Progress bar, meet traffic light

While progress indications are a crucial feature of most consumer software nowadays, they are not so common in public technology. Now the "Eko Traffic Light" has incorporated a circular progress bar around a the red traffic light. Designer Damjan Stankovic claims the device would reduce stress felt by drivers and could help the environment.  

The outer rim of the traffic light has segments which turn from red to black in a clockwise direction. The Serbian designer said the Eko can be easily installed onto existing traffic light systems that have a bigger red light.
 

He spent three years developing initial sketches into a prototype that was a winner at this year's Red Dot design awards. The designer is in negotiations with manufacturers. Similar versions are already operational in Ukraine, Thailand and Brazil. Source: Daily Mail, 19 December 2009. tinyurl.com/y8g466o

Photo credit: relogik.com/eko

New strategies may cut screening errors

A study in Current Biology has found a possible way to cut the number of mistakes made by medical staff looking for breast and cervical cancers. US researchers found that the time spent and errors made made during a visual search for target items in X-ray images varied according to the chances of finding the target.

"If you are trying to find 20 cases of breast cancer from 40 mammograms, you'll find more of them than if you look for the same 20 cases from 2,000 mammograms", said lead author, Jeremy Wolfe of Harvard Medical School. 

The authors say that doing a booster exercise before starting work helps them to visualise what they are looking for and improves their search success rate in the subsequent session. 

Richard Evans, Chief Executive of the Society of Radiographers said: "I look forward to seeing more details about this research, but radiographers would welcome techniques which help ensure the best possible standards." He pointed out that the NHS already monitors the performance of everyone involved in breast screening through a regular audit. Source: BBC, 16 January, 2010. tinyurl.com/yg4mson

NHS faces 'potentially serious problems' from wrong prescriptions

The Telegraph reports on the problems faced by junior doctors, who fill out five or six prescription forms on average during their  time in medical school only to have to complete dozens on their first day on the wards. The inadequate preparation contributes to errors that could harm patients - such as omitting drugs, wrong doses, not taking account of a patient's allergies, illegible handwriting or ambiguous orders. According to the General Medical Council 10 per cent of all prescriptions issued by doctors contained such errors. 

Now the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) is calling for an exam for medical students and a "prescribing simulator" complete with virtual patients to be introduced to the curriculum so that medics are better prepared when they start in hospitals. Professor Simon Maxwell, chairman of the BPS, said: "We would not accept this kind of error rate in other industries such as aviation. It is a recipe for problems." Source: Telegraph, 15 December, 2009. tinyurl.com/ybnvpnx

US troops 'vulnerable to back pain'

A study reported in the Lancet has found that US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to be withdrawn from the battlefield due to back or joint pain than combat injuries. The study, looked at the injuries suffered by 34,000 US military personel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Back, joint and muscle pain were the leading medical problems suffered by soldiers, accounting for almost one-quarter of all injuries. The study is prompting the US Department of Defence to look at the weight of equipment that soldiers are routinely required to carry, and the length of their tours of duty. Source: BBC, 22 January 2010. tinyurl.com/yl3flpb

Nearly one in 10 prescriptions has mistakes

Nearly one in 10 hospital prescriptions contains a mistake, ranging from the minor to the potentially lethal, according to research commissioned by the General Medical Council. However, very few errors would have caused serious harm. The research team, led by Professor Tim Dornan of the University of Manchester, examined the issue amid rising fears inexperienced doctors were making prescription errors which could, at worst, result in a patient dying. 

The team examined 124,260 prescriptions across 19 hospitals - and found just under 9% contained errors. Of these 11,077 errors, overwhelmingly intercepted and corrected before reaching the patient, about 2% contained potentially lethal instructions - such as failing to take account of a patient's allergies. More than half involved errors in which a patient's medication was not prescribed and 40% were involved illegible or ambiguous prescriptions.

Very few of these mistakes caused actual harm to a patient because on the whole they were stopped by senior doctors, nurses - and in particular pharmacists. But the study did not find doctors fresh out of medical school were making the most mistakes - as has often been suggested,

"The research shows the complexity of the circumstances in which errors occur and argues against education as a single quick-fix solution”, said Professor Dornan. However, the GMC is calling for a UK-wide standard prescription chart as exists in Wales. Support for the idea is provided by Professor Peter Rubin (chairman of the GMC), Dr Hamish Meldrum (British Medical Association), and Joyce Robins (Co-Director of Patient Concern). A Department of Health spokesman said it would continue to look into the benefits of electronic prescribing system. 

However, Professor Simon Maxwell, of the British Pharmacological Society said he was “dismayed at the suggestion that improved education and training is not a central part of the solution. There is plenty of evidence from around the world to show that when appropriate education and training are delivered, prescribing improves." Source: BBC, 3 December 2009. http://tinyurl.com/ydfbepb

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokopinto/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Windows 7 tries to “create a Mac look and feel”, claims Microsoft executive

A Microsoft executive was quoted in an interview as saying "what we've tried to do with Windows 7...is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics". According to the BBC, there have been previous suggestions that Microsoft has borrowed technology ideas.

