Search Results for: apps

WalkSafe: Android App for Inattentive Pedestrians

November 29, 2011 by noemi

I have one word for people who use their mobile phones while crossing the street, but I would rather not say it here. Then again, you never know if there is an emergency which absolutely requires you to talk on your phone while walking. Let’s just say that whatever the situation may be, when you talk on your phone while on the road, you can be described as an inattentive pedestrian. The bane of motorists every where in the world.

Just in case you are “forced” to talk on your phone as you cross busy streets, there is an app that might just save your life. It is called WalkSafe, which is developed by the Smartphone Sensing Group of Dartmouth College and University of Bologna. Developers Tianyu Wang, Giuseppe Cardone, Antonio Corradi, Lorenzo Torresani, and Andrew T. Campbell have one question they wish to continuously answer with their work: How do we make smartphones even smarter? [Read more…] about WalkSafe: Android App for Inattentive Pedestrians

Need a Therapist? There’s an App for That!

November 7, 2011 by noemi

The fast lane seems to be where most people live in these days. For professionals, this seems to be even more applicable. While it can be enjoyable and fulfilling to live a busy and productive life, there is the issue of stress. The levels of stress and how you manage stress can be damaging in the long run, and if not addressed properly at an early enough stage, people’s lives may simply break down.

That’s where therapists and coaches come into the picture, except that not everyone has the time, money, or proclivity to actually consult a stranger to pick their brains and hearts. But what if there is an app that can “replace” a real, live therapist?

It may sound strange, but there is something in the works that can at least help monitor your mental state. The therapist app takes advantage of the microphone and the accelerometer that are standard in advanced smartphones today. It is the brain child of Tanzeem Choudhury of Cornell University, in tandem with Andrew Campbell of Dartmouth. Choudhury’s system tracks behavioral traits with the help of medical professionals. The idea is to observe things like how people speak – the speed and intonation, for example.

The team is still doing a lot of tests to make sure that the app can track the right behavioral traits that have a direct connection to mental health. At the end of the day, however, the therapist app can’t really replace a licensed therapist. What it can do is to help people improve their overall wellness condition by being able to monitor the amount of stress that a person is dealing with and how he is able to handle it.

If, for example, the app shows a person that he is consistently being stressed for days, it is an indication that he needs to make certain changes in his life. It can even mean that it may be time to see an actual therapist before things get even worse. The app will soon be available for specific age groups. The team hopes to be able to develop an app that will be applicable to all demographics in the future as well.

Via Fastcoexist

Toyota Unveils RoboNurse

November 2, 2011 by noemi

The nursing industry has experienced a boom in the recent years, with many developed countries feeling an urgent need for qualified nurses. In many of these countries, they do not have enough nurses to fill the need. As a result, they have resorted to “importing” nurses from other countries, where nursing schools have cropped up like mushrooms after the rain. While it may seem that this trend can solve the nursing crisis, it does not seem to be the case.

Enter technology. Think about how science fiction highlights the use of robots as helpers in the home. This is what Toyota Motor Corp. had in mind, together with the dearth in nurses, when they developed the RoboNurse. [Read more…] about Toyota Unveils RoboNurse

Iris: Siri for Android

October 24, 2011 by noemi

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Iris is an anagram for Siri, the much talked about personal assistant that comes with the iPhone 4S. We’ve all heard and read about the things that Siri says, and everyone seems to be jumping into the bandwagon. Even those who are not really iPhone fans. Or maybe especially those who are not – except they jump into the anti-Siri bandwagon.

And as was to be expected, Android developers have not taken the release of Siri without wanting to show what they can do as well. Not long after the hullaballoo that surrounded the announcement of the iPhone 4S, together with Siri, an app was released in the Android Market. [Read more…] about Iris: Siri for Android