Ring was deported from Japan twice: once in 2007 and again some time later after she slipped back into the country with her fake prints. Apparently, fingerprint altering procedures are becoming big business for shady doctors looking to make a quick buck. Japanese authorities claim that the practice is widespread in China, but if there is money to be made, I'm sure it is a problem all over the world.

In this case, prints from Ring's left hand were surgically implanted on her right—which makes me wonder why prints were not taken from both hands in the first place. Plus, the quality of the work suggests that $14,600 is a bargain basement, back alley price for surgery like this. Best to go top shelf when you're trying to do anything illegal. [BBC via The Register via PopSci]

Researchers at Iowa State University have designed software that can quickly and simply render a detailed 3D model of a patient's MRI and CAT scan results. The software, called BodyViz, claims two core advantages over similar technologies: It's easier to use, and it's set up to use with an Xbox 360 controller out of the box because, let's face it, to the latest crop of med school grads, old-school mice and trackballs are lame, bro.

Add a couple of stock FPS weapons, hook this thing up to some robotic arms with knives, fire up the laparoscope and bam: surgery, revolutionized. [IA State via BoingBoing]

This week, Gizmodo is exploring the enhanced human future in a segment we call This Cyborg Life. It's about what happens when we treat our body less as a sacred object and more as what it is: Nature's ultimate machine.

Last May, CNN Money estimated that due to inflation, that $6 million surgery would cost slightly over $26 million. But obviously the surgery in the original TV show wasn't quite medically accurate, and creating those bionic parts from scratch would actually cost somewhere between $50 and 100 million today—although after one successful prototype is completed, it could cost far less.

However, CNN Money posted this article in May 2008, before the world economy exploded. My learned estimate for how much the Six Million Dollar Man's surgery would cost today? Twelve bucks, and a hoagie. [CNN]

This week, Gizmodo is exploring the enhanced human future in a segment we call This Cyborg Life. It's about what happens when we treat our body less as a sacred object and more as what it is: Nature's ultimate machine.

Basically the the virtopsy bot (yes, "Virtibot") manipulates and dots the body with markings in order to measure and take a bunch of stereo images with its array of cameras. While the external structure and markings of a body are being documented, a CT scan takes care of the innards. The final 3D image is created which pathologists then use and abuse without worrying about deforming a deceased body. If need be, the Virtibot can use a needle to extract fluid or perform minimally intrusive biopsies.

Aside from being far neater than a traditional autopsy, virtual autopsies allow for archiving of the 3D bodies for later medical analysis or case comparison in the event of criminal trials. Not to mention that there'd never be another "Oops, I didn't mean to make that incision" hilarious coroner moment again. [New Scientist via Pop Sci]

The plasma knives are vaguely similar to tools currently used in radiosurgery, but rather than heating tissue directly and damaging it, they penetrate and cauterize it safely. While tools like this are great because they have the potential to save many lives in situations where proper hospital care is not an option, let's be honest: most of us just plain want some mini lightsabers. [Wired]

The thing about electroscalpels is that they put off gaeous ions, which, besides being something you shouldn't breath in, it so happens are perfect for being analyzed via mass spectrometry—a method of identifying molecules based on their mass and change. A spectrometer pulls in the fumes from the electroscalpel, and analysis of the chemical sample happens almost instantly, allowing surgeons to, in near real time, "draw a map and say this part is healthy liver, that is connective tissue, this is adipose tissue, that is cancer" according Zoltán Takáts, a Justus-Liebig University professor who came up with the idea.

Like any other technology-driven medical advance when it comes to cancer, it's not cheap to implement: The electrosurgery setup alone is 8 grand, while the mass spectrometry setup is $120,000. I wonder how much the first medical tricorder is gonna cost. [Technology Review]

We upgrade, update, and customize nearly everything, so why not our vision too? Reach for the stars and all that jazz. And even the tech fits the theme: some more common optical surgical procedures are actually based on NASA technology:

Wavefront technology, originally developed by NASA to aid the focus of the Hubble Space Telescope on distant stars, measures up to 250 spots in the pupil to provide a precise map of the cornea and iris. This offers the potential to correct problems not addressed by glasses, such as halos around lights at night or glare.

Fighter pilots, snipers, long-distance drivers, politicians, supermodels, and your average Sally or Joe Smith are getting eye surgery. Why? Some are doing it for vanity, to no longer have to wear glasses they may consider unsightly, or contacts that may be a hassle. Others are doing it to advance in their careers: some pilots wouldn't be allowed to fly without meeting certain vision requirements, and others just wantbetter than normal vision.

