CNN walks us through a number of experimental programs being tested by Homeland Security's Future Attribute Screening Technology, or FAST.

The different systems check a person's heart rate, breathing, eye movement, body temperature and, yes, fidgeting.

There are a number of different devices and technology involved in all of this detection, from thermal imaging to cameras used for eye tracking. But the most interesting to many of you will likely be the improvised fidgeting monitor.

Researchers took a Wii balance board — a device people stand on to interact with certain Nintendo Wii video games — and altered it to show how someone's weight shifts. Studies are now under way to determine whether there is a level of fidgeting that would suggest the need for secondary screening.

Fortunately, the screening wouldn't rely strictly on a person's Wii Fit Age to determine if they're a terrorist or not. Instead, screeners would look at all of the body signs before unjustly labeling a nervous flier a possible suicide bomber.

Will airports screen for body signals? Researchers hope so [CNN, thanks mjarantilla]

The ReSTART clinic in Seattle claims to be "the first residential treatment center for Internet addiction" in the US, and are offering WoW addicts a 45-day course where patients are weened off World of Warcraft. All for the low, low price of $14,000.

Seriously, $14,000? I know the American medical system is a joke, but I didn't think it was that funny.

Rehab available in U.S. for Web addicts [AP, via Dtoid]

No, there's another one. It's made by the same company - Shimadzu - and is the real deal, a "proper" x-ray unit, sacrificing mobility (and those badass Pokeball wheels) for a sturdy bench and even more cheery Pokemon livery.

X-ray nerds will be happy to know that this colourful unit is a variant of Shimadzu's renowned X'sy Pro units, and that Shimadzu are one of the world's leading manufacturers of measuring instruments, precision instruments and medical gear. Nintendo wouldn't put their beloved brand on just any piece of medical imaging equipment, you know.

ポケモンをデザインしたX線撮影システム『X'sy Pro』第2弾発売に [Inside Games]

The PediSedate system, designed to distract and calm children for a dramatically improved hospital or dental experience, is just one of many Game Boy oddities dug up by Vintage Computing's Benj Edwards. And it will probably be the inspiration for a future homemade bong that rapidly feeds THC to permanent adolescents with a spare Game Boy Color and moderate soldering skills. We can't wait to see it forwarded to tips!

Thanks for the heads up, Benj!

Game Boy Oddities [Technologizer]

The girl took her first steps in four years at a New York hospital late last year. Now, back in her home town of Wexford, Ireland, the gril uses Wii Fit to help strengthen her legs and regain her balance.

"The Wii Fit has really helped. It's great because there are so many balancing and stretching exercises on it," said the girl's mom. "The Wii has taken an awful lot of pressure off her as well."

What a neat story, maybe I should pull my Balance Board out from under the couch and give it another whirl.

Computer game helps girl walk again

Chris Saglimbene, who lives the life of the mind, the only life he can live, is a gamer. Thanks to the ravages of cerebral palsy, he will never walk, but he smiles a toothy grin as he looks over the back of his motorized wheelchair. He just hit a line drive, playing MLB: The Show on his PlayStation 2.

Video games are his escape. For now, he can forget that he's inherited a train wreck of a body.

"Some days," Chris says, "I will admit they are very hard to deal with." Everyday activities are struggles. Video games afford him the opportunity to be whoever he wants to be, confides Chris. When he games, he is the Mets' Tom Glavine. He strikes out three batters in a row.

Chris says that video games center and anchor him. When critics attack video games, they are attacking Chris. Even broadsides against violent content are nothing more than "bull" according to him.

Nonprofit organization HopeLab joined forces with game developers, cancer experts, psychologists, cell biologists and patients to create a game that could education and entertain young cancer patients. The result? Re-Mission, a shooting game starring Roxxi the nanobot who destroys cancerous cells and deals with treatment side effects. While young patients might be old enough to be responsible for their treatment says Reuters, they might not fully understand how deadly it is to skip medications — which often make them feel ill, cause their hair to fall out or lead to acne.

A controlled trial tested had 375 cancer patients aged 13 to 29 played the game in medical centers in the US, Canada and Australia. The results? The game seems to be working. Playing it has apparently increased patients' quality of life, knowledge of cancer and even encourage players to stick with their therapy. Says pediatric oncologist at Stanford University's Dr. Gary Dahl,

The Re-Mission video game is an important tool to help improve their understanding of cancer, its treatments and effects, which can result in more confidence in their ability to deal with the disease and more consistent compliance with their treatment.

