Slashdot Mirror
A Black Box for People
lightwaveman writes "Developed for astronauts, a small device called 'the CPOD' does for people what black boxes do for airplanes. It's a compact, portable, wearable device -- a single piece of equipment that gathers a wide variety of vital signs. About the size of a computer mouse, a CPOD is worn around the waist. It's comfortable enough to be worn while sleeping. It's non-invasive. It takes only minutes to don. Importantly, it can track a person's physiologic functioning as they go about their normal routine -- they don't have to be tethered to some stationary device. It can store data for eight-hour periods for later downloading; alternatively, it can send it wirelessly, in real time, to some other device."
They're not going to make you wear them, unless they're worried your tinfoil hat is cutting off circulation to your brain. This is intended as a replacement for large stationary medical equipment, especially in places where space is extremely tight (space station) or it's not feasible to tie the subject down for a few hours. However, I could easily see it entering the civilian medical market as a monitoring device for the elderly or anyone else unable to properly examine themselves or request assistance if needed.