technology

Typing, texting and carpal tunnel

Take Care Staff — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

When it comes to preventing carpal tunnel syndrome, the key may be found in one simple saying, according to Dr. John Fatti: “Let your brain listen to your hand.”

This week on “Take Care,” Dr. Fatti explains how carpal tunnel syndrome happens and how to avoid it. Dr. Fatti is founder of the Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists Hand and Wrist Center. His work in the field of upper extremity care has been featured in several of the nation’s top medical journals.

New water treatment technology holds many possibilities

Kate O'Connell — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:21:05 +0000

A new water treatment technology has applications ranging from purification in African and Indian coastal slums, to decontamination of water produced in gas and oil wells.

Wearable sensors could unlock secrets to epilepsy, stress and autism

Kate O'Connell — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 10:41:00 +0000

It’s exactly what it sounds like. "Wearable technology" involves sensors that are worn in something like a bracelet that gather information and sends the data to a computer via Bluetooth. This technology is now being developed for use across a range of health-related applications. New research suggests that it could be used to help prevent seizures in people living with epilepsy.

Home monitoring device aims to prevent property damage

Kate O'Connell — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:09:07 +0000

An upstate New York company has created a small plug-in device that could help home-owners avoid costly problems. The MarCELL monitoring device works on a cellular connection and can alert homeowners to problems like a power failure or a broken pipe.

"Virtual march" on Washington lobbies for immigration reform

Kate O'Connell — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:53:33 +0000

The technology industry is using social media to create a "virtual march" on Washington. The March for Innovation, launched by the Partnership for a new Economy, is lobbying for immigration reform, including putting pressure on Congress to provide more visas for high-skilled workers and entrepreneurs.

RIT students invent new luggage tracking device

Kate O'Connell — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:59:19 +0000

A team of Rochester Institute of Technology students has created a system that allows travelers to get real-time updates on the location of their luggage by way of an embedded device in their suitcase.

A timely technology voucher for low-income state schools

Ashley Hassett — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 09:02:00 +0000

A large number of schools across the state will receive $87 million to be used for technology. The state Education Department announced that low-income public and charter schools will be receiving a voucher that can be used to purchase computer software, hardware and equipment needed for computer networks and technology infrastructure.

Innovation in the gun industry

Kate O'Connell — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:14:00 +0000

For gun manufacturers, there is one thing that seems very apparent - the demand for traditional weapons is high. For many customers, there is a personal connection to guns that have been in the family for years. For others, it is the allure of brands and models that have stood the test of time.

We now go live on scene to... our drone?

Ryan Delaney — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:03:11 +0000

Dan Pacheco is able to steer a small drone above a group of students with just a WiFi connection and his iPad. What the drone sees is projected onto a big screen in front of them.

Reasearchers working on dyalisis machine small enough to hold in your hand

Kate O'Connell — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:21:23 +0000

Imagine a dialysis machine small enough that a patient could wear it. A super-thin filtering material may allow researchers at the University of Rochester to revolutionize dialysis for patients with kidney disease.

Simple Admit tries to make those pre-op screenings a little easier

Ryan Delaney — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:05:03 +0000

You don't have to know the answer to every question. And a little cartoon dog named Sam will pop up to let you know if you messed something up.

RIT invests in technology improvements for the disabled

Kate O'Connell — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:06:51 +0000

Fifteen teams of students from the Rochester Institute of Technology, led by faculty, will develop technologies for assisting people with disabilities in the region.

Can a warmer office make us healthier?

Matt Richmond — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:14:28 +0000

At Cornell University’s Ergonomics Center, Professor Alan Hedge demonstrates new designs for a computer mouse. One looks like an old-fashioned desktop penholder. There’s one that looks like the throttle on a airplane. And another is long and flat.

UAlbany expands research into RNA

Marie Cusick — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:18:00 +0000

Most of us know all about DNA, the genetic building blocks that make us unique. But in recent years, there’s a lot of interest in RNA— a molecule that controls how our genes are expressed.

Information technology improves health care in the North Country

Joanna Richards — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:11:00 +0000

While lots of industries turned to information technology long ago to improve efficiency, accuracy and collaboration, until now, health care has lagged behind. Now, a big project has aimed to leverage IT in the health care in the state’s rural North Country.

Roadkill + technology = new app to track wildlife

Sarah Harris — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:42:09 +0000

We’ve all seen or experienced it – unfortunate wildlife dashes in front of a car at just the wrong time - and its remains splatter across the road. But Danielle Garneau, a wildlife ecologist at SUNY Plattsburgh, says the roadkill we’re likely to see on roads can teach us a lot. She’s using a new smartphone app for citizen scientists.

Regionally developed helmet technology attracting manufacturers

Kate O'Connell — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 21:12:18 +0000

An upstate company has developed a system for motorcycle helmets that could have applications for both defensive driving and sports. A system of sensors alerts riders when the helmet has damage that might not be visible, but could compromise safety.

Law school program helps bring research to the market, for free

Ryan Delaney — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Law students have often been used to help solve so-called "cold-cases," but criminal law isn’t the only place their skills are being put to use. Syracuse University law school professor Ted Hagelin's class focuses on the cutting edge of technology.

New York state overhauls information technology services

Marie Cusick — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 20:00:40 +0000

In an effort to modernize the state’s IT services, New York is in the midst of consolidating staff and updating policies.

NY Fed says job opportunities growing in high and low skill sectors

Kate O'Connell — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:23:30 +0000

A new report from the New York Federal Reserve shows that advances in technology and globalization mean job opportunities are growing at both ends of the skill spectrum, but not in the middle.

New boating technology availible for the St. Lawrence River

Catherine Loper — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

A new global observation technology has been developed to help recreational boaters on the St. Lawrence River.

This new tool, developed by New York Sea Grant and the Great Lakes Observing System, allows recreational boaters to access information about the river's current as well as water depth. Dave White with New York Sea Grant explained how this technology works.

Radical hearing aid design draws on an unlikely inspiration

Matt Richmond — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 14:00:00 +0000

While the majority of us would be very happy to see out the summer without flies ruining our outdoor dining experience, one particular species of fly has provided the inspiration for a potential breakthrough in the technology of hearing aids. It's not just any old house-fly we're talking about, though.

Climbing robots take on dangers of high-elevation work

Matt Richmond — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:51:49 +0000

International Climbing Machines (ICM) has its headquarters in a shabby warehouse on the outskirts of Ithaca.

The workshop is hardly bigger than a three-car garage. Metal shelves filled with spare parts line the walls, and in one corner there’s enough space for company president Sam Maggio to show off his device.

NY makes moves to improve STEM education

Ellen Abbott — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 19:59:31 +0000

President Barack Obama has proclaimed that STEM education is a national priority. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

New York state is looking at ways to improve the STEM education the state's children receive. This kind of education has become more important in recent years, because that's where the jobs are. However, recent statistics show U.S. achievement in these skills lags behind much of Europe and Asia.

Capital region hosts global semiconductor conference

Marie Cusick — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:17:43 +0000

Computer chip company executives from around the globe are in Saratoga Springs this week.

As the Innovation Trail’s Marie Cusick reports, it’s yet another sign of the Capital region’s growing importance in the world of advanced manufacturing.

Technology could be key in allowing CNY residents an equal chance at healthy lives

Ellen Abbott — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:40:00 +0000

There is a difference of up to 33 years of life expectancy depending on where you live in Central New York and there is no simple answer to creating equal health for all.

Economics, race and gender all figure into these health disparities but technology could play a major part in closing the healthcare gap found between many Americans.