Xbox 360 being used to detect heart defects

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 25th 2009 at 4:00AM }

We've suffered our fair share of broken hearts at the hands of the Red Ring of Death -- now, the Xbox 360 is being used to mend our ailing blood-pumpers. A computer scientist at the University of Warwick in England recently did some sweet console modification to allow his 360 to calculate heart rhythms using a complex algorithm. Microsoft's console is capable of performing these calculations five times faster (and 10 times cheaper) than a lab computer, and has the added benefit of letting its users play Madden in between bursts of scientific study.

To sum up, the 360 is now being used to cure heart disease, and the PS3 is being used to cure cancer. Ball's in your court, Nintendo.

Tags: health, heart, heart-disease, medical, microsoft, science, university-of-warwick, xbox-360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

andrew @ Sep 25th 2009 4:05AM

Nintendo need to hurry out the Wii vitality sensor if they want to capture the medical market :p

Captain Planet [Planeteer | Power of Captain Planet] @ Sep 25th 2009 12:36PM

They will...once they figure out what the hell it's going to do.

Everready @ Sep 25th 2009 4:06AM

and the wii can cure...

CubeGuy @ Sep 25th 2009 8:14PM

Boredom?

(Don't hate me. I love my PS3/360 just as much. It was just too easy)

Mike G. @ Sep 25th 2009 4:07AM

Isn't the Wii curing fatness?

Metalsocks @ Sep 25th 2009 4:12AM

This made my night/morning.

Hydrophobicfish (PSN: HydrophobicFish) @ Sep 25th 2009 10:26AM

We prefer to be called "the motor-scooter enabled" not "fat."

Steven W. @ Sep 25th 2009 4:09AM

Wow. I'm speechless.

Premature ejaculation man @ Sep 25th 2009 4:11AM

Nintendo is too busy ruining TVs and causing tennis elbow to care
=p

ShiftyPowers57 @ Sep 25th 2009 4:14AM

Sucksbox, I agree.

seriousam7 @ Sep 25th 2009 4:19AM

Where the hell has Mr. Intelligence run off to??

seriousam7 @ Sep 25th 2009 4:20AM

Oh wow, thanks comment system!

Meant for the comment above me.

atomicstrawberry @ Sep 25th 2009 4:22AM

Madden? At a university in the UK?

I think you might be overestimating just how popular that particular franchise and/or sport is outside of the US...

WEEEGEEE! @ Sep 25th 2009 4:51AM

which does make me wonder if anyone plays cricket in the US?

Charades @ Sep 25th 2009 4:58AM

People don't even know what cricket is in the U.S.

atomicstrawberry @ Sep 25th 2009 5:02AM

I think more people play it than you'd expect. There's lots of UK, Indian and Australian expats working in the US that organise games and stuff. But it's a good comparison regardless.

Mazrael @ Sep 25th 2009 7:35AM

Football is our main sport (not handegg).. then maybe rugby, golf or tennis.. oh, cricket too..

Boff @ Sep 25th 2009 7:37AM

All the hip scientists are playing Trials HD these days...

It's the phsyics, get's 'em every time!

XBL: xGeneral DEATHx PSN: Deeth82 [Planeteer | Power of General Hostility and Angst] @ Sep 25th 2009 7:51AM

You've gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket.

FNG @ Sep 25th 2009 7:52AM

@ Charades a

FU! I'm American and I know what cricketᶺ is. I stepped on one yesterday. Bitch!

:)

GewurztraminerX @ Sep 25th 2009 8:24AM

US understanding of cricket is largely misunderstood among the science fiction novel reading community.

Which is to say, should we ever find ourselves in attendance of such an event, we will most likely meet our untimely demise as the end of the world comes to pass.

LegendaryRedass @ Sep 25th 2009 8:36AM

Cricket makes good fishbait.

whylekat @ Sep 25th 2009 8:49AM

Scientists DON'T play or watch football.

And General Death deserves 3+ hearts for that amazing Ninja Turtle reference!!

ElStefio @ Sep 25th 2009 9:08AM

I get the impression Brockian Ultra-Cricket would appeal more to Americans than the traditional style...

