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Coming Soon: Treadmill Beds and Human-Powered Gadgets

by Terrence O'Brien on September 5, 2008 at 06:17 PM

New Inventions: Treadmill Beds and Human Powered Gadgets
New Scientist is always bringing us fun new inventions and advances in technology. The latest batch of inventions promises to make exercising easier for the morbidly obese, clear atmospheric disturbance from satellite images, and create energy from human motion.

The treadmill bed attaches a treadmill (surprise, surprise!) to the foot of an adjustable hospital bed. The bed slowly tips the patient into a standing position on the treadmill, which removes the need for staff to assist the patient. The exercise bed is the invention of Charles Filipi, a surgeon at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Meanwhile, Greg Hampikian and Peter Mullner, from Boise State University in Idaho, have learned to harvest motion to generate energy with magnetoelastic materials. This type of material changes shape when a magnetic field is applied to it, but also works in reverse, producing a magnetic field when deformed. Connecting the material to a transducer then converts the magnetic field into an electrical charge. The materials require small amounts of motion to generate energy, making them ideal for keeping medical implants and gadgets powered.

Check out the ABC News article for more information and links to the complete patent filings. [From: ABC News]

Tags: exercise, health, inventions, magnetoelastic, science, treadmill, treadmill bed, TreadmillBed, upcoming

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