ImaginativePRO Blog

STEVE JOBS USED ALIEN TECHNOLOGY DISCOVERED ON THE MOON BY APOLLO 20 ASTRONUTS IN 1972 FOR THE APPLE IPAD AND IPHONE

I have often wondered whether Steve Jobs, the former founder and CEO of Apple is as brilliant as many technology experts say.  Compared to other company founders and CEO's, Steve's record of innovation and achievement is quite simply: ASTOUNDING and his record is unmatched.  Name another CEO who racked up so many new product successes one after another, and has been doing it consistently for decades.   You can't, can you?

Steve's incredible success got me to thinking:  What if Steve Jobs had some REAL help along the way?  By REAL help I am not talking about assistance from his great team of new product designers and engineers who are reveered throughout the world for their creative genius and spirit of innovation.  What I am really getting to is help from the beyond, help that no other company founder or CEO would ever have access to.  I am talking about dark forces of the unknown, the kind of help that is so unreal and unimaginable that it would be earth shaking if the public ever became aware of it.  Got you thinking, don't I?   

During the course of my extensive research and countless inquiries about Steve Jobs, I received a mysterious email.   At first, I discounted the cryptic words of the writer.  "Naw, it couldn't possibly be", I thought to myself, while sipping on 50 year-old brandy.  But, upon reflection, I became convinced, that yes, this could be the REAL help that Steve Jobs got.  The sender's name was UNIDENTIFIED, but what really got me was the subject line of the email which read:  

"Is this what you have been looking for?"

NASA - 5 May 1972  - Need To Know - Top Secret Level 10 (Official NASA photo)

In 1972, Apollo 2o astronauts discovered a mysterious device of alien origin laying on the surface of the Moon near the Sea of Tranquility, the landing site of several previous Apollo Moon missions.  In 1978, Apple's Steve Jobs was contacted by NASA scientists to determine what it was, and the rest is history. 

The EMAIL contained the above attached image and following lengthy message.  At the top it was labeled Everything Below This Line is Above Top Secret. Since I live dangerously and am something of an outlaw, I will let you read it, and do with it as you may.  Just remember one thing, don't tell anybody else, or you will be erased out of existence.  

EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS ABOVE TOP SECRET

- Simon Apocryphal, November 12, 2007

"I am a former Apple employee. I do not wish to get my name out in the public because of the serious and obvious danger to my life if my identity became known. I am posting this under a false name, Simon Apocryphal. I was one of the original Apple employees. It was 1977 and Apple had just introduced the Apple II. I was a hardware engineer by trade, but in Apple's early days, it wasn't too uncommon for hardware engineers to work primarily with software. The industry was very young and there were relatively few people with a formal education in computer science.

In early 1978, Jobs requested I attend a meeting with himself, Mike Markkula, and another engineer that shall remain unnamed.  For the last few months, I had been working directly with Steve Wozniak testing and refining the Disk II. The project was coming to a close as we were refining our plans for mass production, so I assumed the meeting related to my next assignment at Apple.  

I remember our first meeting on a rainy Friday in January 1978. It was held in a small meeting room on our old campus. The other three participants were there, Steve, Mike, and the unnamed engineer.  Jobs asked me if I wanted a Coke or juice before we started, I declined, and Mark stood up and closed the door behind me. Jobs looked at me and my engineering colleague and informed us that what we were going to talk about in the meeting was a corporate secret. He pulled out two pieces of paper from a folder in front of him and handed each of us a copy. The papers were legal documents. At the top, it read "Nondisclosure Agreement."

We were asked to sign the document before we proceeded with the meeting. We signed the documents and Markula started explaining this new project to us. He told us that we were going to meet with a company called Affiliated Xanatech in Palo Alto, California. Markula explained that Affiliated was a government subcontractor and that the government was looking for high tech companies with experience commercializing bleeding edge technology to assist them in converting secret military hardware to private consumer applications.

We were told that the government was looking into ways to fund black projects by licensing patents to companies like Apple in exchange for complete secrecy as to the true source of the technology. Private industry in Silicon Valley was responsible for some of the most incredible technological leaps in history and this fact did not go unnoticed by the U.S. government and military. We were told to not speak of this with anyone in the company, not even Steve Wozniak. Furthermore, we were told that the military would perform a thorough background check on us and brief us as to our responsibilities in regards to secrecy. Of course, we were going to need Top Secret security clearance from the government, a process that took a few months and involved the government thoroughly looking into our histories. I remember several of my colleagues being called and questioned about my background. We also filled out a book load of documents basically covering everything from our credit histories to where we went to primary school. It was an invasive process.

Markkula had set up a meeting with Affiliated Xanatech in February 1979. Jobs, Markkula, the unnamed engineer, and myself arrived at Affiliated around 9:00 am on a Tuesday morning. The building was unassuming. It was a one-story structure with a very normal parking lot and one security guard standing in a small house at the entrance. We showed the guard the special passes sent to us by Affiliated and walked into the front lobby. At that point, we were greeted by five men in black uniforms carrying very imposing M-16s. They escorted us to the elevator and we went down some three floors or more. I would later discover that the facility had at least 8 sub-levels, but I was never able to confirm that.

We met with two men in military uniforms in a large conference room. There are very few moments in life in which your entire world view is turned forever upside down, and for me, this was one of them. I still remember that turning point during the briefing when I realized what we'd just been told, and that I hadn't heard the speaker wrong, and that it wasn't some kind of joke. In retrospect the whole thing felt like it was in slow motion. When the term "extra-terrestrial" came up for the first time, the room itself seemed to go off kilter as we collectively tried to grasp what was being said. My mind kept jumping back and forth between trying to look at the speaker, to understand him better, and looking at everyone else around me, to make sure I wasn't the only one that was hearing this. But I don't want this story to be about me, so I will spare you any more insights into my emotional state at the time.

Steve Jobs listened intently and for the first time I can recall, he didn't have anything to say. He simply nodded and peered intently at the speaker as he went over Project CARMA:

Commercialization of
Alien
Resources for
Market
Assimilation

Our job was to examine recovered alien artifacts and come up with a commercial application for them related to the computer industry. The unnamed engineer and myself spent the next four months being briefed about security and the true nature of the project. I was told that if I ever went public with this information, I would be erased from existence. Furthermore, the agents threatened to erase all my family and friends. We worked under the barrel of a gun. Need to know was the order of the day. We were only given a very narrow description of the origins of the artifacts. We knew that they were of extra-terrestrial origin, but our government partners would not reveal anymore. In fact, they discouraged us from talking about the alien connections and they never brought the subject up unless we asked questions. Getting information about the artifacts was like pulling teeth. Answers were slow to come, if they came at all.

We weren't the only team working on the artifacts, however, Apple was the only team from Silicon Valley. Apple was chosen because we were small and hungry. The government disliked monopolies and IBM was considered too much of a security threat. Other companies that we had contact with during project CARMA included Boeing, General Electric, GM, and Union Carbide Corporation. Some were examining the same artifacts we were given access to, others had access to areas of Affiliated off-limits to the Apple team.

What we saw:

We had access to an advanced computer system called the LAAC (Luminous Autonomous Agnition Computer). The LAAC was approximately the size of a soda can. Its interface is hard to explain. It didn't have a screen or projection of any kind. It projected itself into the user's mind. The object was activated by passing your hand over its top. It was deactivated in the same manner. Upon activation, a projection, an almost dream-like image in vivid color appeared in your head. We were told that the first person to use the device died of a brain embolism within seconds of activation. Apparently, the machine was a learning device that automatically adjusted itself to the human anatomy. The next person to try the device suffered from severe migraines after a few minutes of use. Over time, the machine fully adjusted to the human anatomy and was completely safe to use.

For lack of a better term, we referred to its capabilities as magic. The government wasn't interesting in having us understand exactly how the device worked. They were interested in what we could take from it for commercial purposes. At first we were baffled. We knew that computers at the time could not possibly mimic the interface technology, nor could we come close to the device's capacity, which was not measured in bytes as far as we could ascertain and was unlimited in terms of storage and speed. We were interesting in its file structure. Information was stored in terms of "objects". The user selected the objects by moving an imaginary mental pointing instrument. The objects could be organized in a structured manner. It was really up to the user to determine the structure data was stored in the system.