Gradually it's becoming more and more common for patients to request procedures which will over-correct or modify their corneas with goals other than simple 20/20 vision in mind. Those pilots might want better night vision and the speech givers want to avoid wearing reading glasses and request monovision. That's great, but what about that Yankees catcher who gets surgery to see the balls flying at him better? While no one will care much about other cases, there could eventually be argument that his vision surgery is some form of unfair enhancement.

Potential arguments and debates aside, it's not all just about boosting career aspirations and vanity though. Dr. Julian Stevens of Moorfields Eye Hospital, an expert on laser refractive surgery, gives an example of how "customized" vision helped a patient's quality of life:

"One of my patients led an active life and had high-quality distance vision. When he became paralyzed from the neck down, his world became smaller - reading and television. Spectacles on your nose become painful if you can't shift them." The solution? Mr Stevens made him slightly short-sighted.

I must admit that this particular example made me cringe a little bit. What are the ethics of downgrading someone's vision at his or her request even if it's for an improvement in lifestyle. No matter. There's some great potential for both good and evil in it, so I'll be paying attention to advances in this whole custom-tailored vision trend, because my death glare definitely needs some upgrading. [Times Online]

Photo by bogenfreund

The old da Vinci was alright, but the new da Vinci Si surgical system displays your intestines in 3D HD (a perspective created through a double-camera, double-display stereoscopic system) so that a surgeon can marvel at the efficiency of your GI tract and feel like those vital organs are right there.

So would you prefer a surgeon to perform your next operation, or a surgeon behind the da Vinci? We'd prefer a normal surgeon donning old school blue and red 3D glasses. [da Vinci via medgadget]

He'll be back on a training bike in a few days, with his chances for the Tour in July still up in the air. Feel better, Lance. Have them install some synthetic muscles in there while you're recovering. [SFgate, Deadspin, Twitter, Twitpic]

The scientists discovered that this method of mending makes the skin less likely to tear and is much more watertight than traditional needle and thread stitches. So far, experiments on real patients have found that the wounds heal faster and with less scaring.

They're hoping that their invention will be in operating rooms around the world in a few years. [Reuters]

Researchers at Australia's Monash University developed the tiny motor to minimalize the risk of certain, more invasive surgeries. After being injected into the bloodstream, it can carry a camera and other sensors to monitor a patient without the danger that cutting and sewing presents. To move, it uses a spinning tail that spirals at 1295 RPM, and uses piezoelectricity (which uses mechanical stress to create electrical potential) for energy.

Oh, and here's my required Fantastic Voyage reference: This bloodstream sperm motor is named for that movie I never saw! [GizMag]

Doctors were able to fuse a titanium alloy rod to her bone and the skin healed naturally around it—creating a protective seal. "The technique, intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prosthesis, or Itap, is based on reindeer antlers, which naturally grow through the skin without any problems." This prevents infection and eliminates the need for traditional strap and socket prosthesis. Battery-powered sensors allow her to control the movement of her hand by flexing muscles in her upper arm.

Yeah, its a bit creepy sounding—but it is also remarkable. This kind of technology could greatly improve the lives of people who rely on prosthetic limbs. [BBC and Daily Mail via Boing Boing Gadgets]

As you can see from the photos to the left, the laser-healed cut on the bottom healed much better than the suture-sewn cut on top. So how do they keep the laser safe and prevent it from doing more damage than good?

To overcome this problem, Katzir and his colleagues developed a laser-based system with a feedback loop that prevents overheating. First, they had to determine the optimal temperature at which flesh melts but can still heal (about 65 degrees Celsius). Then the group created a pen-sized tool that incorporates optic fibers: one that channels a carbon dioxide-powered infrared laser to the wound with pinpoint precision, and another that leads from the pen to an infrared sensor, which measures the temperature and ensures that the heat remains within the ideal range, between 60 and 70 degrees. All a surgeon has to do is move the pen's tip along the cut, strengthening and sealing the weld with a solder of water-soluble protein.

Sounds awesome and scary. Bring on the laser sutures! [Technology Review]

The system uses a 3D ultrasound system to gather data on the heart's shape and movements, and some custom software then predicts the position of the heart 70 to 100 milliseconds ahead of time. A robotic surgical tool then slides back and forth to compensate, allowing surgery to take place on the particular area of the heart of interest and ignoring how that area is moving around.

The tool's still in development, but it's already demonstrated success in animal trials, and the promise of simpler and less dangerous procedures for surgery like mitral valve repair is pretty amazing. If you can stomach the sight of a little blood, there's a short video of the system in action here. It's one of those tricky modern questions... would you let an essentially robotic system operate on you? I sure would, if it meant going home from heart surgery in a few weeks rather than months. [Technologyreview via Slashdot]

I implanted a RFID chip in my hand. I injected the chip myself from supplies bought on the internet. This tag is readable from up to 2 inches from my hand.

