by [TC]²
A monthly column of technology rambling, rumination and reality
By: Jud Early, Corporate Vice President, Research, [TC]²
September 2005
Hello, faithful readers,
Bicycle mechanics Orville and Wilbur Wright, accustomed to working with steel tubing and brazing techniques had to learn about woodworking and the use of fabric and wire as they constructed the first powered airplane. The chains and sprockets that were familiar components in the bicycle were repurposed to drive the primitive wooden propellers. By thinking beyond the known, the brothers were able to develop the concept of powered flight in a machine that was heavier than air.
Fast forward ninety years to an idea by Dr. David Gilbert, a well-known micro-surgeon who does reconstruction and cosmetic surgery. When Dr. Gilbert came to [TC]², his concept was to match clothing sizes to patients who requested procedures to “make them a size six”. For many women, the aspiration to be a smaller (and specific) size drove numerous requests for surgery to fit a particular pair of jeans.
As those of us that are in the apparel industry know, it is not currently possible to fit a given size, since there is no standardization of sizes among brand owners and manufacturers. Over several months, Dr. Gilbert pursued the idea of apparel sizing for adjusting the body size and shape through surgery. When this proved to be impractical, a new approach was conceived. Acquiring a whole body scanner, and beginning to utilize its output provided much valuable information about bodies that were to undergo surgery, progressing to performing “virtual surgery” prior to the actual, and guiding the surgeon by prescribing the amount of body tissue to remove, or in predicting the amount of augmentation that would be used in reshaping and augmenting the patient's body. With pre and multiple post surgery scans taken and analyzed, the process of cosmetic surgery and recovery was enhanced. In a manner akin to that of Wilbur and Orville, Dr. Gilbert's dream was realized, perhaps not in its initial concept, but in a better way than was first envisioned. A new company was formed to develop the techniques further, with financial backing from an investor as well as Dr Gilbert and another of his associate physicians. Dave Stefan, an engineer and former network equipment executive is the president of Novaptus, Inc. and is also dedicated to the research that has led to another out-of-the-box idea.
Body Mass Index,or BMI has been in the headlines lately as more concern for obesity in children and the general population is splashed through the media. It is a serious concern, and is not to be taken lightly. However, the calculation of BMI often overstates the degree of obesity, especially if the subject is fit, and has substantial weight in muscle mass. Through the analysis of hundreds of body scans, and the development of formulas for more accurately measuring body composition, a new term has been defined and is being assimilated into the medical community. The term is BARIX, a dimensionless value that more accurately describes the composition of bodies that have been scanned and computed with the new formulas.
For more information about the BARIX index and a discussion of its evolution, please click on the link below to visit the discussion article in the library. Working together, Dr Gilbert and Dave Stefan, have pioneered the use of this newly discovered medical measurement. Orville and Wilbur would have been proud.
I am forgoing my usual rant about security this month, in the hope that you will take the time to read the article linked above.
Be sure also to read the newly posted article in the library by Kim Anderson on non-woven fabrics for fashion items, and the article by Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Design Innovations and New Technologies.
As always, be safe in computing, and in life.
Jud
A New Method of Classifying Adiposity Using Height, Volume and Surface Area