Well, here we are in the future...

[PeacefulWarrior]

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- Electronics group Philips said Thursday it is launching a new software package in the United States that uses MRI technology to more precisely pinpoint cancer in patients who need to have radiation therapy.

The technology will spare more noncancerous tissue the harmful effects of radiation, Philips, based in the Netherlands, said in a news release.

Philips said the software package, called AcQSim MR and used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, is the first of its kind. It is especially beneficial for patients with prostate, brain, head, neck and spine cancer, and soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities.

"Our studies have shown that the addition of MR images has improved our targeting accuracy particularly for tumors in soft tissue like prostate cancer," said Dr. Gary Freedman, a radiation oncologist at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, a center that worked with Philips on studying the new technology.

"Using MRI for simulation, we are able to design a more precise treatment plan to target the disease and spare more normal tissue," Freedman added.

The software package will be available immediately in the United States.



fides quaerens intellectum

[ralphm]

And now news of low-tech. I heard recently that scientists were looking at training dogs to "sniff out" people to see if they have cancer.

[alpha]

LOL @Ralphm

Im still wating for my vacation  home on the moon.

How long do you think it will take for people to convert to a cleaner running car?I think that its not going to happen,unless people get a very clear message that we are all going to die from smog.

Maybe they could lower the insurance rates on those specific cars.More people might buy them.As for me,Ill prob. be the last person on earth to give up my car.LOL



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"your divine awareness awakens all the love in your being.Hating and  fearing forsaken,gone are the guilt and the blame.Your soul forgives,your divinity lives"
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[PeacefulWarrior]

and I for one am a little excited.  Imagine the day all of our cars run without the need of gas and our computers fit in the the palm of our hands, well, they do already...but not everyone has them yet.  Anyway, I am going to continually add posts to this thread that have to do with new tech.  I hope people post their own articles, ideas and opinons too!
Thanks,
Dan

New clean, quiet cars guzzle hydrogen
Experimental autos offer clean alternative to gasoline
By Jeordan Legon
Thursday, October 10, 2002 Posted: 11:35 AM EDT (1535 GMT)


 
The Mercedes fuel cell car mixes hydrogen with oxygen to make electricity.  



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(CNN) -- They don't use gasoline or electricity, but these new Honda and Mercedes-Benz cars can whiz by at speeds up to 93 mph.

The new fuel cell cars are powered by hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, and they are pollution and noise free.

The mayor of smog-choked Los Angeles, Jim Hahn, likes them so much he signed a lease with Honda this week that will put city employees behind the wheel of five of the experimental cars by year's end.

"Hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles hold great promise for future clean air vehicles," Hahn said in a press release. "It's important that Los Angeles play a leading role in development and early use of this technology."

Not to be outdone, DaimlerChrysler also announced this week the production of a fleet of Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars in the U.S. and Europe. Like Honda's cars, the DaimlerChrysler cars get their power from compressed hydrogen, which mixes with oxygen to create electricity.

But finding a fueling station won't be easy. Companies who agree to use Mercedes-Benzes' 60 fuel cell cars will also have to install hydrogen-filling stations, and a Honda spokesman said his company plans a mobile refueling unit.

 
Honda's fuel cell vehicle can reach speeds of 93 mph.  



If all that compressed hydrogen sounds dangerous, DaimlerChrysler spokesman Max Gates offered some reassurance.

"The engineering has been done with the fuel tanks to ensure their safety in all kinds of conditions, including collisions," he said.

Honda said its cars are certified by the California Air Resources Board and the Environmental Protection Agency.

And the company claims its fuel cell cars even outlast the Mercedes version, covering 220 miles before needing refueling. The Mercedes car is a hydrogen guzzler in comparison -- getting only 90 miles per tank.

Pressure mounts
While the auto industry has tested hydrogen-powered cars for years, this is the first time that automakers are letting average drivers have the keys, a crucial step before the cars can be introduced to the general market.

That's not likely to happen for a decade or longer while more testing is done, Gates said.

Hydrogen is the latest in a long line of alternative fuels considered by automakers: electricity, methanol and natural gas among them.

With pressure to introduce more zero-emission vehicles -- including a California law requiring a percentage of new cars sold in that state to produce no smog -- the car industry is in a race to find a new fuel that will click with consumers.

Blame game
Car industry critics say the problem lies with automakers reticent to shell out millions of dollars to develop the technology. Carmakers blame consumers for not embracing alternative fuel vehicles.

With environmental damage from vehicle emissions mounting, many fleets of alternative fuel cars will have to hit the road to clean the air, said Richard Varenchik, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board.

"It's really for the automakers to decide to a great extent when they will introduce the cars to a wide enough market and then for the public to use them," Varenchik said.



fides quaerens intellectum