Next up, HopeLab plans to take on obesity through gaming. Hope they look to Burgertime for inspiration! Brian Ashcraft

Fighting Cancer With Gaming [Reuters]

Video Games Tackle 'Lazy Eye' [BBC News]

Geez, all this story is missing is a murder. Ready to reinforce negative gaming stereotypes? Anyhoo, here goes:

A California doctor banned a 9-year-old boy from playing PlayStation after the child experience uncontrollable head jerking (read: Welcome to Spazzville). During the recent Christmas holidays, the boy gamed "constantly" and noticed that his head started jerking back and forth (read: Population — this kid).

"I would do funny things with my head," he said.

His mother promptly freaked out and took him to the family pediatrician, who ordered the kid to stop playing the PlayStation. After that, the twitching stopped. The mother, being the mature rational adult she is, blamed video games.

"All the head jerking is gone and his eyes are completely back to normal," the mother said. "I think it's a direct connection to the PlayStation and the amount of time he spent on it."

According to the San Diego Epilepsy Foundation, certain video stimulation can lead to epileptic-type seizures. Doctors also recommend to limit game time, keep the lights on while playing and make sure children are more than two feet from the screen. Duh.

Hey lady, don't blame Sony for the days on end your kid spent alone, inches in front of the TV screen. Blame yourself.

Full Story Here [Local 6 News] Thanks Jekichu!

Hooray! Video games are not only healthy, but also make you a better doctor. Studies carried out at the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York show that surgeons that gamed were better than doctors that didn't.

And I quote:

"Then when we looked at whether you were a current video gamer, we found that if you played video games currently, you were over 30 percent better, faster, and created fewer errors than someone who did not play video games at all."

So buy your physician a truckload of game software, while I wait here for the pundits to announce that smoking makes people live longer.

Video Games Make Great Surgeons [Igniq] via Wonderland

A 13-year-old girl became the youngest author to be published in a South African medical journal with her research on Playstation Thumb. Safura Abdool Karim conducted interviews with 120 classmates about the medical problems they have because of excessive game play. She found that the symptoms of Playstation Thumb include blisters, numbness and tingling and that it is similar to Repetitive Strain Injury.

Although RSI is not new, in the past it occurred mainly among adults. Today computers and computer games are creating new medical problems, such as PlayStation thumb, which are becoming common in children.

Girl Probes Playstation Thumb [BBC]

How much do you value your gaming skills? Enough to cancel that totally sweet all-night LAN party you were planning? The results of a recent study may have serious gamers take notes on their sleep patterns.

According to a group of Belgian scientists, sleep greatly helps areas of the brain associated with learning memory.

The scientists briefly considered creating a breed of super gamers that would sleep preposterous amounts of time, but were quickly distracted by the sent of delicious Belgian waffles.

Another major break-through thwarted by scrumptious food. Damn you Belgian waffles, damn you.

Good night's sleep makes you better at that video game

-SM

Tycho and Gabe over at Penny Arcade did something worthwhile while at E3, unlike the rest of us, they met with the person behind a project called HOPE. Hope is a group of doctors who believe that access to online gaming can help hospitalized children. The idea is that the games may even help reduce their pain. The tow decided give the group, which is doing research on their theory, a donation on behalf of Child's Play and plan to continue to support them during this year's donation-fest.

I think that you will see us working very closely with these guys this year when Child s Play rolls back around. Their initial test will be over around November and there is no doubt in my mind that the data they collect will prove that hospitalized kids with access to games are happier. At that point the goal of these doctors becomes connecting every child with a debilitating ailment to an online gaming network so they can socialize and play together. I don t see any reason why Child s Play can t make sure that happens.

I love this idea. It could be a way to both help children out and prove that gaming has many benefits.

E3 and Stuff [Penny Arcade]

Doctors Use Video Games to Hone Skills [Reuters]

In the world of medicine, of course, the Game Boy can t hold a candle to the next-gen handheld consoles. The DS doesn t just sedate the patient, it actually performs the surgery with salad tongs while dressed as a gorilla. And the PSP will do a fantastic consult and promise plastic surgery, then keep rescheduling because it s overbooked itself.

Game Boy better than drugs [Associated Press]

Sweden's game-addicted kids facing obesity [The Local]

Video game s target: Lazy eye [Arizona Republic]