Stop and Smell the....Scooter?

On the one hand, advances in med-tech have an adverse impact on the cost of health insurance; after all, the "new stuff" often (usually?) costs more, at least for first-adopters. Of course, a couple generations in, the costs generally go down (bought a SmartPhone lately?). Sometimes, though, it's not about the money, but the result:

"The severely disabled, including those "locked in" to their bodies as a result of accidents or disease, may soon have a new way to communicate and move around ... By sniffing in and out through their noses, more than a dozen quadriplegics were able to control computers that allowed them to write and to guide a wheelchair."

It's easy to see the humor in that, but the empowerment of those who find themselves so physically challenged is undeniable. Developed by a team of Israeli scientists, the device has so far been tested on about a dozen or so "severely disabled patients," with mixed (albeit promising) success. More testing and refinement is planned, so keep your eye out for some creative ads from the local Scooter Store.