Scientists using Balance Board in stroke rehab
While the Balance Board is a good tool for controlling cute little monkeys and perhaps creating a career, Australian scientists have found it’s also an inexpensive way to measure the balance in stroke patients. University of Melbourne scientist Ross Clark decided to pick one up after reading that some physicians were using Wiimotes to help recuperating soldiers, and found it to be “an extremely impressive strain gauge set-up.” That’s a very good thing, considering the only alternative is a “force platform” which can set scientists back a hefty £11,000 ($15,700).
There aren’t any results out of Melbourne yet, but if you’re interested in what’s under the hood of that little plastic pad you’re slowly turning a kind of brownish-black (would it kill you to wear clean socks when using it?), check out this Nintendo Channel video from back in the day.
[Via Kotaku and New Scientist]
Scientists using Balance Board in stroke rehab originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
See Mario transformed into bacteria
We’re always happy to see gaming encroaching on the rest of the world, a sign that it’s becoming more culturally accepted and mainstream, but this example is so nerdy, it might actually be a step in the other direction. What you see on the right there is the classic NES Mario sprite, recreated in specifically-engineered bacteria by the nanobiology laboratories at the University of Osaka, Japan.
We love the idea of gaming’s leading man being transformed this way, we can’t help but think how great it would have been if Team Osaka could have achieved the same effect with fungus. … You know, because the Mushroom Kin — oh, never mind.
[Thanks, Modern Epicurian]
See Mario transformed into bacteria originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Wii Remote turned into water sensor
The Wiimote has been used for plenty of non-gaming needs, including tidying up the house and controlling robots. Even the US military got in on the action, using the Wiimote to defuse bombs in Iraq. And let’s not forget the groundbreaking work done by Johnny Chung Lee — a man who just happens to have inspired the creation of the setup you see above.
See, a team of scientists in Luxemburg (via Wired) figured out that using the sensor-filled gutty-works of the Wiimote would — through some tinkering — be a good way to measure water evaporation. See, this type of measurement usually requires sensors that can cost up to $500 a piece, making the $40 Wiimote quite the attractive alternative. This has applications outside of just measuring water evaporation, the team said — including measuring the speed at which a structure collapses.
[Via Gizmodo]
Wii Remote turned into water sensor originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
IBM simulates cat’s brain, humans are next
Almost exactly a year ago we noted DARPA pouring nearly $5 million into an IBM project to develop a computer capable of emulating the brain of a living creature. Having already modeled half of a mouse’s brain, the researchers were at that time heading toward the more ambitious territory of feline intelligence, and today we can report on how far that cash injection and extra twelve months have gotten us. The first big announcement is that they have indeed succeeded in producing a computer simulation on par, in terms of complexity and scale, with a cat’s brain. The second, perhaps more important, is that “jaw-dropping” progress has been made in the sophistication and detail level of human brain mapping. The reverse engineering of the brain is hoped to bring about new ways for building computers that mimic natural brain structures, an endeavor collectively termed as “cognitive computing.” Read link will reveal more, and you can make your own cyborg jokes in the comments below.
Filed under: Science
IBM simulates cat’s brain, humans are next originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Whose is Bigger? Star Trek vs. Star Wars
Being a bit of a Sci-Fi nerd (or is it Sy-Fy now?) , the few friends I have managed to accumulate over the years tend to have similar interests, and whenever a few of us get together one area of disagreement tends to rear it’s ugly head more often then others — Which is better, Star Trek or Star Wars?
While I haven’t discovered anything that gives a definitive answer to which is better, I have come across the answer to which is bigger. Someone named Dan Carlson went to the trouble of compiling an image that features ships from both universes to scale with 1 pixel = 10 meters. Apparently with little else to do in his life, he also added ships from almost every other Science Fiction property that made its way into television and film including things as obscure Lexx and Space: Above and Beyond.
So if size matters (and all Carlson’s distances are accurate), it looks like the Star Wars fans have something to brag about due to the incredible length of the Executor class Destroyer. (Star Trek fans can salvage some pride if they point to the Earth Spacedock and try to make the girth arguement however.) Unfortunately this area of comparison may only start up another bitter debate, especially if one subscribes to the theory that guys with big trucks (or space ships) are only trying to compensate for a deficiency in something else.
So what are you trying to draw attention away from, Star Wars fans? Do you have a little anxiety about your Light Sabers?
Activision shamelessly announces ‘Science Papa’
Activision came up with a great new idea for a Wii/DS game. It’s a bunch of short minigames, right, but each minigame is a component of the process of creating something. Like, say, steps in a recipe. In this particular game, you will perform scientific experiments “from a wide variety of sciences.”