I am currently using it to open my handgun safe for instant access. I can have a gun in hand in one second in blackness without fumbling with buttons or codes.

If you are convinced that this is the "Mark of the Beast", then from one Christian to another I hope you read the Book of Revelation and apply more understanding to it that what you hear from those who only offer fear.

Get your Gideons/veterinary surgery kits out and check out Quethe's full posting at BoingBoing Gadgets or YouTube [BBG]

This isn't the first time it's happened either—the Journal of Japan Society for Clinical Anesthesia has multiple reports of electric knives causing fires. Apparently, it's a risk when tracheal tubes supply oxygen with a concentration of 40 percent or more. Remind me to never get get on with an electric knife, as badass as that sounds. [Mainichi via IS Online]

The nurse applied a series of numbing drops to my eyeball, each stronger than the previous. The doctor clamped my lids back with a metal tool. I felt a bracket hold my eye down and someone in the operating room gave the order, "Suction."

A whirring sound commenced and my eyeball felt like it was being sucked up and out of my skull, elongated like a green grape between a Roman emperor's fingers, ready to burst. The bright blue-white light grew closer. As the pressure killed circulation in the eye things went black and I felt an arcing slice in the surface of my cornea—I did not move my jaw or tongue or mouth, but deep in my throat I uncontrollably whimpered, "THAT HURT!" and hoped no one heard me. I hoped the other eye would not feel the same. It did not, as the drops had actually taken full effect by the time it was sliced open with a beam of light. The rest was, as they said in the brochure, physically painless.

A few days earlier on Linda Del Mar beach, a wave knocked me off my longboard. Under the turbulence, both contact lenses were flushed out of my eyes. It was impossible for me to catch any more waves with the remainder of my eyesight. Although I'd entertained the idea for years on and off, it was right there that I decided to get LASIK done as soon as I could. A friend told me he'd had good success at LasikPlus. Coincidentally, my vision plan gave a hefty discount there, so I figured I would try them out. It was them or the LASIK doctor from Family Guy:

I went for a free consultation. Their office was like any other doctor's office, with one exception. In the middle—behind a giant glass window that everyone in the waiting room could see—was an operating chair situated in between giant boxy machines. They had overhanging beaks positioned as if ready to feast on whoever was strapped into the seat.

The optometrist concluded I was a good candidate for the surgery, based on having light to middle nearsightedness, slight astigmatism and otherwise healthy eyes. She showed me a brochure with all the options I could get: The $900 base package uses a scalpel to cut open the cornea and then a broad UV laser whose every zap removes tissue 1/500th of a human hair in thickness. I opted for the $2000 package, which opened the cornea with a laser instead of a scalpel and tracked a custom map of my eye's irregularities, treating it sector by sector. This wavefront guided analysis is the same tech NASA used to detect and counter irregularities in high-powered telescopes. This would reduce halos around bright lights and "dramatically improve vision." According to a study I do not know enough about to believe, it was more likely to better than 20/20 vision with such a package than without. The Navy recommends this version of LASIK for its aviators. And if it's good enough for Top Gun, it was good enough for me, regardless of cost. (These quotes are per eye.)

I was surprised to discover when I went in later that others were getting the basic surgery. I winced as one lady's eye was cut by a scalpel in a device akin to a carpenter's plane. Another lady—whose husband was getting it later depending on how hers went—complained about night vision problems but didn't opt for the costlier halo-reducing procedure. I found this astounding considering the banners on LasikPlus's site offering 0% financing.

Someone asked the nurse what the difference was between the cheap and the expensive LASIK and she said something that might not have been exactly endorsed by the company: The expensive one was like high-definition TV and the cheaper one was like standard-definition, but they both get the job done. I thought to myself, "Like hell standard definition gets the job done!" Yet everyone in the room nodded as if they were still using VHS at home.

On the Saturday before the lasering, I had gone surfing with my contacts but was told to wear glasses for the next three days to ready my eyes for the operation. Hard lenses need to be left out for 4-6 weeks before surgery since they greatly affect the shape of the eyeball.

Wearing my glasses again, I appreciated the nice titanium frames and ultrathin glass. I realized there was a lot to be said for how glasses made me feel. In 7th grade, I'd noticed difficulty making out the blackboard, but avoided getting them and got through math class by squinting. The teacher reported me to the nurse, and I got stuck with some hideous gold colored ones with horn rimmed earpieces. I felt self conscious in them, almost diminished.

That feeling went away as I grew up and earned some nerd pride, but I have always allowed myself to say geekier things and do more socially awkward things when wearing them. I could futz with my phone instead of carrying on in a group conversation, push my glasses up my nose and laugh slightly louder than usual at slightly stupider things, and expect people to chalk it up to nerdiness. I think I might miss this, for all the advantages of having laser-enhanced vision.