If the user wanted to draw an image, the LAAC created a sophisticated pallet with a set of advanced primitives. I guess you could say that the program was analogous to the modern Abobe Photoshop program, but with several profound differences. First, there were no user manuals or help functions. While hooked up the computer, the user instantly knew how to use every aspect of it and the user was free to modify the program in any way the user could imagine. We used the LAAC to define a whole new way to use a personal computer. In short, we used the LAAC to design, develop and test the operating system that would first appear on the Lisa and later on the Macintosh.

You might have heard that Apple got many of its ideas for our first graphical operating systems from the Xerox PARC. This is only partially true. We used the PARC to help us determine ways to translate the advanced alien technology into contemporary computer technology. Obviously, we were constrained in terms of interface, storage, and speed. About the only thing we really took away from the PARC was the mouse, a device that allowed the user to move a cursor on the screen and manipulate computer-generated objects.

What does Steve Jobs know about the aliens and when did he know it?

We worked with the LAAC until early 1985. Our experiments were pumped into Apple's two competing system teams, the Lisa Team and the Macintosh Team. Steve Jobs worked with both teams and acted as a facilitator. His famous "reality distortion field," the seemingling magical influence Steve had over people, was partially due to his inside knowledge of the LAAC and partially due to another secret project he was working on at Affiliated. I can't give you more information on this and don't want to speculate on its meaning because I was only allowed to work with the LAAC.

As many are aware, Steve Jobs left Apple in 1985 to start NeXT. The official story was that he had a disagreement with John Sculley, Apple's CEO, over the direction of the company. Here is what I know about what actually happened.

Sculley was never informed about our dealings with the government. Jobs could have easily made Sculley do anything he wanted because of his access to the reality distortion technology, but he purposefully picked a fight with Sculley in order to create a plausible explanation for his departure from Apple.

As I stated earlier, the government does not like monopolies that threaten its power. Jobs was given an ultimatum by his handlers at Affiliated. He was told that if he wanted ongoing access to the alien artifacts, he would have to create a start up company competing against Apple. Many of the revolutionary aspects of NeXT and later Mac OS X, come from his ongoing association with the government.

Apple's association with CARMA ended shortly after Steve Jobs left the company. We were officially debriefed by government officials. We were told that we were not to ever disclose the program and that we were to continue working at Apple in order to keep tabs on Apple's use of the alien technology. I worked at Apple until 1992 and have since retired from the computer industry. I currently teach technology at a school that shall remain unnamed.

Why am I coming out now? Well, I am at that age where it no longer matters what happens to me. I have recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness and before my time comes, I want to get this off my conscience. Apple is a great company, but it is shameful that we helped the government conceal the greatest secret of all time. The public must be told the truth."

COMMENTARY: I knew it all along.  I have been giving Steve Jobs and his Apple munchkins a.k.a. Apple's new product development engineers, too much credit.   It now appears that every product Apple has ever produced probably had its origins from alien technology.  

Now it all makes sense to me why there are so many Apple mobile products--and it scares me. Aliens are always moving from one galaxy to another.   If you are using an app, iPod, iMac, iPhone or iPad, it wasn't Steve Job's vision and talent for innovation that created it. It was those evil "Greys" with the dark black almond shaped eyes, and frail bodies.  Come to think of it, Jobs looks a bit frail too, don't you think?  

Steve Jobs' mind empowers him to control yours and influence your very being.  No wonder those Apple evangelists are such zealots, with a lemming-like behaviors, and crazy over Apple products. They would buy a toilet, if the Apple brand was emblossomed on it.   Jobs burned the Apple brand into their feeble-minded brains.  They will buy only Apple products for the rest of their tormented lives.  Now Jobs is doing the same thing with PC Windows users.  Very slowly and with stealth, he is converting Microsoft and Windows PC users to Apple products.  But, no Flash.        

I dugged deep into the internet, and could not find a damn thing about a company named Affiliated Xanatech.  For security reasons, probably erased forever by men in black suits and sunglasses.  I have a dark feeling that the company was secretly assimilated into Apple, where it now operates on black government projects to create the mobile products of tomorrow.

I got to get me an LAAC computer.   Screw the mouse and pointer.  It's all in my mind.  I can move objects.  This blog resides in my head.  No more "clickity-clickity" sounds of me typing on a computer keyboard.  If anyone knows where I can get one, please leave a comment.  I promise not to disclose your identity.

Courtesy of an alien artifact dated November 12, 2007 from an unidentified individual code named Simon Apocryphal

By TwitterButtons.com 

FIVE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA ENGINEERING STUDENTS CREATE THE ALPHA BIKE, THE ULTIMATE ROAD BIKE

Their "Alpha" bicycle was rapid-prototyped entirely on campus and will make any cycling fan weak in the knees.

Geek cyclists, eat your heart out: engineering students at UPenn have reached inside your collective consciousness and pulled out the stuff of dreams to create Alpha, a concept bike so sleek and tech'd out you'll gladly cut off a pinky just to take one ride on it.

Alpha: Possibly the Most High-Tech Bike Ever from Core77 on Vimeo.

The student team has created a showcase website for Alpha with so much detail you could probably build one yourself, but the basic idea was "to create a bicycle that would push the boundaries of integrated systems": a fully enclosed drivetrain, an electronic clutch to flip between freewheeling and fixed-gear configurations on the fly, and an onboard computer for tracking cycling stats, all encasedwithin a custom-machined carbon fiber and aluminum frame. Practically nothing on the bike is exposed to the elements except the pedals.

First, the frame. Carbon fiber ensured minimum weight (in fact, Alpha weighs less than a standard steel frame bike, even with all the specialty gear they packed into it) and the students fabricated the frame and handlebars on campus using CNC machining, laser sintering, and 3-D printing.

Next, the electronics suite. Alpha's onboard computer, handlebar-mounted LCD screen and LED lighting all need juice, which is provided courtesy of a drum brake and dynamo on the front wheel hub, as well as two capacitors charged by the spinning wheel. The LCD screen displays real-time data on cadence, distance, speed, and gear status. If you're into personal datavis, you can pop out an SD card from under the Alpha's handlebars and download the info onto your PC.

Finally, the SWIFT drivetrain (which stands for Switchable Integrated Free-Fixed Transmission). This is the magic between the pedals that lets the Alpha be all things to all riders: a take-any-grade-in-stride freewheeling geared bike, or a quadricep-punishingfixie. (Or both during the same ride, as your mood or company changes.) I'm not enough of an engineer to understand exactly howthis little knot of bronze, steel, and titanium actually pulls off such a feat, but the fact that these students designed it into a package that doesn't look like a hairball coughed up by Optimus Prime is impressive enough.

The UPenn team had nearly 30 corporate sponsers and manufacturing partners backing them up, so I'd be surprised if we didn't see ideas from Alpha gracing bike shops in a few years.

[Read more (way more) at the Alpha website]

COMMENTARY:   As a former bike rider, mountain and road, I have seen some fantastic bikes in my riding days, but nothing like the Alpha Bike.  I appreciate the Alpha bike's unique fully-integrated design, carbon fiber composite frame tubing, fully integrated and encased drivetrain, shifter and brake wires concealed within the frame tubing and its ultra-sleek high-tech look. Sort of reminds me of my old trusty Treak carbon fibre road bike. That was one sweet bike.  I can easily see Lance Armstrong riding this bike to victory in the Tour de France.  The Alpha Bike is just a prototype, but how much does it weigh, how fast can it go and how much does the darn thing cost. It has to be one ridiculously expensive bike.

Courtesy of an article dated May 3, 2011 appearing in Fast Company Design

 

 

 

CONCEPT SHED INTRODUCES THE 'AUTOWED WEDDING MACHINE', A PINK COLORED KIOSK THAT CAN GET YOU HITCHED FOR A $1.00

An invention that could save a lot of couples from the astronomical pain, not to mention the cost, of a fussy, traditional wedding.

