Must have GIZMOS

Underwear that really helps you breathe!

What did your mom always told you when you were a youngster?

1. Always wear clean underwear
2. Take your vitamins

Now you can do both at the same time! Aussie Bum Essence, the new underwear that secretes vitamins into your skin:

The company says it has created a fabric that can hold liquid vitamins, and when the body heats up, those vitamins can be absorbed by the skin. They can even withstand 15 washings.

Recchia: "These babies are comfortable. When I first put them on it was sorta like Vicks Vaporub ... it was cooling and gentle."

But can your skivvies really provide you with the same benefits as eating fruits and veggies or taking supplements?

Julie Upton, Nutritionist: "It's very funny to say you have a vitamin laced pair of underwear. Is it going to do anything? No, probably not. But it's probably not going to hurt you either."

Universal Gear in Chelsea still plans to sell the Aussie Bum underwear because they understand the bottom line.

"It's not just about having clean underwear, it's about having fun underwear," a store clerk said.

More from Aussie Bum

Phonak - improving the quality of life for people with hearing impairment

As boomers age, their hearing ain’t what it used to be. They’ll be interested to know that there’s a company that’s learned how to mimic the natural way humans hear. Using technology called digital bionics, high-end Brit company Phonak is now shipping tiny behind-the-ear hearing aids that pack a chipset inside that’s reportedly as powerful as a Pentium processor. microSavia, Phonak’s latest type of hearing aid that’s just slightly bigger than a fingertip, is aimed at those whose hearing loss requires less amplification, so it can be built much smaller than previous models. Using a concept the company calls Digital SurroundZoom, its directional microphone technology sits in the smallest housing on the market for #13 batteries—it’s just 25mm long. Those graying boomers might like the way Phonak products are known as the “Lexus of hearing aids,” with a price tag to match. No pricing available yet on this microSavia model, but the company’s previously-released units sold for $3000 apiece, compared to the $1500 cost of most other hearing aids.  Source Gizmodo

Medtronic Personal Therapy Manager

Personal Therapy Manager (PTM) is a patient-activated PDA pain control device by Medtronic, for use with implanted SynchroMed® II drug pumps. Introduced by the company in November, the system is an FDA-approved chronic pain treatment that can respond to episodes of increased pain by delivering supplemental intrathecal doses of pain medication pre-prescribed by a physician, on patient's demand. Previously, patients with such pamps received a constant dose of pain medication that had been pre-set by a physician.

To learn more about the system, check out this Medtronic press release and the product website. Source BusinessWeek

The Fertell Product, the Male Fertility Home Test

Developed by the University of Birmingham in collaboration with London based medical devices company Genosis, this OTC mobile sperm counter will be available in the UK in a matter of days.

From the University of Birmingham press release:

The test works by forcing sperm to swim through a barrier, which mimics the female cervix. The device then measures the number of sperm, which swim beyond this point. By including a barrier, the device is able to accurately measure the concentration of active sperm, which is a key indicator of male fertility. If a high enough level of sperm is present in the sample a red line indicates a positive test. During the study the team looked at samples from 150 subjects. The test provided an accurate result in 95% of cases, whether the original sample showed a negative or positive test result.

During the development of the test the research team analysed more than 3000 individual sperm samples.

Professor Chris Barratt from the University of Birmingham Medical School who led the research said: "The Fertell test should provide couples who are trying to conceive with an early warning. At the moment many couples are advised to wait for around a year before seeking medical attention, but age can have a very significant negative impact on fertility, so having reliable information at an early stage can be a huge advantage."

US retail distribution launch is scheduled for 3rd quarter 2006.