BioDigital Human Steals the Show at NYTM
This month’s New York Tech Meetup was a big one, and not just in terms of numbers (about 800 people packed the Skirball auditorium at NYU). The lineup was tight, with several very strong demos, but the one that really blew people away was BioDigital Human.
Like pornography for hypochondriacs, BioDigital Human loads a complete 3D model of the human body in your web browser. Every organ, every nerve, every artery — complete. Interactivity is what makes the model exciting though. With a few clicks you can zoom in to any organ, spin it to view from any perspective, reveal and hide layers of muscle, bone, nerves, etc., use a dissection tool to remove selected portions, or use a cross-section tool to analyze a slice (as you might with a CT scan) — you can even simulate a heart condition and other common medical conditions.
BioDigital, the company, has worked with clients from Medtronic to Stem Cell Therapeutics and clearly has deep value for companies with deep pockets, but their Human model is free for all to access online. Working closely with NYU School of Medicine, the creators have worked diligently to accurately represent organs and health conditions with enough accuracy and detail that the model can be used to train tomorrow’s doctors. By making it freely available, they’re providing a valuable tool for coaches, dancers, athletes, and, of course, all of us hypochondriacs.
The big surprise of the night was CityPockets, which incorporates all of your social shopping and group discounts into one account, enabling you to manage what deals you have on tap. You can see all of your Groupon, LivingSocial, OpenTable and other coupons in one location, then view by location to zero in on what’s available nearby.
More importantly, CityPockets has created a secondary market for social shopping. You can now buy and sell discount coupons, and can search for
them according to location. When you’re out with a few friends and get hungry, just open CityPockets on your phone to highlight any available discounts at nearby restaurants. With a few clicks you can buy coupons other users have purchased and are ready to sell, bringing impulse purchasing to group discounts.
Likewise, if you’ve ever wanted to unload that impulse purchase for a spa treatment that you’ll never use because it’s 100 blocks away and only good on the second Tuesday of August, now you’ve got a way to resell it. Just select it in your CityPockets account, set a price, and release it to the market.
You can see New York’s hottest tech demos every month by signing up at nytm.org.
Rob Millis
Rob Millis is an entrepreneur and investor in new technology. He currently works at the intersection of content and commerce as co-founder and CEO of the Dynamo ...
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