The average American wedding costs $24,000. The larky contraption you see here lets you say “I do” for $1.

AutoWed is precisely what it appears to be: a vending machine that performs instant marriages, infusing the Big Day with all the romance of a fire hydrant. Insert money, and it’ll mumble through your basic wedding rites (press one for “I do” or press two to “escape”). Then the 8-foot-tall gadget, which designers UK-based Concept Shed describe as “part parking meter, part Cadillac and part cathedral with a little steam punk thrown in,” spits out a pair of plastic eggs with rings inside and a personalized wedding receipt. It finishes up by offering a 10% discount on AutoDivorce.

AutoWed Wedding Vending Machine by Concept Shed from Conceptshed on Vimeo. 

 

Cyn-i-cal! Even by the measure of our cold, black hearts. Obviously, this thing is a big, silly joke. (Concept Shed sold the machine in these photos to Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Detroit.) But if it were for real, it could actually save a lot of couples from the astronomical pain, not to mention the cost, of a fussy, traditional wedding. $23,999 could buy you one hell of a honeymoon.

COMMENTARY:   What a cool machine.  In pink too.  It doesn't perform real "legal" marriages, of course, but it's a whole lot of fun.  I can easily see the AutoWed machine in every single's bar and disco, hotel lobby's (just in case you hit it off in Sin City), airport waiting areas, shopping malls.  It's a fun way to express your love. 

The AutoWed wedding machine instructions are relatively straight forward.   I love it when the AutoWed says, "Please select your union. Press "1" for straight, press "2" for gay, press "3" for lesbian.  AutoWed is destined to piss off the anti-gay/lesbian marriage lobby.  

A buck doesn't go a long way any longer.  You can't buy a candy bar or wash or dry your clothes for that amount of cash.    

It's time to credit the young, professional product design and creative team of Concept Shed.  They are experienced in design, education, electronics and engineering.  They have designed some pretty unique and cool stuff.

They enjoy creating simple and effective solutions in the following areas:

• Creative Concept & Idea Generation
• Product Design & Development
• Museum, Educational & Novelty Interactives
• Bespoke Interactive Installations
• Experiential Marketing
• Product Prototyping
• Development of custom short run products
• Electronic Systems Development in
• Embedded Software Arduino / C++ / PIC / Assembler

The Designers:

• Sam Lanyon MEng Hons. MIET. Owner, Inventor & Creative Design Engineer.
• Laurence Symonds BEng. Creative engineer, Product designer & 3D CAD master. [ visit Laurence's blog ]
• Jowan Sebastian MA. Software, application & firmware developer. Arduino & Drupal guru.
• Esmé Maylam BA Hons. Qualified teacher & early years education specialist.
• Sarah Howe BSc. Project administrator, accounts & organiser.
• Paul. model maker & fabricator.

One slight improvement to the AutoWed:  I would've added a built-in camera to take pictures of the "married" couple, that would then dispense the wedding certificate with a picture of the couple.    Thanks guys!!  You made my day.

Courtesy of an article dated  July 3, 2011 appearing in Fast Company Design

 

HOW PROTEUS BIOMEDICALS' FULLY-INGESTIBLE EMBEDDED "CHIP-ON-A-PILL" DRUGS WILL REVOLUTIONIZE MEDICINES

Proteus Biomedical, a biomedical technology company out of Redwood City, California, was selected as one of the World Technology Forum's Technology Pioneers for 2009 in the field of intelligent medicine.  

The company develops MEMS (microfabricated, multicomponent electronic components) devices for medical applications, small enough to be attached to pills to be used as "ingestible event markers", as well as potential permanently embedded blood glucose monitoring chips.

A statement by the company:

"Proteus has developed a unique approach to personalizing therapy," said Andrew Thompson, Proteus CEO and co-founder. "We embed micro-sensors into existing drugs and devices, which transmit information, securely, to a person's cell phone via the Internet. A person can understand how their body is responding to their therapy, and, if they choose, share this information with a family member, physician or friend to help them stay healthy. We are delighted that the World Economic Forum has recognized the immense potential of this approach and look forward to actively participating in their programs."

Check out this video interview with Andrew Thompson:

And, Proteus Biomedical's promotional video:

Proteus Biomedical from Proteus Biomedical on Vimeo.

 

COMMENTARY:   That's very cool technology that can give doctors immediate feedback about how a specific drug is performing and how the patient is reacting to that drug.  

In the above video, Andrew Thompson makes one of the best "pitches" that I have heard in a long time.  That's what I call a knockout pitch.

Essentially Proteus Biomedical makes "intelligent medicine" that consist of therapeutic drugs and tiny biosensors on a microchip that are implanted on a pharmaceutical drug pill that communicate with a cell phone via Bluetooth.  

Proteus Biomedical's  intelligent medicine integrates electronics, sensors, and wireless communications into pharmaceuticals like pills.   It offers a monitoring system called Raisin Personal Monitor, a wireless health monitor for remote recording and analysis of heart rate, physical activity, body position, and patient-logged events.

The company which was founded in 2001 and is based in Redwood City, California, develops these biosensors to allow cardiac resynchronization therapy to be tailored and adjusted based on a patient’s cardiovascular physiology.

The biosensors focuses on sensing, communicating, and optimizing cardiovascular performance for chronic heart failure management. It is also an intelligent pharmaceutical systems that communicates patient-specific medication-taking behavior and physiologic response.

Its products address various therapeutic applications, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, metabolic and central nervous system disorders, and oncology.

When ingested, any discrete event (such as the ingestion of a specific pharmaceutical) can be recorded. However, it also records any physiologic information such as heart rate, activity, body angle and patient-logged information. The unique ingestion event and all logged information are then communicated via Bluetooth to any computerized device, such as mobile phone applications.  The system is being developed as part of an integrated intelligent medicine system to track response and outcomes-based of treatments. Proteus partners are currently developing these products to treat diabetes, cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disorders, organ transplantation and infectious disease.

Proteus is a privately-held company with financial investors including Adams Street Partners, Asset Management, The Carlyle Group, Essex Woodlands, Fletcher Spaght Ventures, L.P. (FSV), Kaiser Permanente Ventures, and Spring Ridge Ventures.  That's an impressive list of investors.

Courtesy of an article dated December 5, 2008 appearing in MedGadget and an article dated January 30, 2011 appearing in Techmento

By TwitterButtons.com  

BREAKTHROUGH: MAMA MIA!! TWO ITALIAN SCIENTISTS SUCCESSFULLY PRODUCE ELECTRICITY FROM A COLD FUSION REACTOR

Andrea Rossi, left, demonstrates the 10 kW heat generating device during the Italian press conference last Friday.

Italian inventor, Andrea Rossi, claims to have an industrial product ready to manufacture that produces large amounts of energy reliably, safely, and much cheaper than coal or natural gas power.  It utilizes the fusion of hydrogen and the common element nickel at relatively low temperatures.

Last Friday, January 14, we reported about a press conference held in Bologna, Italy in which Professor Sergio Focardi and Eng. Andrea A. Rossi, both of the University of Bologna, announced to the world that they have a cold fusion device capable of producing more than 10 kilowatts of heat power, while only consuming a fraction of that.  This is the first public demonstration of a nickel-hydrogen fusion reactor capable of producing a few kilowatts of thermal energy.  At its peak, it is capable of generating 15,000 watts with just 400 watts input required.  On Saturday, a forum was opened allowing for questions online from around the world.

This recent public demonstration alone is is a huge development, but what's more, they also claim to be going into production, expecting to have these available for purchase commercially within a year.  This would become the world's first commercially-ready "cold fusion" device.  The first units are supposed to ship in three months, with mass production commencing by the end of 2011.

Licensees are mentioned, with contracts in the USA and in Europe. Mass production should escalate in 2-3 years.  Presently Rossi says they are manufacturing a 1 megawatt plant composed of 125 modules.

