wheel chair is made for people that can’t walk, or at the very least have trouble walking. So why on earth would you make a pedal-powered wheel chair?

There is an actual purpose behind this chair, aside from making disabled people cry. This allows people who still have limited use of their legs to try and build up strength. While it does serve a good purpose, it still just looks plain cruel.

[ SpeedyBikes ] VIA [ GearFuse ]

By Andrew Liszewski

My family has a history of diabetes, so I’m no stranger to having my blood sugar tested. By now I’m used to the small prick from the lancet, but I’ve always hoped for a better solution. The Pelikan Sun is an electronic lancing device that claims to be virtually pain-free and results in minimal bruising and scarring. It also uses a proprietary 50-lancet disk that ensures you get a new needle for every test that’s clean and sharp. The electronically controlled lancet trajectory can be set for 30 different levels of depth, and the precise firing mechanism means it’s only penetrating the skin as deep as you need.

Once you’ve pricked your finger you’ll still need to test the blood sample with a separate glucose meter, but if you’re testing your blood sugar on a daily basis, I’m sure it will provide some level of relief. The Pelikan Sun can be purchased directly from the company’s website, but I have no idea if the $199 price tag is covered by health insurance. And keep in mind you’ll also need to buy replacement lancet disks “…at comparable prices to other high quality lancets currently on the market.”

[ Pelikan Sun Electronic Lancing Device ] VIA [ Boing Boing Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

We’ve all heard or even seen the hour-long TLC specials about surgical instruments being accidentally left inside a patient. But even something as simple as a sponge can lead to a deadly infection if forgotten, and that’s why every single sponge has to be accounted for. But instead of relying on a nurse to manually count the sponges before and after an operation, the Safety-Sponge system from SurgiCount employs special bar codes printed on every sponge that are scanned into a PocketPC computer before and after they’re used.

Essentially, the system works much like a grocery store check-out counter – every laparotomy and gauze sponge is pre-labeled with an individual and unique bar code (in this instance, a 2-D data matrix label) and a scanning SurgiCounter is used to read the labels. Unlike other technologies, there is no major change in a hospital’s established AORN manual counting practices and procedures. And no other technology can offer documented time stamps of when every item was counted in and out.

Since every single sponge has a unique bar code, the system can even alert the operating room staff if the same sponge has been scanned twice. I guess as long as the special barcode-branded sponges aren’t considerably more expensive than a regular sponge, there’s no reason for a hospital not to adopt a system like this. But then again I’m not a doctor, I just pretend to be one on the internet.

[ SurgiCount Safety-Sponge System ] VIA [ 7 Gadgets ]