Sony and Stanford's Folding@home App Lets You Donate Processing Power
Laura McQuarrie — January 17, 2015 — Lifestyle
References: folding.stanford.edu & play.google
In partnership with Sony, a team of scientists from Stanford have developed an app called Folding@home that lets you contribute to the fight against cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases while you sleep.
The project began back in 2007, involving a computing system that simulates proteins in a process known as folding. By understanding how proteins morph and mutate within the body, scientists are better able to understand how impaired molecules can be harmful to the body.
With the Android app, you're able to lend your processing power to science, so that millions of complicated calculations can be made to better understand folding in proteins. In order to use the app, the phone must be fully charged and connected to a charger as well as the Internet.
The project began back in 2007, involving a computing system that simulates proteins in a process known as folding. By understanding how proteins morph and mutate within the body, scientists are better able to understand how impaired molecules can be harmful to the body.
With the Android app, you're able to lend your processing power to science, so that millions of complicated calculations can be made to better understand folding in proteins. In order to use the app, the phone must be fully charged and connected to a charger as well as the Internet.
Trend Themes
1. Passive Research Apps - The development of apps like Folding@home demonstrates the trend of passive research apps that allow users to contribute to scientific research while they sleep.
2. Protein Folding Simulation - The use of folding simulators, like Folding@home, to understand how proteins morph and mutate presents opportunities for disruptive innovations in drug development and personalized medicine.
3. Crowdsourced Processing Power - The utilization of crowdsourced processing power through apps such as Folding@home opens up possibilities for disruptive innovation in scientific research, data analysis, and computational modeling.
Industry Implications
1. Scientific Research - Passive research apps, like Folding@home, offer opportunities for disruptive innovation in the scientific research industry by harnessing the power of distributed computing.
2. Healthcare - The adoption of passive research apps, such as Folding@home, in the healthcare industry has the potential to drive disruptive innovation in disease research, drug discovery, and personalized medicine.
3. Technology - The development of passive research apps like Folding@home highlights the potential for disruptive innovations within the technology industry, specifically in the areas of distributed computing and mobile applications.
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