In his forum, Rossi wrote:

We have passed already the phase to convince somebody. We are arrived to a product that is ready for the market. Our judge is the market.  In this field the phase of the competition in the field of theories, hypothesis, conjectures etc etc is over. The competition is in the market. If somebody has a valid technology, he has not to convince people by chattering, he has to make a reactor that work and go to sell it, as we are doing.

Inquiries about purchasing are to be directed to [email protected] 

Rossi estimates that the cost of energy made with this system will be below 1 cent/kWh, in case of electric power made by means of a Carnot cycle, and below 1 cent/4,000 M J in case of thermal power production for heating purposes.  That is several times cheaper than energy from fossil fuel sources such as coal or natural gas.

According to Rossi, the demonstrated device shown last Friday is their industrial product that is claimed to be reliable and safe. In normal operation it would produce 8 units of output for every unit of input. Higher levels of output are possible, but can be dangerous. They will soon start serial production of their modules. Combining the modules in series and parallel arrays it is possible to reach every limit of power. The modules are designed to be connected in series and parallels.

In describing the batch processing operation of the device, he said: "To start up the reactor you have just to turn on a switch. The reactor works with enormous margins of safety, so there is no need of a particular skill. Just follow the instructions. The refueling is every 6 months and will be made by our dealers."

Rossi also says that they have had one reactor that has run continually for two years, providing heat for a factory.  Also, the reactors can self sustain by turning off the input, but they prefer to have an input.  The device will be scheduled for maintenance every six months.  You control it "just as you turn on and off your television set."

Here are three videos of the demonstration in Italy last Friday.  They allowed six people at a time to go into a smaller room where the equipment was located.  The tac, tac, tac sound is made by the waterpump, which is a precision dosator. You can see all three videos (in Italian) on the efagroup2010 YouTube channel.

 

 

 

According to Daniele Passerini who reported Friday's proceedings in his blog, the private invitationpress conference was attended by around 50 people.  Professors from the University of Bologna were on hand to verify that the experimental set-up was credible.  Rossi explained that they were producing from the reactor about 10-12 kW, while the average energy input was 600-700W, which was also measured by the dryness of the steam. The experiment was performed by the patent holders and professors from the University of Bologna unrelated to the project.

The amount of energy being produced was estimated based on how much water is vaporized per second.   Also, to understand the source of the process of energy production, they sought to ensure that hydrogen was not being burned, by measuring the mass at the beginning and end of the experiment.  A professor Levi used two sodium iodide scintillators to measure the radiation output.

Today, Rossi said:

"The report of the test that has been made by the independent reviewers in Bologna will be put online as soon as the Prof. of the University of Bologna, who made the test, will deliver it. I think it will take a week, while they are elaborating the data. The publication will be made on the Journal of Nuclear Physics, and all the magazines and blogs will be free to publish them."

According to a Rossi-Focardy paper (p. 4 of 9), similar results have been obtained in the factory of EON in Bondeno (Ferrara, Italy) in a test performed with ENEL spa  on June, 25th 2009; as well as in tests made in Bedford, New Hampshire (USA) in a lab of LTI with the presence of the U.S. Department of Energy (November 19 2009) and of the U.S. Department of Defense (November 20 2009).

Some related research was published by New Energy Times in 2004.  And even earlier in November 1998 at LENR-CANR.org  In March of 1995 came a report titled "Italian cold fusion succeeded", stated that a 40-watt battery had been operated for four months continuous.  So these guys have been at this for a long time.

Doing a lot of digging into Rossi's Journal of Nuclear Physics blog shows that scientists are posting and linking speculation that "hydrinos" (of Blacklight Power fame) or shrunken hydrogen atoms may be involved in this cold fusion and process and their formation may be the source of most of the energy released.

Rossi Energy Amplifier

They received PCT patent number WO/2009/125444 on October 15, 2009, with an additional patent having been filed.  Once the second patent is awarded, then the information about how they achieve their results will become public knowledge.  Meanwhile, they are keeping that information proprietary.

Simply put, the effect involves pressurized dihydrogen gas (2 bars is the lowest mentioned in the patent and 80 bars is what was used in the demonstration) is placed in metal tube with nano powdered nickel and a heating element (resistor). Somehow the dihydrogen gas is split into atomic hydrogen. When heat is applied the atomic hydrogen reacts with the powdered nickel to produce energy up to 400 times the input energy. Undisclosed catalysts are used to increase the efficiency of the cell. 

Andrea Rossi is listed as the inventor.  He is also the primary operator of the www.journal-of-nuclear-physics.com/ website and forum, where the information about the technology is posted.

Some other technical attributes of the process include:

• Regular Ni is used even though other isotopes may provide better efficiency. They think all the isotopes work to produce the effect. 
• For some unknown reason, not all of the Ni in the cell reacts with the hydrogen to produce energy. The percentage of the Ni that reacts is very low.
• Even though the percentage of the Ni that reacts with hydrogen is very low one kilogram of nickel powder should deliver 10 kW of energy for 10,000 hours. The consumption rate of hydrogen and nickel are 0.1 g of Ni and 0.01 g of H to produce 10 kWh/h.  Note that for every picogram of nickel that is actually fused or reacts to the hydrogen, much more must be added. Not all the nickel added will react. So if you add 0.1g of Ni to produce 10kWh/h only a small fraction of that Ni will actually be utilized. When the device shuts off due to running out of fuel most of the .1g could be remaining.
• Tungsten is in no way used. However, "other elements" are used.
• Radiation is produced. However in the device demonstrated which is made for commercial use no radiation escapes due to lead shielding. The fact that radiation is produced is proof of a nuclear reaction.
• In the demonstration device for every unit of input there was approximately 37 units of output.
• A small percentage of the nickel is transmuted into copper. The amount of copper found in the cell is far greater than the impurities in the nickel powder. None of this copper is "unstable."
• There is no radioactivity in the cell after it is turned off. No nuclear "waste."
• All of the information needed to successfully replicate a self sustaining system is in the patent application (which is being held proprietary presently).
• The power density for thermal energy only is 5 liters per kilowatt. 
• The hydrogen has to be all hydrogen with no deuterium or heavy hydrogen.  Apparently, any heavy hydrogen stops the reaction.
• This current system never goes below 6 times more energy out than in. During the test it produced 20 times more energy out than in.  In the lab they have done similar tests and obtained 400 times more out than in, but it produced explosions.

Reaction to the Press Conference Announcement

You would think that something of this magnitude would be reported widely by the media -- at least the alternative media -- but as of Sunday evening, 9:00 pm MST, there have only been three hits in Google news, including our story from Friday.  It demonstrates to people that the mainstream press is bland, and that they should abandon them as their primary source for interesting news.  At the same time, I can see benefit to the mainstream press ignoring this.  In our audience are some very talented mavericks who can do a lot to help these guys move forward. One needs to grow incrementally.  Too much attention too soon can be detrimental.

Steven Krivit, who specializes in cold fusion reporting, wrote a couple of pieces at NewEnergyTimes.com (2), but both were critical.  I wrote the following comment in response, which he posted.

Hi Steve,

I read your two stories at New Energy Times, and while I appreciate the points you brought up, I need to say that I’m not convinced that these discredit him substantially.

First, I looked through the ingandrearossi.com/ website (linked from the Wikipedia article), which describes the waste-to-energy and imprisonment from Rossi’s vantage point.

Given how corrupt the various governments of the world have become, it seems to me to be more of a case of suppression on their part than of an act of a serious moral breach on the part of Rossi. At worst, it was a violation of a law unknown to Rossi. We see that kind of thing regularly in the free energy world as outside-the-box inventors try to also run businesses, but don’t know how to do so and can get in trouble.

Second, regarding the Journal of Nuclear Physics; again I can relate to Rossi. In a world where academia has spurned cold fusion as a political hot potato, rejecting papers on political, not scientific grounds, I can see why someone would try to provide an alternative method of publishing material along these lines.

I agree that it does look a bit hokey, but I cut him a lot of slack for the above reason. I certainly wouldn’t call it a "scam" as a result.

It seems to me that rather than jumping to a stance of criticism, you should try to encourage and validate the amazing claim.

Though he did spend time in jail, Rossi said he was eventually cleared of all charges against him in this matter.

