Friday, April 20, 2007

Saul Griffith: award-winning inventor




Saul Griffith offers a glimpse into the future with this compelling overview of his works-in-progress and materials-in-progress. The award-winning inventor shares the inspiration (a droplet of water) behind his low-cost prescription lenses, produced by a machine the size of an inkjet printer. Other projects include Howtoons and Instructables (comics that show how to build things and understand things), "smart" rope that can tell how much it's carrying, and a house-sized kite for towing boats.

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Finding new cures for migraine, depression



Accepting his 2005 TED Prize, inventor Robert Fischell makes three wishes: redesigning a portable migraine treatment, finding new cures for clinical depression, and reforming the medical malpractice system. He also shares three new inventions that could improve the lives of millions: His Angel Med Guardian System -- a pacemaker-sized device wired into the heart -- detects an elevation in the electric signal of the heart, the first sign of a heart attack. His transcranial magnetic stimulator treats migraines with a magnetic pulse. Finally, the Neuropace prevents epileptic seizures by transmitting electric signals in the brain.

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