April 10, 2007
Spray-On Computers in Medicine
Scottish scientists have developed "Spray-On Computers" for healthcare. Also known as 'speckled computing," this newest computing technology is entirely self-powered, self-networking digital "specks" which will be capable of collecting volumes of data on patients.
The tiny computer is the size of a matchstick head, thousands of which can be sprayed onto patients to give a comprehensive analysis of their condition. Spraying them directly onto a person creates the ability to carry out different tests at the same time, for example muscle movement and pulse rate. This allows a complete picture of the patient's condition to be built up quickly
This has been described as a the new class of computing: devices which can sense and process the data they receive. They also have a radio so they can network and there's a battery in there as well, so they are entirely self-powered
The computing innovation, being developed by scientists at Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and Strathclyde universities, will be displayed at the Edinburgh International Science Festival this Friday as part of a talk by Damal Arvind, leading speckled computing professor and director of the Scottish consortium.
Article in the Scottsman
Edinburgh International Science Festival
Medical Matters Talks at Edinburgh Festival