Meanwhile, I got a couple of emails from some other associates who apparently are in process of checking into the claims and the company with the possibility of striking up a business relationship.

The claims of Rossi are very bold to say the least. They claim to have an industrial product that produces large amounts of energy reliably and safely. This product is not claimed to be a prototype, but is said to be ready to manufacture. These claims deserve serious attention. Could the alternative energy solution we have all been hoping for finally have arrived?

Feature Page at PESWiki

We've created a feature page atpeswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Andrea_A._Rossi_Cold_Fusion_Generator with an overview, with key links.  Inasmuch as PESWiki is a publicly editable site, feel free to help us update this page as new coverage comes in and new developments arise.

COMMENTARY:   If professor's Sergio Focardi and Eng. Andrea A. Rossi, both of the University of Bologna, have broken the cold fusion DNA, then this is a game changer, on the magnitude of the splitting of the atom that created the first atomic bomb.  

Their cold fusion energy reactor is chemically-based, and energy is produced by the fusion of nickel (Ni) in a powdered form with pure hydrogen gas.  An external energy source is used to "light the fuse" so to speak, and start the chemical reaction that triggers the cold fusion process.   

If the Focardi-Rossi cold fusion energy reactor is confirmed, every renewable or alternative energy source now under development or in commercial use today, from solar-to-wind-to-fuel cells-to-nuclear would eventually be rendered obsolete.   This would not occur immediately, but eventually once the energy units are produced on a mass scale and distributed worldwide.  

Their demonstration system never goes below 6 times more energy out than in. During the test it produced 20 times more energy out than in.  In the lab they have done similar tests and obtained 400 times more out than in, but it produced explosions. 

Focardi-Rossi claim that their cold fusion energy reactor is scalable and can be mass produced very cost-effectively and produce energy very safely.  Both nickel and hydrogen are elements that are readily available on Earth, something that you can not say about oil and uranium.

It remains to be seen how sufficient  pure hydrogen gas and nickel can be commercially produced, and at what cost, to make the Focardi-Rossi cold fusion energy reactor cost-effective.  Hydrogen gas is highly flammable and the costs to produce, transport and store are technological hurdles that need to be overcome.  

I am amazed how rapidly Focardi-Rossi are transitioning from the development stage to full commercialization. They claim that "the market will validate their cold fusion energy reactor".  

Because radiation is produced during the cold fusion process, clear evidence that a nuclear reaction is occurring,  I don't see how their cold fusion energy reactor will be commercially available in the marketplace for several years, pending approvals of all regulatory agencies.  There is no way that they can license their cold fusion energy reactor without those approvals.

Focardi-Rossi have been criticized as being overzealous, naive, and exercising very poor business judgement by rushing to market so quickly before their cold fusion energy reactor has been thoroughly tested, and passed all required safety, legal and regulatory requirements that are necessary before approvals are granted to commercially produce and distribute their invention.  

In conlusion, these two pisans have a lot of chutzpah, or as they say in Italian, "ha preso molte palle".

Courtesy of an article dated January 18, 2011 appearing in Before It's News

MY FAVORITE TED MOMENTS: MIT'S PATTIE MAES DEMOS 'SIXTHSENSE', A WEARABLE AUGMENTED REALITY GESTURAL INTERFACE

This TED demonstration of SixSense, a new concept in augmented reality technology, Pattie Maes of the MIT Media Lab, spearheaded by graduate research assistant Pranav Mistry -- was the buzz of TED.

 'SixthSense' is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information. By using a camera and a tiny projector mounted in a pendant like wearable device, 'SixthSense' sees what you see and visually augments any surfaces or objects we are interacting with. It projects information onto surfaces, walls, and physical objects around us, and lets us interact with the projected information through natural hand gestures, arm movements, or our interaction with the object itself. 'SixthSense' attempts to free information from its confines by seamlessly integrating it with reality, and thus making the entire world your computer. 

 

COMMENTARY:   Pattie Maes is an Associate Professor in MIT's Program in Media Arts and Sciences and Associate Head of the Program in Media Arts and Sciences. She founded and directs the Media Lab's Fluid Interfaces research group. Previously, she founded and ran the Software Agents group.

Prior to joining MIT's Media Lab, Maes was a visiting professor and a research scientist at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab. She holds bachelor's and PhD degrees in computer science from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium.  Her areas of expertise are human-computer interaction, artificial life, artificial intelligence, collective intelligence, and intelligence augmentation.

Maes is the editor of three books, and is an editorial board member and reviewer for numerous professional journals and conferences. She has received several awards: Newsweek magazine named her one of the "100 Americans to watch for" in the year 2000; TIME Digital selected her as a member of the Cyber-Elite, the top 50 technological pioneers of the high-tech world; the World Economic Forum honored her with the title "Global Leader for Tomorrow"; Ars Electronica awarded her the 1995 World Wide Web category prize; and in 2000 she was recognized with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Massachusetts Interactive Media Council.

Pranav Mistry is currently a Research Assistant and PhD candidate at the MIT Media Lab. Before joining MIT he worked as a UX Researcher with Microsoft.  He received a Master in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT and Master of Design from IIT Bombay.  Pranav completed his Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Engineering. Pranav is from Palanpur, a town situated in northern Gujarat in India.  Pranav is a brilliant researcher and appeared in a TED presentation in India.

 

During his engineering work in computer science to his masters studies in design, Pranav has worked on a varied fields like interaction design, robotics, computer graphics, HCI, AI, information graphics, Embedded systems, social computing, and many others.  He  explored the fields with different projects and research papers. Here are some of the numerous projects he has been involved with include: 

• TeleTouch
• SPARSH
• SixthSense
• Mouseless
• PreCursor
• BlinkBot
• thirdEye
• inktuitive
• QUICKiES
• TaPuMa
• invent
• DATAG2.02
• Marbo
• projectCHILD
• SunFlower
• Sandesh
• Ghost in the machine 
• RoadRunner
• VET
• Sthiti
• Akshar

HOW STEVE JOBS' 'DIGITAL HUB STRATEGY' MADE APPLE INTO ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

Just 13 years ago, Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy. Today, it is the world's most admired tech company.

Steve Jobs can be credited for the drastic turnaround. But how did he do it?

By thinking differently, innovating, and being controversial.

1. Partner with the enemy  - Can you imagine Pepsi and Coca-Cola getting together? Or Verizon and AT&T? That's how strange it was when Apple and Microsoft announced their partnership at the 1997 Macworld Expo.  After 12 years of financial loss, Jobs needed to get Apple money, and quickly. So he turned to Bill Gates, who made a $150 million investment in Apple. Jobs announced.  "The era of competition between Apple and Microsoft is over as far as I'm concerned," "This is about getting Apple healthy, this is about Apple being able to make incredibly great contributions to the industry and to prosper again.”
2.  Put sex in products - A great salesman, Jobs knew the importance of aesthetics; he realized Apple's products looked dated.  In 1998, Jobs called a meeting at Apple, sat everyone down and said, "You know what's wrong with this company? The products SUCK -- there's no sex in them."  Today, Apple is credited for creating the most beautiful technology, from colorful iMacs to sleek iPads.
3.  Change the business model - Apple began as a computer-only company, but Jobs knew it needed to broaden its approach if it wanted to become truly successful.  Apple began expanding its products beyond just computers with the release of Final Cut Pro, followed by MP3 players, music, iPhones and iPads.  Jobs changed the company's name from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple Inc. in 2007 to symbolize the new, broader vision. 
4.  Cutdown Barriers - Other retailers were not giving Apple products adequate positioning.  Jobs' solution? The Apple Store. Scattered throughout the world, these successful outlets are now the "darlings of the retail computer industry."
5.  Sell customers what they didn't know they needed -  Jobs does not use focus groups. Instead, he sells customers what they want before they know they want it.  "[Apple has] a great track record for making you want -- and buy -- things you thought you didn't need," says Carl Howe, director of consumer research for Yankee Group.  Last year when the iPad was announced, people gawked. Nearly 20 million sales later, it's not so funny.
6. Connect the dots - Apple releases products that are innovative in and of themselves, but they are also integrated visions.  iPods mesh beautifully with iTunes; iPads and iPhones collaborate with the app store.  According to Jobs, "creativity is just connecting things."  Apple frequently shows how the sum is greater than all of the parts.
7. Don't hire cookie cutter employees - Ivy league graduates aren't the only people who can run companies.   "Part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians, and poets, and artists, and zoologists, and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world," Jobs has said.
8. Think differently -  Apples' "Think Different" ad campaign in the late 1990's was one of the most effective of all time.  It stimulated innovation and reinvention, which is what Apple, today, is all about.
9. Keep It Simple, Stupid - Simplicity is bliss.  Apple's designer Jonathan Ives confirms this strategy: "We are absolutely consumed by trying to develop a solution that is very simple, because as physical beings we understand clarity."
10. Sell dreams, not products -   Jobs gets people hooked on a feeling. It's not the products his customers buy, it's what the products represent.  Remember, people first and foremost care about themselves, so make products they can relate to.
11. Trust your gut - Steve Jobs said in his Stanford commencement speech: "Have the courage to follow your heart and your intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." 

