Archive for the ‘Laser’ Category

Skin cancer-detecting laser tool now available

The word cancer often evokes a sense of dread in us, simply because it is one of those diseases that can be pretty hard to manage if it has developed into an advanced stage. Well, when it comes to skin cancers, one would most probably hope it isn’t melanoma by any means, since it is the deadliest. Out of 115,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in the US last year, nearly 8,700 resulted in death. Scientists at Duke University intend to reverse that trend with a new laser-based tool that was specially designed to identify malignant melanomas sooner, without having to go through the trials of a false diagnosis and unnecessary surgery. How does this work? For starters, this technique will require a couple of low-energy lasers to probe suspect moles, with the redistribution of energy being examined to identify microscopic areas of varying skin pigment. After highlighting higher levels of a skin pigment known as eumelanin in melanomas, it has proved to be quite reliable in positively identifying all eleven samples of melanoma in a particular study. Of course, the trial will need to continue via thousands of archived skin slices as tests before it can be made available mainstream.

Skin cancer-detecting laser tool now available, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : iPad 2 Review, Atrix Review,

Titanium Mouse by Intelligent Design costs $1,200, might be worth a little less

No matter how bad the global economy gets, you can always rely on there being a select few people with (a lot) more money than sense. Exclusively for them, Dutch outfit Intelligent Design has put together this handcrafted Bluetooth laser mouse, which boasts a neodymium scroll wheel, high quality plastic resin and a grade 1 titanium body. We didn’t know you could handcraft titanium and we challenge anyone to explain what neodymium has to do with good input ergonomics, but then maybe that just shows how little we know about luxurious items like this. So, if you have $1,200 (or €800 in Old World money) to spare, why not add this unnamed mouse to your shopping list, just under the Mnemosyne USB drive? More snaps can be found after the break.

[Via HardOCP]

Continue reading Titanium Mouse by Intelligent Design costs $1,200, might be worth a little less

Filed under: Peripherals

Titanium Mouse by Intelligent Design costs $1,200, might be worth a little less originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DIY Laser Hair Removal And DIY Botox Markets Expanding [Household]

I love DIY projects, lasers, and chemistry sets as much as the next gal, but the whole do-it-yourself laser hair removal and Botox market boom is terrifying. Untrained individuals shouldn’t be pointing needles and lasers at themselves.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is in an uproar about the things people are doing in their bathrooms. It’s not that those surgeons are just worried about losing money on procedures, they’re bound to gain clients from all the DIY messups anyway, but they appear genuinely concerned about regulations and safety. And I agree, because somehow former Gizmodo intern Benny Goldman letting the Jezebel team cajole him into a bikini wax doesn’t seem so insane when you read about people ordering Botox from websites called Discount MedSpa and putting videos of their DIY injections onto YouTube (Warning: the clip may make you cringe).

We all like to look pretty, but there are safer ways to get rid of hair, folks! And somehow it’s better to have wrinkles than order Botox from a website that looks like it was made in Microsoft Word. [Wired]

Mad scientists figure out how to write memories to brains, take over Earth

Call us crazy, but we’re guessing one Gero Miesenböck of the University of Oxford has been watching just a wee bit too much Fringe. Gero here, along with a few of his over-anxious colleagues, has seemingly figured out a way to actually write memories onto a fruit fly’s brain using only a laser pen and three-fourths of a Ouija board. We know what you’re thinking, and we’re thinking the same. But all terrifying thoughts aside, what if boffins could burn memories of hard lessons learned into our minds without us having to suffer through them first? You know, like upgrading to Snow Leopard.

Filed under: Science

Mad scientists figure out how to write memories to brains, take over Earth originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Green laser for microprojectors developed, microraves soon to follow

Japanese company QD Laser has apparently developed a green laser which could up the ante in the HD pico projector market. The laser — which is just 5.6mm in diameter and outputs a 532 nanometer, pure green light — was shown off as a working prototype at CEATEC. QD says their green laser (the hardest type to make) will be well-suited to gadgets like cellphones and laptops because of its low power consumption and wide operating temperature. Mass production is seemingly planned for next year, with the hopes that each little laser will run $10, cheaper than the one currently available, which is manufactured by Corning. You know what we always say: rave on.

Filed under: Displays

Green laser for microprojectors developed, microraves soon to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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