Predicted first use: Skateboarders and bicyclists with rich parents.
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 25th, 2008 at 04:30 and is filed under News You Can Use..
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2 Responses to “Wearable airbags keep the elderly from hitting the ground so hard”
Human nature shows as the young or the healthy laugh but this has the potential to save many lives and many millions of dollars.
The basic concept was for the epeleptics, for whom this is a constant problem. The elderly have thier own concerns, for them a fall and a broken hip is often a death sentance. There ar many other health conditions that this would povide an unprecidented level of safety. Many Millions of health care dollars, a lot of it taxpayer dollars, could be saved if this product reaches it’s full potential.
It’s new. The technology will be improved and the price will drop. Many lives will be saved. Cool Beans!
Michael, you seem to be under the misapprehension that “saving lives” is an absolute good, worth any trouble or expense no matter how great.
I’m prepared to argue the contra on that.
Certainly it may save lives (although I have my doubts about the “millions of dollars”), but at whose expense? If the people who have the problem are the ones paying for it, that’s fine. Unfortunately, in the modern political climate there is a tendency for the people who spend our tax money to spend it on things that they think would be really neat to have, whether or not that’s included in why they have spending authority over our money.
Those who are in danger of falling down can avoid it by staying in bed all day, a solution that is substantially cheaper than this technological marvel. Of course, they don’t want to do that. So they have to weigh the costs and benefits — or ought to; not a lot of people bother with that aspect of it these days.
September 26th, 2008 at 06:58
Human nature shows as the young or the healthy laugh but this has the potential to save many lives and many millions of dollars.
The basic concept was for the epeleptics, for whom this is a constant problem. The elderly have thier own concerns, for them a fall and a broken hip is often a death sentance. There ar many other health conditions that this would povide an unprecidented level of safety. Many Millions of health care dollars, a lot of it taxpayer dollars, could be saved if this product reaches it’s full potential.
It’s new. The technology will be improved and the price will drop. Many lives will be saved. Cool Beans!
September 26th, 2008 at 07:33
Michael, you seem to be under the misapprehension that “saving lives” is an absolute good, worth any trouble or expense no matter how great.
I’m prepared to argue the contra on that.
Certainly it may save lives (although I have my doubts about the “millions of dollars”), but at whose expense? If the people who have the problem are the ones paying for it, that’s fine. Unfortunately, in the modern political climate there is a tendency for the people who spend our tax money to spend it on things that they think would be really neat to have, whether or not that’s included in why they have spending authority over our money.
Those who are in danger of falling down can avoid it by staying in bed all day, a solution that is substantially cheaper than this technological marvel. Of course, they don’t want to do that. So they have to weigh the costs and benefits — or ought to; not a lot of people bother with that aspect of it these days.