IT Trends :: Thursday, June 8, 2006
New Technology
Crosswalk Releases iGrid Intelligent Storage Grid System
Among the first to utilize this new system is the University of Utah's Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC). A CHPC administrator says the new technology "can provide computing services and storage capacity on a shared basis, enable collaboration across project teams, and allow researchers to concentrate on their work instead of their storage problems." The technology also offers a single view of the entire storage environment, which, combined with a policy-driven architecture, simplifies what were previously complex and time-consuming management tasks… (HPCwire)
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DukeCapture: Automated Classroom Lecture Recording
This new technology "will allow instructors to easily record audio, video, and visuals from a lecture, knowing that the files will be available online shortly after class." Instructors schedule a time when the recording should begin, and the system captures the audio and visual components, synchronizing the lecturer’s voice with projected slides, videos, or other visual materials. It then compresses the files and delivers them to a server for download. Great idea, but how can it be maintained?… (EDUCAUSE)
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Computerized Records Help UNC Health Care Doctors Treat Patients
University of North Carolina Health Care System uses an IBM-developed "Web-based interoperable health record system that lets 7,000 caregivers across hospital inpatient units and dozens of outpatient clinics and other settings access medical data for more than 1 million patient visits annually." Via the Web and using a secure single sign-on, UNC Health Care's 2,000 physicians can access patient data including lab reports, medical imaging, scheduling, disease prevention applications, and patients' hospital progress notes from their homes and offices. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center also uses a similar system… (InformationWeek)
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Robots Help Hospitalized Students Keep Up
PEBBLES (Providing Education By Bringing Learning Environments to Students) is a two-robot program that allows students to participate in classes from their hospital beds. One robot stays beside the student, projecting the classroom in real time. The other robot is actually in
class, giving the student what this article calls "actual presence in the classroom, recognized by teachers and classmates." From the hospital, the student can raise the classroom robot's hand, turn its head, and zoom its scope. The robots can even wear T-shirts… (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
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