Technology

59416 readers

2765 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

Follow the lemmy.world rules.
Only tech related content.
Be excellent to each another!
Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
Politics threads may be removed.
No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

1009

Paralyzed Jockey Loses Ability to Walk After Manufacturer Refuses to Fix Battery For His $100,000 Exoskeleton (www.404media.co)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/technology

123 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Apologies for posting a pay walled article. Consider subscribing to 404. They’re a journalist-founded org, so you could do worse for supporting quality journalism.

Trained repair professionals at hospitals are regularly unable to fix medical devices because of manufacturer lockout codes or the inability to obtain repair parts. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, broken ventilators sat unrepaired for weeks or months as manufacturers were overwhelmed with repair requests and independent repair professionals were locked out of them. At the time, I reported that independent repair techs had resorted to creating DIY dongles loaded with jailbroken Ukrainian firmware to fix ventilators without manufacturer permission. Medical device manufacturers also threatened iFixit because it posted ventilator repair manuals on its website. I have also written about people with sleep apnea who have hacked their CPAP machines to improve their basic functionality and to repair them.

PS: he got it repaired.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] Wilzax 120 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Medical device manufacturers also threatened iFixit because it posted ventilator repair manuals on its website.

What the fuck is wrong with people. Anyone who opposes the right to repair for MEDICAL DEVICES is irredeemable.

[–] A7thStone 47 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Education and healthcare should never be for profit.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Please read this next line as if it had alternating/random caps:

"But capitalism improves efficiency!"

Tap for spoiler

I'm on mobile and would rather not deal with my spellcheck "learning" anything today.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

There's this app, I don't use it often but leave it installed for this

https://github.com/MobileFirstLLC/irregular-expressions

The option spongemock LeTs YoU wRiTe LiKe ThIs

[–] feedum_sneedson 3 points 1 month ago

The sooner people stop typing like that, the better.

[+] redisdead -9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I kind of disagree. Medical devices should be repaired by trained professionals using OEM parts only.

How'd you feel if your pacemaker's battery started leaking acid into your body because Kevin from accounting had made a diy drone once and he found a good deal on AliExpress specials batteries.

Of course, that means manufacturers should be liable for any issues wrt lack of parts or available repairman.

[–] Avatar_of_Self 5 points 1 month ago

So, for ventilators, I'd definitely prefer a DIY repair attempt and rolling the dice instead of having a ventilator that doesn't work, especially when you absolutely need them but don't have them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This is why there are separate rules and standard for implantable, wearable, and supporting medical devices.

[–] redisdead 0 points 1 month ago

When your hacked together CPAP sends asbestos directly into your lungs because Bob from maintenance had some spare time to fix it, you'll be crying about malpractice.