Science Papa features “over 30 different experiments,” during which players will manipulate lab equipment like Bunsen burners, mix chemicals, and perform other stylus/Wiimote-based activities in order to “prove their scientific worth against a crazy cast of rival scientists in intense competitions.”
Here’s where it gets really brilliant: while you’re doing these experiments, or following these “recipes,” if you will, you’ll be guided by a cute, cartoon-style helper. A sort of parental figure. We’re surprised that nobody else has come up with this winning formula yet!
Activision shamelessly announces ‘Science Papa’ originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Thu, 14 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Playing Tetris helps with trauma, study says
Filed under: News
We’ve always been big fans of Tetris, to tell the truth, and now it would seem the game has real health benefits. According to a study done in the UK, the game can help those with post-traumatic stress disorder. The study exposed volunteers to disturbing imagery and, for some, allowed them to play the game after. For those that played the game, stress levels reduced and they suffered from fewer flashbacks of the disturbing imagery.
So, make more time in your busy life to play some games. It’s good for you!
Gallery: Tetris Party
[Via /.]
Playing Tetris helps with trauma, study says originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
| Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments |
| |
Wii clinches bronze in console usage stakes
Filed under: News
The white coats at Nielsen have been at it again, analysing our gaming lives and charting the consoles we use most. Unlike the Nielsen study we posted about previously, this one takes into account pre-Wii/PS3/Xbox 360 platforms. This means that the PS2 stormed to a predictable, convincing victory: 30.2% of “all measured console minutes” were dedicated to Sony’s nine-year-old machine.
Despite its smaller user base, the Xbox 360 was second with 18.3%, while the Wii came third with 13.5% — high enough, we feel, to put any no-doubt-hilarious Wii/dust jokes to rest. Excellently, the GameCube is following the PS3 more closely than you’d think.
A quick disclaimer before you scuttle past the break to see the data in full: these numbers cover January to October 2008, there’s no word on whether non-U.S. gamers were surveyed, and handhelds aren’t mentioned, though are presumably bracketed in the “Others” category. Multiple console owners who are richer than us: how closely do your own habits follow this pattern?
- PlayStation 2 (30.2%)
- Xbox 360 (18.3%)
- Wii (13.5%)
- Xbox (9.1%)
- PlayStation 3 (7.7%)
- GameCube (4.4%)
- Other (16.9%)
[Via Edge Online]
Wii clinches bronze in console usage stakes originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
| Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments |
| |
Nintendo making six bucks on every Wii sold
Filed under: News
Macquarie Securities analyst David Gibson has used Science to calculate that Nintendo makes $6 from every Wii console snapped up by the public. It’s long been known that Nintendo profits from its hardware, though how much has never been revealed.
If Gibson’s sums are accurate, that means Nintendo made almost $4.2 million of profit from North American Wii hardware during October alone. Six dollars, for the record, is what we almost earn in a whole day of blogging. That kind of money will get you one-fifth of this amazing Wii Music add-on set!
Gibson also states that Microsoft breaks even with the Xbox 360, while Sony loses cash whenever it sells a PS3. Sadly, he doesn’t say how much Sony drops, so we can’t point and laugh.
[Via MCV]
Nintendo making six bucks on every Wii sold originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
| Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments |
| |
Wii games drop in price faster than competition
The research bods at EEDAR have got their abacuses out and calculated that Wii games are more prone to “price protection” than titles on rival machines.
What’s price protection? Price protection occurs when a publisher of a game that isn’t selling offers its game to retailers for a lower price, allowing stores to get rid of excess stock quickly. If this happens too soon (EEDAR defines “too soon” as “when a title’s third month average selling price has decreased by 20% or more from its original average selling price”), it is known as “early price protection.”
Anyway, EEDAR found that 15.1% of all Wii software goes through this process, compared to 7.5% on Xbox 360 and 9.09% on PS3. What does this disparity say about Wii software? EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich thinks it backs up the theory that third-parties struggle on the Wii because they and retailers have “overly aggressive expectations” for Wii games, and that it proves “quality is one of the most impactful features for a video game.”
Or, in a nutshell, Wii has waaaay too much half-assed shovelware.
To add some much-needed silliness to this post about serious business, here’s a joke we heard yesterday: there were two cats, one called One-two-three and one called Un-deux-trois. One day they decided to have a race across the English Channel. Which cat won? One-two-three, because the Un-deux-trois-quatre-cinq.
…
We’re here all week!
Wii games drop in price faster than competition originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
| Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments |
| |
Top 10 Best Selling Games
-