On the day of the operation, the doctor spoke to the patients in the waiting room. The entire procedure would take about 15 seconds per eye. There was nothing we could possibly do to cause the surgery to fail, but please do not shake our legs. (?!?) Lisa asked me at least 5 times if I was scared. It made me wonder if I looked scared, because I didn't think I was scared and if I looked scared that means I was so scared I didn't even realize it. Which all freaked me out. A lot.

Once my corneas were cut open and I experienced that initial pain, I was definitely frightened, and escaped to a corner of my mind where I would not think too much about all the things they were doing to my eyes and what my life would be like if I happened to be the "less than 1%" of patients with vision-reducing complications.

I was already in this mental cone of silence when the doctor lifted up the covers of my eyeball flaps using what looked like metal chopsticks, mixing around a stir fry while I watched, first-person perspective, from within the wok. I was shifted under the largest machine in the room, its eye a flashing red/orange light. It reminded me of a Discovery Channel feature on exploding stars. There was a sound, a clicking like that from a Tesla coil, and the smell of ozone, which went on for 15 seconds as the nurse counted down. My eyes were clamped, and I felt I was being burned alive (even though LASIK's UV laser does no thermal damage to tissue). I was told not to attempt to move or blink, which of course, makes you move and blink. The muscles in my eye fought the devices holding me steady, and before I could calm myself down, the laser had already stopped.

The doctor finished my second eye, and had me sit up. There was fog everywhere and contrast was abysmal, but my vision had improved by measures of sharpness. I slept in the car ride home as Lisa drove, and as the painkillers wore off. The hard part began: I was to avoid all optical stimulation and sleep the rest of the day. At one point, I could handle it no longer and I checked my email. All of it.

I was told that the next morning I would have a miraculous, life-changing experience as I woke up without any need for glasses or contacts. Actually, it was not so miraculous. My healing eyes could see somewhat sharply but with a lot of haze. It was similar to sleeping with my contacts in. I took off the racquetball-style eye shield I was to sleep with for a week, and began the steroid and antibiotic eye-drop treatment, which I'd also keep up for a week. I got dressed and went for my check up appointment. And that was when the miracle happened.

I got in front of that damn eye chart and, even through the haze, smoked the exam's 20/20 line. Had my eyes been clearer, I would have read the letters on the 20/15 line, too. Not bad for $4K, a laser in my eyes for less than a minute and a day's worth of healing.

After I get used to the sharpness, I am sure I will be worried about being one of the few percentage of people who walk away from LASIK dissatisfied. (Wikipedia cites four studies that indicate post-op satisfaction anywhere from 92% to 98%, but that's still a lot of people pissed off.) Even if things go perfectly, they say it will take 3-6 months to heal completely, during which my vision will be irregular. Eyeballs might be dryer at times than I'd want them to be. The biggest problems I have now are the night time halos, which supposedly will improve over time, especially with the wavefront guided method my eyes were carved up with and the terrible, terrible bloodshot I have from the suction device. They say this may take a few weeks to clear up, and while I'm waiting, I have been wearing sunglasses at night and apologizing for them. Annoying.

None of this bothers me much, save the fact that newer, better, safer technology will come around sooner or later, and my eyes may end up as out-of-date as back-to-school iPods. There is talk of using the laser to cut the flap, which is of lower disruption to the corneal tissue, to complete the entire operation, soon. And I do not know if my eyes will be forward-compatible, having already been sliced. Still, for now I remain top-of-the-line, and I would gladly endure 10 times the (mostly imaginary) pain of LASIK to gain the quality of eyesight found in elite Major League Baseball pitchers.

[Thanks to Lisa for feeding me, driving me home and taking that video.]

Spinal cord simulators are nothing new, but the size of the Eon Mini combined with the fact that it is easily recharged make it a viable solution for people with severe back problems or other chronic conditions. Unfortunately, it may be awhile before you can have one implanted for your bad back, gimpy knee and pesky RSI. [LiveScience]

The FDA's just okayed it for marketing in the US, so it may be coming to an OR near you soon. [Peak Surgical via Medgadget]

Research conducted with nine patients fitted with the implant revealed that the average caloric intake went down by about 500 calories a day and the average weight loss over nine months was equivalent to 30% of the excess body weight. Those numbers pale in comparison to what gastric bypass can deliver, but the risk involved with the procedure is drastically reduced—so much so that it may be appropriate for individuals who do not fit into the "morbidly obese" category. Testing is expected to continue in the US and Australia with 300 more patients in the coming months. [Technology Review via DVICE]