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Paper Centrifuge

gizmodo.com

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Re: Paper Centrifuge

#101

Post by sohkamyung »

hackuser wrote: post #82
nneonneo wrote: post #41

As usual, what you really want to do is read the paper: http://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-016-0009 This is a well-written and very clear paper. It covers several aspects that went unmentioned in the Gizmodo article, and highlights that although building such a device may be trivial, evaluating and studying it is not. Some highlights: the paper covers how the device was built in detail, including information on th…

> As usual, what you really want to do is read the paper: An aside: If you are not reading Nature you may be missing out on a lot. I would guess the same applies to Science. Only the back half of Nature is actual research papers, which often are indeed very slow going. The other half is science news written clearly - it's fascinating, not a chore at all - and with a level of knowledge and sophistication unmatched els…

Agree. Nature News and Comment [1] is where I usually go first for my science news

- [1] http://www.nature.com/news/

Re: Paper Centrifuge

#102

Post by dm3730 »

pg314 wrote: post #58
HCIdivision17 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those expensive medical machines require a lot of infrastructure to operate properly. You could get a machine there, but you likely couldn't provide it clean and reliable power without additional equipment and technicians to maintain it. Bootstrapping infrastructure is stupendously hard and expensive (and is a huge measure of a country's wealth - a lot of the US wealth is tied up in structural infrastructure like pow…

Exactly. One of the things the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project initially ignored was the infrastructure needed, such as electricity and internet access.

> initially ignored

Initially? Has that changed now?

The founder, Nicholas Negroponte went on tear around the world claiming to have saved millions of children and being the father of tablet computing. He even talked about throwing OLPCs out of helicopters on to those brown and black masses. Even claimed that mothers would be better off getting a laptop than subsidized food. I recall he shat on some reporter who had the audacity to quote UNDP analysis that showed spending on lunch-at-school programs had far more impact than spending on teacher technology.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395763,00.asp

Re: Paper Centrifuge

#103

Post by lightedman »

oh_sigh wrote: post #53
lightedman wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then, much like now, I'm too busy with minerals and the inordinate amounts of money people will pay for them.

It must be tough having no free time over 26 years. Hope retirement goes well for you!

Retirement? That doesn't happen to workaholics like myself.

Re: Paper Centrifuge

#104

Post by MaulingMonkey »

readhn wrote: post #35
hxegon wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not really sure what you are trying to say here. If you have a better solution to centrifuge availability than a 20c one made out of paper, please enlighten us.

yes i have a better solution - kill one of those multibillion military projects and redirect the money to buy lifesaving medical equipment to the places that need it. equip research facilities with equipment and provide local training. paper centrifuge? its like a slap on the face.

> yes i have a better solution

Now implement it.

Paper Centrifuge s seems like one of many reasonable stopgaps until your better solution is realized. It'd be sad if we let people die simply because we looked down on practical solutions for not being high-tech enough.

Re: Paper Centrifuge

#106

Post by agumonkey »

onchance wrote: post #95

The lab behind this invention is led by Manu Prakash, a MacArthur Fellow [1] with a knack for unconventional solutions. He's the same guy who developed Foldscope, an ultra low cost microscope [2][3]. [1]: https://www.macfound.org/fellows/965/ [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foldscope [3]: https://www.ted.com/talks/manu_prakash_a_50_cent_microscope_...

Heh, not surprising. I must follow this Man.

Re: Paper Centrifuge

#107

Post by MaulingMonkey »

readhn wrote: post #31
witty_username wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because borders stop them from accessing much greater wages. Even if you find the situation bad, these researchers helped improve the situation.

i understand that they do what they have to do. but lets not kid ourselves that this is some kind of solution that those people deserve. its an interesting student project, sure, if all equipment fails - there is a way to get your hematocrit count manually. How would most of us feel if we came into an office for a blood draw and saw this toy? At the same time when there are machines widely available that will do comp…

> How would most of us feel if we came into an office for a blood draw and saw this toy?

Oh, good, I don't have to reschedule this appointment just because a firmware update took out their centrifuges. Eh? There's been a mass outbreak and the centrifuges are just busy?

Frantic centrifuging

Re: Paper Centrifuge

#108

Post by witty_username »

readhn wrote: post #31
witty_username wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because borders stop them from accessing much greater wages. Even if you find the situation bad, these researchers helped improve the situation.

i understand that they do what they have to do. but lets not kid ourselves that this is some kind of solution that those people deserve. its an interesting student project, sure, if all equipment fails - there is a way to get your hematocrit count manually. How would most of us feel if we came into an office for a blood draw and saw this toy? At the same time when there are machines widely available that will do comp…

> How would most of us feel if we came into an office for a blood draw and saw this toy?

"I might be dying of malaria; I don't care"

Re: Paper Centrifuge

#109

Post by HCIdivision17 »

dm3730 wrote: post #102
pg314 wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. One of the things the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project initially ignored was the infrastructure needed, such as electricity and internet access.

> initially ignored Initially? Has that changed now? The founder, Nicholas Negroponte went on tear around the world claiming to have saved millions of children and being the father of tablet computing. He even talked about throwing OLPCs out of helicopters on to those brown and black masses. Even claimed that mothers would be better off getting a laptop than subsidized food. I recall he shat on some reporter who had…

I'm not sure, but I think pg314 is making reference to the hand crank that could be used to power the laptop. I don't think it was initially included in the design (I may be wrong on that). I also heard rumor it wasn't a smashing success as a power supply, but it was so long ago that I don't remember the details terribly well.

I'm actually far more optimistic these days about tech in difficult areas. The computing power (and screens!) we can get out of just a small battery is phenomenal compared to OLPC's time.

Re: Paper Centrifuge

#110

Post by lb1lf »

fryguy wrote: post #83
lb1lf wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True story: The company I work for make some pretty hefty winches for offshore use. Think ROVs, subsea oil installation, salvage &c. Years ago, one of our customers had ignored a number of increasingly strongly worded safety bulletins, the end result being that just as they were going to hoist their megabuck ROV back aboard, the winch motors stopped and - for an encore - it turned out they hadn't tested the brake in…

I work at a company that makes ROVs, and your story sounds very similar to a story I heard a few years back. I wonder if it was one of ours that got dropped.

Depends. If your employer happens to be named Schilling, we may need to get together for a beer. :)
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