Hasta La Gadget!

iRobot makes robots for all sorts of needs in the military and other business areas. In the consumer space, the company is probably best known for its line of robotic vacuum cleaners, including the Roomba and Scooba. Last year, iRobot started trials of a robot designed to work in hospitals – called the RP-Vita, or Remote Presence Virtual Independent Telemedicine Assistant.

Developed by iRobot and InTouch Health, the robot is a telepresence device that stands about as tall as your typical human. It’s fitted with dual screens, a video camera, Wi-Fi and other sensors and even has its own stethoscope allowing doctors to perform patient examinations remotely. It uses an iPad to control communications, and the robot is able to use sensors to map its environment and navigate autonomously.

iRobot has announced that the RP-VITA has now been approved by the FDA to be used for active patient monitoring in pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-surgical settings. It can work in several areas of the hospital including cardiovascular, neurological, prenatal, psychological, and critical care. These robots are far from cheap and are estimated to cost as much as $4000 per month to purchase and operate, but that still could represent a significant cost savings by allowing doctors to check in on more patients and more frequently.

[via Science World Report]

People who suffer from hearing loss typically have to deal with going without their hearing aids when they are swimming or at the beach, or in the elements. This is one of the reasons why Siemens developed the Aquaris waterproof hearing aid, which will allow users to take them anywhere.

The Aquaris hearing aid offers watertight seals and membranes to keep moisture out while still allowing the flow of air, which is necessary when using zinc air batteries. They can be submerged for up to 30 minutes without any damage, and also incorporate a Bluetooth transmitter and a microphone, allowing them to double as a hands-free system.

This system allows people to communicate with hearing-impaired athletes in the water, something which was problematic before. The Aquaris hearing aid sells for about $2500(USD).

[via DVICE via designboom]

Withings has been selling digital fitness devices and a scale for adults that can track your weight or even share it via social networks if you want it to. The idea is that the scale can help motivate you to reach your goals and share your progress with friends.

The company has announced a new version of its connected scale specifically made for babies and toddlers called the Withings Smart Kid Scale.

The scale is designed for children from birth to age eight and has a weight range of 0 to 55 pounds. The accuracy of the scale is within 10 g. What makes it high tech is the integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth allowing it to interface with an app that runs on your iOS or Android smartphone.

The scale also comes with a folding baby trough that allows you to use the scale with newborn babies. Any parent knows that once you have a baby, keeping track of how well that baby is growing becomes a bit of an obsession. This tech makes it easy and allows you to share with equally obsessed grandparents and other relatives.

The Withings Smart Kid Scale is available right now for $179.95(USD). Baby not included.

It seems like this is the year that many manufacturers are trying to get into the fitness tracking wristband market, which has been largely dominated by the Nike+ FuelBand since it came out. Now LG has outed a gadget which seems like a mashup of many different devices, all put onto your wrist.

The LG Smart Activity Tracker actually looks a lot like the Nike+ FuelBand, and has many of the same features. It has an accelerometer and altimeter to measure activity. It will know whether you’re walking, running, or sitting, and its data can synced to an app on Android smartphones. It will also work with LG Smart TVs to sync up with on-screen exercise programs. LG also plans on adding a heart-rate monitor, which would be a pretty cool addition.

Image Credit: Pocket-Lint

Unlike Nike’s device, LG’s wrist gadget can connect with your phone and tell you whether you receive notifications. Also, it has a touchscreen, which beats the FuelBand’s single button interface.

LG expects to release the Smart Activity Tracker this summer, but there’s no word yet on cost.

[via Pocket-Lint]

You need to do more than just brush if you want to keep your pearly whites, well, pearly white. Aside from brushing, it’s also recommended that you floss regularly. Unfortunately, a lot of people ignore this advice and end up with overall bad dental health in the end.

The convenient solution? The UltiBrush.

This brush aims to be the king of all brushes because it doesn’t just come with the brush. Rather, it’s packed with toothpaste in an internal compartment and comes with a mirror and dental floss at the bottom. The UltiBrush also comes with a cap that doubles as a rinse cup to make it an even more complete package.

It’s perfect for travelers because this single brush can basically replace your entire dental kit. The UltiBrush is good for forty uses before it’ll need to be replaced. It’s currently up for funding on Kickstarter, where a minimum pledge of $12(USD) will get you your very own brush.