Many similarities exist between Windows 7 and Mac OS X. "One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it's very graphical and easy to use," said Mr Aldous. “What we've tried to do with Windows 7 - whether it's traditional format or in a touch format - is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics. We've significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it's built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance."

Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc countered the claims in a post on the official Windows blog. "Unfortunately this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7," adding that the claims were “inaccurate and uninformed." Source: BBC, 13 November 2009. tinyurl.com/yeye8kz

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertnelson/ / CC BY 2.0

Ford develops airbags for seat belts

Inflatable seat belts will appear in the back seat of a new Ford Explorer four-by-four to be launched next autumn in the US, and if they prove to be popular the belts could be used in Britain.

They have a cylindrical air bag that stretches from the buckle to the shoulder and fits inside a pocket sewn into the belt. In a crash, the car sends a signal that releases the bag, which inflates more gently than air bags found in steering wheels or dashboards, making it safer for children.

Dr Srini Sundararajan, the Ford engineer who was chiefly responsible for developing the device, said “The top two life-saving devices today are the seat belt and the air bag. This combines them into one great feature”. The wider belt and airbags help  to spread the forces resulting from a crash across the occupant’s chest, reducing injury risk.

Clarence Ditlow, of the Centre for Auto Safety in the US, said the belts were particularly effective at protecting elderly people, especially from broken ribs.

Ford also carried out a significant amount of testing to make sure the bags would protect children, even if they were sleeping and their heads drooping.

Sue Cischke, Ford’s group vice president for sustainability, environmental and safety engineering said the technology was expensive and it would be offered as an option. Source: Telegraph, 7 November. tinyurl.com/yfavuwt

Mobile phones now ‘too complicated’, says Motorola inventor

The Telegraph reports that Martin Cooper, lead engineer of the Motorola team that developed the mobile phone, told a privacy conference in Madrid that today's phones try to do many things for too many people. The 80 year old said, “Whenever you create a universal device that does all things for all people, it does not do any things well. Our future I think is a number of specialist devices that focus on one thing that will improve our lives”. Mr Cooper, who has previously criticised the iPhone for being overly complicated and hard to use.

However, recent sales figures contradict Cooper’s assertions. While in 2007, Nokia's simple 1100 was the world's top-selling gadget, over the past year sales of smartphones have risen by 140 per cent over the past year, accounting for close to one in ten phones bought according to GfK market research.

Dr Jon Agar, senior lecturer in science and technology studies at UCL and author of ‘Constant Touch: A Global History of the Mobile Phone’, argued that users prefer more features on a single gadget than more gadgets with more specialised features. “Martin Cooper's assertion flies in the face of current trends, and I see no particular evidence to suggest that the trend towards more 'universal' mobile phones is going to change direction".

But Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight, said the “technology arms race is starting to slow down now, and that there would always be a market for the simpler “talk and text phones”. Source: Telegraph, 6 November, 2009. tinyurl.com/y8kz4lz

http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhook/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

We’re not techno-hermits

Contrary to popular belief, technology is not leading to social isolation and people who use the internet and mobile phones have larger and more diverse social networks, according to a new study. Keith Hampton, lead author of the report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania said, "People's social worlds are enhanced by new communication technologies. It is a mistake to believe that internet use and mobile phones plunge people into a spiral of isolation."

The authors said key findings of the study - "Social Isolation and New Technology" - "challenge previous research and commonplace fears about the harmful social impact of new technology. There is a tendency by critics to blame technology first when social change occurs. 
  
This is the first research that actually explores the connection between technology use and social isolation and we find the opposite. It turns out that those who use the internet and mobile phones have notable social advantages. People use the technology to stay in touch and share information in ways that keep them socially active and connected to their communities."

  
The study found that six per cent of Americans can be described as socially isolated - a figure that has hardly changed since 1985. People's discussion networks (those with whom they discuss important matters) and core networks (their closest and most significant confidants), are larger among technology users. At the same time, the study found that Americans' discussion networks have shrunk by about one-third since 1985.

The study involved telephone interviews with 2,512 adults between July 9, 2008 and August 10, 2008 and has a sampling error of 2.1 per cent. Source: AFP, in Sydney Morning Herald, 5 November 2009. tinyurl.com/ydhy8sg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luc/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Scramble crossing arrives at Oxford St

A scramble crossing has been introduced to Oxford street to allow pedestrians to cross in all directions, with the aid of a giant white X on the tarmac. Around every 90 seconds, all four sets of traffic lights at the intersection of Oxford Street and Regent Street turn red and pedestrians have 30 seconds to cross, with the hope of easing congestions by doubling the number of pedestrians who cross at any one time. At peak times, as many as 32,000 people cross each hour. The crossing was modelled on Tokyo’s Shibuya crossing. 
 

“This project is a triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old-fashioned common sense,” said Boris Johnson, Mayor of London. “The head-scratching frustration caused by the previous design is over and we’ve brought one of the world’s greatest crossroads into the 21st century.”
 

The Times reports, however, that most pedestrians continued to cross as they always had done, from east to west, north or south. Source: The Times, 3 November 2009. tinyurl.com/y8pkzaz

http://www.flickr.com/photos/magnus_d/ / CC BY 2.0