COMMENTARY:    Steve Jobs is not just a business visionary and technology innovator, but a trend maker and one of the greatest product pickers ever.  His trackrecord of four straight product successes: the iPod, iTunes, Iphone and Ipad is unprecedented. 

Steve constantly tinkers with the products of others, studying how they work, how they are built, and how he could make them better.  When you think about it, Apple did not develop the first personal computer, portable music player, cellular phone or tablet computer.   The keys to Apple's success is focus on big markets, not turnout "me-too" products, or make incremental improvements to existing products, but to introduce products that are game changing and leagues ahead of the competition.    

He is a student of neuromarketing or study consumer psychology. The secret to his success stems from three key things:

The Digital Hub Strategy -  In 1996, Apple was having serious financial difficulties and its stock was at an all-time low, so the Apple board asked Steve Jobs to return to the run company and lead a turnaround.  By 1996, the personal computer business had completely changed.  IBM, Dell, Compaq and others had entered the market.  Microsoft dominated desktop applications.  The Mac no longer dominated personal computers. Steve knew that if he was to turnaround Apple's misfortunes, Apple needed to change from top to bottom. Apple needed to change its products to meet the needs of a changing market landscape, think differently and adopt new strategies to say ahead of the competiton.  

It was right about this time that the Internet really began to take off and the Dotcom Era began.  All content text, images, video and sound were going digital, and to Steve this presented a whole new world of business opportunities.  When Steve recast Apple from strictly a computer company to a consumer electronics company his decision was based on the Digital Hub Strategy.  The Digital Hub was Steve's grand vision of the future:  Reshaping Apple to build consumer electronics products built around digital devices and digital content.

On January 9, 2001, Steve Jobs gave a great presentation at MacWorld (see video below) where he introduced the public to the concept of the Digital Hub, when he said that the PC was not dead, but was evolving. Steve Jobs declared that the Mac would become  “the digital hub for the digital lifestyle,” an emerging digital trend driven by the internet and an explosion in digital devices: digital camera's, videocam's, portable music players, PDA's and DVD video players. Steve's idea was to use the Mac as a way to add value to those devices by making them more useful by allowing users to share digital files and be able to combine text, images, video and sound to heighten the overal digital experience. 

 

Higher Gross Margins - Apple's gross profit margins are the highest in the personal computer and consumer electronics industry.  The main reason:  Apple has created legion's of brand loyalists that have grown to like and trust the Apple brand and its products.  This creates value in the consumers' minds, and opens their wallets.  This is a powerful point of differentiation has allowed other companies like Coach, Nike and Starbucks to charge premium prices.  

Unlike other IBM-compatible personal computer and consumer electronics brands, Apple has developed its own proprietary iOS operating system for the iMac, so it does not have to pay a license fee to Microsoft for its Windows operating system.    

Apple has consistently been able to deliver game-changing new products that raise the bar within their product category and has set a new standard in technology innovation, design, quality and performance.  This has allowed Apple to charge premium prices for the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

• iPod - The iPod set a new standard for portable music players with its design simplicity, ease in downloading digital music, and storage capabilities.  Sony used to dominate the portable music player category, but lost it virtually overnight.  As of December 2010, nearly 300 million iPods have been sold and Sony has been left in the dust.  
• iPhone -  The iPhone truly raised the bar in cellular phones with its revolutionary touchscreen, larger screen, graphical user interface, ability to view video, play music and even watch movies and huge library of third-party apps and games, has given Apple a two-year head start over the competition.  Through end of of 2o10, Apple sold over 41 million iPhones. It was only after Google released Android, an open architecture operating system for smartphones, that Apple's has somewhat relinquished its lead.   
• iPad - Set a new standard in tablet computers as a platform for reading digital books, magazines and newspapers, ease in surfing the internet and running mobile apps.  The iPad was an instant hit, selling nearly 15 million iPads in 2010.  Industry forecaster's believe that Apple will sell nearly 30 million ipads in 2011.  Although competitor's have released tablet computer of their own, Apple's superior technology, high perceived value and first-mover advantages has created barrier's that competitors have been unable to breach. 

Apple's legions of loyal brand Evangelists is a "captured market" that really works in its favor everytime it launches a new product.  On launch day, Apple customer's often wait in line for hours or even days outside an Apple store just to be able to be the first to buy Apple's products.  The result: Apple has completely sold out of the new product within days.        

Increasing Returns Business - Apple has evolved into a money-making machine because it has been successful in creating a business model that results in increasing returns that has created economies of scale in production, sales and distribution.  This has also contributed to Apple's high gross profit margins.   Here are a few examples:

• Lower Production Costs - Apple outsources all product production to Asia, eliminating the need to invest in plant and equipment and hiring production personnel.  
• Locking Up Scarce Components - Apple's deals with its manufacturing partners allows it to lockin prices and regular supplies of vital components, while competitors have to pay higher costs for the same components and wait longer to get them.
• Distribution Chain Economies - Apple does not use distributors or dealers thereby eliminating middle-man costs, instead it sells its products through:  
  • Apple Stores - Apple sells the bulk of its products through its network of 325 state-of-the-art worldwide Apple Stores.  Apple Store's innovative store interiors, Genius Bar and personalized selling approach is what sets it appart from other retailers. Apple stores attract over 75 million visitors per year and are the highest grossing stores per square foot of any retail chain in the world.     
  • Major Cellular Phone Providers - Apple distributes the iPhone through AT&T (no longer exclusive distributor) and Verizon Wireless (beginning with the iPhone 4).  It is rumored that Apple negotiated sweet deals with both companies.   
  • Itunes Store - Apple's online iTunes Store is the secret sauce that has made the iPod, iPhone and iPad a resounding success.  The iTunes Store's sweet deals with the major music labels and "99 cent per song model" has allowed Apple to control nearly 85% of all music downloads and reaching over 1 billion downloads in  2010.
  • Apple App Store - Apple now has the world's largest collectiion of apps for the iPhone and iPad with a  combined total of 350,000 apps.  At the end of 2010, Apple reported that over 10 billion apps had been downloaded.  Apps are a huge revenue contributor for Apple.  Wwhile 80% of Android apps are free, only 33% of Apple apps are free.    
• Software Developers - With the exception of the Mac and iOS operating systems, Safari browser, Quick Time Player, and iWorks, Apple leaves nearly all software development up to its network of software developers and partners.  Again, Apple has a very sweet deal. Apple's revenue sharing deal with developer's allows it to keep 30% of the revenues.  Most of this is pure profit.

Steve Jobs Halo Effect -  Let there be no doubt that Steve Jobs is the Face of Apple.  He is one of the most recognized business personalities ever.  I don't know what else to call this, but Steve Jobs seems to hold a magical spell over his loyal Apple evangelists.  I have often referred to this as the "Lemming Effect".  His customers never quite know what new products Apple is developing. Secrecy is tantamount.   New product research and development is top secret.  Everything is compartmentalized and conducted behind closed doors, and information about new products under development is strictly on a need to know basis.  

