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Study: What motivates people to exercise? Money

A new study out of Stanford University and the University of Michigan suggests that some people appear more motivated by money than their own health.

Researchers followed a group of people insured by Blue Care Network, which -- rather controversially -- developed an incentives program that allowed its obese members to choose between paying as much as 20 percent more for health insurance or exercising. In real dollars, that added up to as much as $2,000 extra a year. (Those unable to walk due to medical reasons were exempt with a doc's note.)

Those who wanted to pay … Read more

The Walking Dead - Dead Yourself 1.1.3 Review

If you enjoy watching the incredibly popular television show "The Walking Dead," or just have a general interest in zombies, then you'll enjoy this application, too. The Walking Dead-Dead Yourself app allows you to create an entertaining zombie version of any portrait you have on your mobile device. It is disturbing and fun at the same time.

The Walking Dead-Dead Yourself takes a little while to download. The app is pretty big because of the many different image files and image editing aspects of the program. Once the program opens, however, the fun begins immediately. The app … Read more

Track your walks with Map My Walk, an easy-to-use GPS-enabled app

There is no better way to encourage healthy living than to turn it into a competition. Keep track of your activity, share it with friends, and provide a real-time look at your GPS position as you walk around town and it becomes not only easier, but also more compelling to get out and walk. Map My Walk is a fantastic example of how to encourage healthy habits with an intuitive design and function-loaded app that manages not to get in its own way.

After installation, you'll need to register, either through Facebook or the app itself. It's not … Read more

Tired of clunky batteries? Slap on these power leg braces

We've seen several designs for military exoskeletons that can boost soldier strength, but these leg braces from Canada's Bionic Power generate electricity on the go.

The PowerWalk system looks like an athletic knee brace and weighs about 1.7 pounds. The braces generate about 12 watts of electricity when the user walks at a normal pace; an hour's walk can apparently produce enough juice to recharge four cell phones.

That's especially handy for soldiers who have to carry up to 28 pounds of batteries on a 72-hour mission to power everything from flashlights to night vision goggles, according to Bionic Power. … Read more

Paralyzed woman takes home ReWalk power legs

Power suits are getting more commonplace. A paralyzed British woman has become the first person to take home a robotic exoskeleton that helped her walk the London Marathon earlier this year.

Claire Lomas, who finished the 26.2-mile race over 17 days, is setting the pace for home use of the ReWalk at home, according to Israeli maker Argo Medical Technologies.

The 32-year-old mother was paralyzed from the chest down after a 2007 horseback riding accident, but the motorized legs allow her to stand, climb and descend stairs, and walk around independently. … Read more

European telecom official takes dim view of Samsung patents

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Samsung did not comply with multiple guidelines set forth by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, according to the group's former top board member.

During testimony, Dr. Michael Walker -- who served as ETSI's chairman of the board between 2008 through 2011 -- said that Samsung had failed to disclose two of the patents it's using in its case against Apple to the standards group in a timely manner.

As a result of that, Walker says that Samsung should not be able to use them as ammunition in the case.

To prove that, Walker … Read more

My Tracks records your runs

Perfect for outdoors enthusiasts, Google's My Tracks app records your path, speed, distance, and even elevation while you walk, run, bike, or do anything else that a GPS signal can follow. And for those who are a bit more serious about their training, the app even lets you hook up with a few third-party Bluetooth biometric sensors, including Zephyr HxM, Polar WearLink, and ANT+ monitors.

To get started, just open up My Tracks and hit the record button at the top of the screen. From there, so long as you have a strong GPS signal, My Tracks will plot … Read more

The 404 and The Walking Dead Escape

Without a doubt the highlight of our trip to Comic-Con was The Walking Dead Escape takeover of Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.

Spanning across multiple levels of the stadium, the 45-minute obstacle course led us through a zombie-filled apocalyptic simulation where "survivors" must outrun the living dead or become infected themselves.

This event was no joke. We were told to stretch out before, wear gym clothes, and be sure to not leave anyone behind. Armed with our head- and chest-mounted GoPros, we documented the entire experience. Of course, not everyone could survive. So who made … Read more

Texting while walking? In N.J. town, it'll cost you

Texting while walking could land you a ticket in Fort Lee, N.J.

As with most other states, texting while driving is already banned in the state. But now, Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas Ripoli is also holding pedestrians accountable for their "dangerous walking," including texting-while-trekking -- if it leads to them ignoring crosswalks and lights.

There have been 23 pedestrian accidents since January, Ripoli told CBS New York. While most were minor, three fatalities were reported.

"They're not alert and they're not watching what they're doing," Ripoli told CBS New York's Derricke Dennis. "As of now, [officers are] to give summonses to pedestrians who do not adhere to crosswalks and the lights."

Ripoli, however, told MSNBC that his town is not specifically banning texting while walking.

Folks who are texting while walking in Fort Lee are issued a jaywalking ticket, but only if they also happen to be jaywalking at the same time, the article says. … Read more

Paralyzed woman completes London Marathon in robot suit

Claire Lomas suffered a T4 spinal injury in a 2007 horse riding accident that left her paralyzed from the chest down. In 2012, she completed the London Marathon. What happened in between was the development of a robotic suit that let her tackle the challenge on her own two legs.

It took 17 days for the 32-year-old resident of Leicestershire, England, to cross the finish line. Her motivation for the marathon was to raise funds for spinal cord injury research. So far, she has raised nearly $200,000.

The robotic ReWalk suit, one of several such devices, is made by Israeli company Argo Medical Technologies. It's a powered exoskeleton full of motion sensors, rechargeable batteries, and a computer system that allows the walker to control the suit.

ReWalk lets users stand, walk, and even climb and descend stairs. Crutches are used for stability (Lomas still has use of her arms). … Read more