Center for Future Health gets $1 million

The funds come at a crucial time, as about two dozen researchers have begun working together to use recent advances in technology as the basis of "smart," inexpensive medical tools. So far Eastman Kodak Co. has signed on as a sponsor, along with Infocharms, a California-based company with expertise in wearable computers. Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. also have funded projects since the center was created last year by engineers from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and physicians at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, along with researchers from the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

While it's not uncommon for engineers and physicians to work together, center participants are taking the collaboration one step further: They're keeping ordinary individuals in mind from the start, developing devices that are inexpensive and easy to use in the home.

"One of our chief goals is that ordinary consumers should be able to use this technology," said physician Alice Pentland, medical director of the center and James H. Sterner Professor and chair of the Department of Dermatology. "Usually when engineering expertise comes to medicine, the health care professional is the customer. We're hoping to change that. With intelligence built right into easy-to-use devices, it should be possible for people to take a more active role in maintaining their health."

The Keck funding will enable engineers to explore technologies such as artificial intelligence, fiber optics, "smart" bandages, and wearable computers. Basic knowledge in these fields forms the foundation for a variety of futuristic devices. Projects under development include the "rehab trainer," a gadget that helps a person with a shoulder injury do physical-therapy exercises correctly, and "memory glasses" that could help an elderly person identify people and objects.

Maintained by University Public Relations
Please send your comments and suggestions to:
Public Relations.