When rumors about a new product leak out, they are from "unidentified sources".  Some say that Steve Jobs deliberately provides small leaks to the press off balance and keep anticipation at a fever pitch.  When new products are finally unveiled, it is a huge media event. People fly in from around the world to be at the unveling or watch it by live video stream.  Steve Jobs is a master of the presentation.  It is said that Steve Jobs spends endless hours practicing and perfecting the delivery of his presentations at these events.  If you view the above video you cannot be but deeply impressed.

 

 

 

Notice how he takes small pauses, carefully using certain words when talking about the iPhone, "changes everything", "breakthrough", "sync", "leap frog product", "super easy" "reinvent the phone", and "revolutionary mobile phone". He calls the new widerscreen iPod, the iPhone and a new revolutionary internet communications device, a "single product".  This is in reference to the Digital Hub.

For some valuable insights into Steve Jobs "The Man" I highly recommend "Inside Steve's Brain"  by Leander Kahney and "The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs"  and "The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs" by Carmine Gallo.

Courtesy of an article dated March 23, 2011 appearing in SAI Business Insider

By TwitterButtons.com   

 

 

HOW VENTURE-BACKED TIBION BIONIC TECHNOLOGIES HELPS STROKE VICTIM'S WALK NORMALLY AGAIN

Stroke patients striving to walk normally may get a lift from a bionic leg developed by venture-backed Tibion Corp.

Many stroke survivors have weakness on one side that impairs their gait. Tibion’s device, worn around the leg during physical therapy, supplies the power needed to stand or walk, and may enable more intense therapy sessions. As strength and control returns, it assists the leg less.

Tibion, which has placed the device in 10 U.S. rehabilitation centers since launching it in January, soon intends to close a $15 million Series B round to expand the rollout, said Chief Executive Charles Remsberg. Previous backers include Claremont Creek Ventures and Saratoga Ventures.

The company’s product, the first of its kind, targets a large problem. Stroke, in which blood stops flowing to the brain, affects 795,000 Americans a year, according to the American Heart Association. A leading cause of long-term disability, stroke costs the U.S. about $70 billion annually in direct and indirect expenses, including health-care services, medications and missed work.

Early research suggests that Tibion’s device could reduce patients’ dependence on health services by helping them recover their ability to walk, drive and live independently. A study at New York Presbyterian Hospital could supply more hard evidence. The trial is comparing 12 patients receiving conventional therapy to 12 rehabbing with the bionic leg’s added boost, according to Remsberg, who said he is talking with universities and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs about additional studies.

The company’s product, which wraps around the leg and extends from the thigh to the ankle, amplifies a patient’s effort, adding just enough mechanical lift to enable him to stand or take a step. Sensors in the patient’s shoe detect weight distribution and trigger the robot to deliver the amount of assistance that a therapist has programmed in.

Stroke survivors with “hemiparesis,” or muscle weakness on one side of the body, initially have little movement in one leg, so therapists traditionally have done most of the work to get the limb moving. Tibion aims to shift the effort to the patient. “We’re making it possible for the patient to work more intensively with the affected leg,” Remsberg said.

On a recent morning at Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital in Bradford, Mass., patients performed sit-to-stand drills and other exercises with the robot’s help. One patient, a 63-year-old man, said he needed help to get out of bed shortly after his stroke, but has improved with therapy.

“I’m walking straight,” he said. “I’m not dragging my foot [any] more.” 

How much the bionic leg contributed to his recovery is not entirely clear, but scientists suspect the device helps stroke survivors to form new neural connections to compensate for the ones they lost. By enabling them to work their leg more, the robot appears to help magnify afferent, neural signaling that reawakens the brain to the limb’s presence, Remsberg said.

COMMENTARY:  

Tibion’s has developed the first ambulatory device that can rehabilitate stroke patients with gait impairment.  And the stroke market is very, very large.

• In 2006, 890,000 Americans were discharged with a diagnosis of stroke – 606,000 in people over the age of 65, and 236,000 between the ages of 45 and 64. Average length of stay (LOS) ranged from 4.8 to 5.1 days.
• In 2005, approximately 5,839,000 Americans had a history of stroke, about 50% of whom suffer gait disturbances that limit their ambulation and place them at sharply increased risk of falls.
• Escalating rates of obesity and Type II diabetes have led many researchers to forecast a “stroke tsunami” in the coming decade.
• Only the Tibion Bionic Leg offers millions of chronic stroke survivors the potential to regain lost mobility – and a reason to return to therapy.

Prospective market

Rehabilitation hospitals. Tibion believes that approximately 2000 freestanding U.S. rehabilitation hospitals represent the greatest opportunity for its commercialization efforts.

Rehabilitation hospitals certified as stroke centers…

• Often admit acute-stroke patients directly from ambulance transport, when reimbursement can equal $15,000/day.
• Enjoy the highest reimbursement for post-acute rehabilitation, ranging from $1500-4000/day
• Justify their higher reimbursement and retain patients for post-acute inpatient rehab by acquiring and promoting the latest rehab technology.
• Enjoy a volume of managed care and Medicare stroke inpatients and outpatients that justify purchase of multiple Bionic Legs.
• Represent excellent prospects for encouraging patients to rent a planned home Bionic Leg.

Skilled nursing facilities. Roughly 15,000 skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) often compete with rehab hospitals for residential stroke rehabilitation – if they have technology like the Bionic Leg.

• When stroke patients leave an acute-care hospital for residential rehab, patient families often receive several qualified SNF referrals from a discharge planner or case manager – and the family must visit each and select a provider.
• SNFs often use technology as a competitive tool to persuade families to bring patients to their facilities.
• Medicare Part A fully pays for 20 days of residential rehabilitation at an SNF, after which patients can elect to pay a $137/day copayment for up to 100 additional days.
• SNF technology not available at local outpatient rehab clinics can persuade SNF patients pay to remain for many days beyond the 20 Medicare-paid days.

Other candidate Bionic Leg customers include 715 accredited U.S. stroke centers, 153 Veterans Administration hospitals with rehab facilities, and 895 smaller VA rehab clinics.

Tibion is now testing a new “pay-as-you go” billing system that holds the potential to make the Bionic Leg available to an even wider range of facilities, including thousands of small private clinics with only a few stroke patients a week, and even home care PTs.

Competitive landscape

Tibion is aware of no comparable, wearable robotic stroke rehab devices marketed or reported in development anywhere in the world.

The closest robotic device in use for stroke gait therapy is the Hocoma Lokomat, a $300,000 body-weight support system limited to treadmill use. Several exoskeleton devices – essentially, “vertical wheelchairs” – have been developed for spinal cord injured patients and for certain military applications.

The Bionic Leg is protected by a battery of patents and proprietary software technology.

In addition to planned enhancements and a home version of the Bionic Leg, Tibion anticipates development of upper extremity robotics that will consolidate its position as a robotic rehabilitation leader.

I have seen stroke victim's undergo lengthy and very painful rehabilitation.  My mother had a stroke, and it was very painful for her just to bend her leg, let alone walk.  Thankfully, she was able to walk again.   

Tiobion's bionic assisted-walking device definitely fills a serious need in the healthcare industry, not just for stroke victim's, but for post-operative knee joint patients.  

This one is a no-brainer for a VC.  

Courtesy of an article dated October 8, 2010 appearing in The Wall Street Journal's Venture Capital Dispatch 

DUTCH DESIGNERS INTRODUCE THE P-TREE, OUT-IN-THE-OPEN PUBLIC URINALS ATTACHED TO TREES, JUST IN CASE GUYS NEED TO PEE

Saving trees from full bladders everywhere.

It’s an unfortunate fact of outdoor concerts: The number of toilets is always in inverse proportion to the number of drunk asses who need to pee. So people -- and by people, we mean shameless dudes -- make a urinal out of the local flora.

Here to rescue Mother Nature from full bladders everywhere is AANDEBOOM, a Dutch design studio that has invented either the world’s cleverest or the world’s grossest makeshift restroom. P-Tree is a rotation molded recycled plastic receptacle that straps onto a tree trunk, transforming your resident oak into the backdrop for a public (very public) urinal.

