Short takes for Thursday

Curious about the further adventures of the HAPIFork that debuted at CES 2013 and got a whole slew of awards? Spend a minute moment (audio 0:51) at lunch with two Health 2.0 writers and inventor Jacques Lépine. Don’t eat too fast or it will buzz–and you can see your eating patterns on HAPIFork’s online dashboard via Bluetooth to mobile or cable to PC. It finally made it to Kickstarter (20 percent to their goal) and $89 will get you one in September…..What is the Synergistic Physio-Neuro Platform (SynPhNe–pronounced ‘symphony’)? A new stroke rehabilitation system from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University for patients which have lost the use of an arm. The arm band monitors muscle movements through guided exercises, and if one can’t be completed, uses the sensor readings to determine why, and then explains it to the user so that they can improve. Gizmag….DARPA’s ARM (Autonomous Robotic Manipulation) is a heavyweight set of two robotic arms to perform coordinated actions and manipulate objects on task-level commands. Currently in test, potential is in heavy moving or dangerous situations including defusing unexploded IEDs. Have Two Arms, Will Work (Armed With Science)….Skype ‘n’ psych a no-no, according to Marlene M. Maheu, PhD, head of the TeleMental Health Institute, due to privacy concerns with the popular online video platform–and even secure telemedicine platforms may have liability problems for psychiatric use. Psychiatric Times.