MICROSOFT TALKS UP USING PRINTERS TO MAKE ……..

[Anonymous]

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145679/microsoft_talks_up_using_printers_to_make_drugs.html
Microsoft Talks up Using Printers to Make Drugs
May 
2008In the not-too-distant future, people could use computer printers
to make simple medicines as part of a do-it-yourself model of health
care, a top Microsoft executive said Friday.Printers are already liquid
delivery systems, but instead of ink, people might someday put the
ingredients of different medications into printer cartridges, said
Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, in a
speech in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday.

The drugstore-in-a-box,
as he called it, would be part of several devices that could
increasingly use information technology for health diagnosis and
treatment.In an example, he envisioned a mobile phone that also
contained breath analysis technology like that used to detect alcohol
in the breath of drunk drivers today. But instead of just alcohol, the
technology would be tweaked to determine a lot about a person’s health.
The handset could analyze a person’s breath for diseases, chemical
imbalances and other troubles, and then a clinic could provide a
diagnosis.The mobile phone user might then go to a clinic so they could
print out the medication. The computer would assess the person’s
weight, sex and other factors to determine the right combination of
ingredients to treat the ailment, then print out a sheet of “tablets.”
The person would then peel them off like mailing labels and let them
dissolve in their mouth, Mundie said.

Such technology is not available today, and Microsoft said it’s just an idea.
But
Mundie said the technology sector is poised to come up with novel ways
to improve healthcare. He pointed to examples in recent history where
people once had to go to the doctor but can now diagnose themselves at
home, such as using home pregnancy tests.

[Author]

May 20, 2008 at 10:39 AM