P-Tree AANDEBOOM from AANDEBOOM on Vimeo.

Once you get past the ick factor -- and really, is it any grosser than a porta potty? -- it’s actually pretty smart. Guys pee on trees. P-Tree acknowledges the inevitable and adds a layer of protection so that said trees don’t take a direct hit. (Or a slightly less direct hit. Because let’s be honest: Aim has never been the drunk man’s strong suit). The best part: P-Tree hooks up to a central sewerage system or a tank, which means it actually flushes. P-Tree 1, porta potty, 0. The only downside we can see -- and the reason this one's an "Almost Genius" -- is that there's no shielding on either side of the urinal. Hence the significant number of members visible in the other images we received of the design. (At first we thought these were the fingers of guys unzipping. We were wrong.)

The Roskilde festival in Denmark, a sort of Coachella of the North Sea, installed 50 neon orange P-Trees this year. The festival’s “problem with public peeing was significantly reduced,” designers Rogier Martens and Sam van Veluw say. Which makes us wonder if P-Tree could actually catch on and become as much a staple of outdoor concerts as ganja balls and Wavy Gravy. We reckon so, at least in Europe, where using a urinal strapped to a tree does not, apparently, constitute “public peeing.” But in Puritanical America? Concert producers would never allow it. Sorry, guys. Find a bush.

COMMENTARY:  European's have a completely different orientation when it comes to things like sex, smoking pot, and now taking a pee right out in the open.  What a great idea.   I bet the parks and recreation department will like them too. What a great idea. The Dutch lead the way. Let's thank those dudes at AANDEBOOM.   Now sau AANDEBOOM!! five times in a row as fast as you can.

Courtesy of an article dated July 8, 2011 appearing in Fast Company Design

 

INVENTOR MAKES LOW-COST NATURAL DEXTEROUS PROSTHETIC HAND

Sitting at the kitchen table of his Affton home, Mark Stark pulls out his friend Dave's left hand.

The fingers are clenched. With a quick movement, Stark opens the hand and picks up a wine glass.

Stark, a mechanical designer and basement inventor, stands up, then places his prosthetic hand on the table, and says,

"It's delicate enough to hold a glass. But you can also lift a chair." 

Constructed from plastic, each finger and joint on the hand operates individually. The fingertips have attached rubber finger cots, much like postal workers use for rifling paper. The palm of the hand uses the grip from a glove. Other building materials include rivets, fishing line, screws and springs.

Stark calls his invention the "Natural Dexterous Hand," or "Stark Hand."

It's mechanically simple and decidedly low-tech.

But this humble device has already changed the life of Dave Vogt.

Pending negotiations with a manufacturer, it could soon be available to thousands more. At least one expert believes that it has the potential to have a major impact on the market for prosthetics.

Keeping it simple

Vogt, a long-time friend of Stark, was born without his left hand because of a congenital birth defect. He had used a hook prosthesis from birth.

Stark had always mused about improving his friend's quality of life, but the idea for the Stark Hand took years to crystallize.

Stark said, 

"There really was no epiphany.  My friend had used a hook his whole life and I saw the limitations. I always wanted to help him, but had no specific idea."

After a lengthy period of incubation, the idea for the hand finally emerged in the wake of another invention.

Stark said his idea came to him about 15 years ago after a robotic hand was developed by an American university. The hand used three motors on each finger to provide individually controllable joints.  Stark said. 

"It was an awesome device. But it was also incredibly complex."

Stark, operating from the "keep it simple" principle of mechanical design, thought he could do better while gearing the device to prosthetics rather than robotics.

In the mold of the true basement inventor, he began scrounging for readily available items to create a prototype. Among the parts used for the first hand prototype were plastic cable housing and a hinge from a screen door. Stark said.

"Things I could buy at a hardware store."

While Stark was fairly certain the prototype would work, given its simple design, building the hand was no quick task. Working as a full-time mechanical designer for Emerson Electric's White-Rodgers division, Stark tinkered in his spare time.

Putting it to the test

When the first prototype was completed in 2004, Stark invited Vogt over to test it out. Vogt unscrewed his hook and screwed the hand into the slot.

Stark tossed him a tennis ball. Vogt caught the ball on the first attempt. Stark said.

"It was absolutely amazing."

Vogt was thrilled and gratified by the gift.  Vogt said.

"I didn't know he had been working on it for years. Then he called me and told me he had this thing. I was surprised and excited."

Vogt took awhile to adapt to the hand. He said.

"I was so used to the hook. My body and brain had adapted to it."

Soon the compulsion to use the hook faded. Now, Vogt wears the hand everywhere, with the exception of work, where his job as a machinist requires heavy lifting better suited for the hook.

The hand works in much the same way as a hook. Vogt wears a body harness and a cable and can control the hand with upper body movement, such as a shrug. In essence, the hand is a screw-on attachment that replaces the hook.

Vogt said the Stark Hand offers superior functionality.  He said.

"On a personal level it's been a great help."

Though the hand can grasp, it does not have the ability to perform more specialized tasks such as punching keys on a remote control.

Along with function, Vogt said the hand is an aesthetic improvement over the hook. Such considerations were in the forefront of Stark's mind during the design process.  Stark said.

"They give bad guys in films hooks to make them look more evil. That's terrible."

A low-cost alternative

The hand may have been designed to help a friend, but it also provides another choice among limited prosthetic options.

Hooks can cost only a few hundred dollars, but are limited functionally. Cosmetic prosthetic hands resemble the real thing, but are about as functional as a mannequin's hand.

Electric models offer the best of both worlds, but are often prohibitively expensive. The hand, plus surgery to attach, can cost up to $60,000.

Stark's hand aims to offer increased functionality at a cost closer to hooks.

He spent seven years and roughly $17,000 developing the device. Most of that money was spent in securing a patent.

When asked why such a relatively simple and useful device had yet to be invented, Stark conceded he wasn't sure.  Stark said.

"That's a good question. The basic concept could have been whittled from wood 100 years ago."

Stark said the final production model of the hand will likely feature changes, including improved materials and a more life-like appearance.

Commercial prospects

Publicity shy by nature, Stark didn't set out to make a pile of money, but the commercial prospects for the Stark hand appear promising. Edison Nation, a company that helps amateur inventors, is working with Stark to market the device to manufacturers. Said Karen Dickson, a spokeswoman for Edison Nation.

"This is a low-cost solution to a pretty widespread problem." 

Dickson said the company is negotiating with a major prosthetics manufacturer with the goal of bringing the Stark Hand to market. Kenneth Paulus, Edison Nation's vice president of business development, said the device could prove popular on the international market, given its projected cost of around $1,000.  Said Paulus.

"There's an opportunity to transform the lives of people in war-torn countries. People with war injuries, land mines, that kind of environment."

Jack Engsberg, an associate professor of occupational therapy at Washington University, said the invention possesses significant commercial potential. Engsberg said.

"I believe there's a huge market for the device if it is as functional as it's (claimed to be)." 

Engsberg, who developed an easier and less expensive way to make sockets for artificial limbs, said the device takes the best elements of the hook system (feel and touch) while adding the extra-capability of five digits.

Achieving notoriety

Stark's invention has drawn national media attention. The Stark Hand earned a spot on the cover of last month's issue of Popular Science magazine, a mention on CNN, and is slated to appear on PBS this fall.  Stark said.

"The attention is kind of strange."

Stark, who gives the impression he'd rather be quietly tinkering in the workshop, said he's trying his best to manage expectations.  He said.

"It's difficult.  I don't know how much money I'll make or even how much I want. Notoriety was not the goal."

The goal was more personal.  Stark said.

"I was trying to help a friend.  But there's more than one person out there missing a hand."

Tying shoelaces takes a degree of manual skill that is difficult to achieve among some prosthetic limbs, but the Natural Dexterous Hand can easily handle tasks that require smaller, more intricate hand movements.

 

Courtesy of an article dated June 10, 2011 appearing in Suburban Journals article dated June 17, 2011 appearing in Ecopressed