Ian Boyle @ Sep 25th 2009 4:22AM

Actually the Wiimote has been used to help train surgeons. http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/wiimote-used-to-train-surgeons/1234508

WEEEGEEE! @ Sep 25th 2009 4:42AM

ah the xbox, it does indeed do everything, except read this website.

drumwiz86 @ Sep 25th 2009 4:47AM

So...how is he running unsigned code?

birchi @ Sep 25th 2009 5:10AM

I guess he would be using the free60 XeLL JTAG hack although that also means he would have to be using one of the last remaining Xenon consoles which hasn't RROD'd yet.

birchi @ Sep 25th 2009 5:18AM

Actually, scratch the Xenon restriction, that only applies to some homebrew apps that are floating around, the hack itself apparantly works on all hardware revisions so long as the Summer '09 dash update hasn't been applied.

Tiptup300 @ Sep 25th 2009 5:59AM

or...xna.

The Baron @ Sep 25th 2009 7:43AM

This is a bit of a dilemma. The 360 gives a lot of computing performance for a very cheap price, making it ideal for a lot of scientific pursuits. BUT, if MS were to make it open, then 95% of the use would just be for piracy.

Maybe they should have some kind of system where you can apply for permits to do it with some official support. Of course, if they're as fast in that as in the XBLM certification process, it might take months to get your license.

drumwiz86 @ Sep 25th 2009 8:07AM

I forgot about XNA...mega fail on my part

Tiptup300 @ Sep 25th 2009 1:39PM

Baaron, the 360 has xna.

Spartan [Planeteer | Power of Sunshine & Lollipops] @ Sep 25th 2009 4:50AM

The Wii will be able to cure arthritis, R.S.I. and Carpal tunnel syndrome!

(after it causes them)

solarshadows074 @ Sep 25th 2009 4:52AM

read the article fuck.
"and the PS3 is being used to cure cancer"

Rop @ Sep 25th 2009 5:22AM

Aww, bless the irony in this...

Jason @ Sep 25th 2009 7:16AM

I thought the Wii was already being tested and used for therapy for Parkinsons patients? Also there have been quite a few physical therapy articles with regard to the Wii.

here's a link to one of the Parkinsons articles. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article6840314.ece

-Vexx- @ Sep 25th 2009 7:16AM

What if it RROD's?

Then what?

deaftly (PSN,LIVE,STEAM) @ Sep 25th 2009 8:03AM

Then YOU die.

sonicspike41 @ Sep 25th 2009 8:16AM

In Soviet Russia, RROD kills you!

ColorblindMonk @ Sep 25th 2009 8:21AM

The Wii prints money for your medical bills.

whylekat @ Sep 25th 2009 8:51AM

So it prints money but doesn't play DVDs...?

ColorblindMonk @ Sep 25th 2009 8:52AM

It can, but you have to softmod your Wii.

Wayne @ Sep 25th 2009 8:25AM

The 360 also helps prevent the spreads of HIV and AIDS.

If you are home playing games, you aren't out getting your groove thing on.

Chris @ Sep 25th 2009 9:06AM

I would just buy a faster computer..

Bradwart @ Sep 25th 2009 10:09AM

I saw 'Xbox 360' and 'defect' and naturally assumed -RRoD.

Could these scientists have put in FEAR or something? Nothing livens up a study like a few heart attacks!

david @ Sep 25th 2009 4:34PM

The Wii is going to be used to cure your wiiwii

Alex @ Sep 25th 2009 11:14AM

How is it faster than a lab computer?
How?
I won't be impressed until my home console can out-perform this beast:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6600965.stm

Kevin949 @ Sep 25th 2009 12:51PM

Simple. Lab computers are usually dells. I didn't see the link you posted cuz I'm at work, but whatever beast you linked to is most likely not the norm for what you see in labs.

Enosoma @ Sep 25th 2009 11:49AM

After reading that article, I clicked another video.

"PS3, Xbox Face Off In Price Wars"
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=15270956&ch=4226721&src=news

The guy says "Sony Wii".

Seriously.

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