Computer with insect brain

Insect Robot Interfacing (Timothy Melano; http://neuromorph.ece.arizona.edu/)

The field of neuroscience is moving toward understanding how sensory systems compute under closed-loop control. It is important to step away from open-loop experiments, i.e. where an animal cannot interact with its sensory inputs, because in the real world sensory neurons are passengers on a moving body whose sensory inputs are intimately related to its behavior. The challenge with performing these experiments under natural conditions is that conventional electrophysiology equipment is too bulky to be placed on a freely behaving animal. To solve this problem, we have designed a robotic electrophysiology instrument whose velocity is determined by bioelectrical signals from an animal, in our case the hawk moths and flies (model organisms for visual motion detection, olfaction, and insect flight). This robotic instrument allows us to perform electrophysiological experiments while a moth is onboard and controlling the robot, which, in engineering terms, closes the loop. With this instrument we will characterize visual motion detection neurons and investigate the use of these neurons as biosensors for robots.

Eleven robot cars at the start of the urban challenge

Cars that can drive without any intervention from humans.

“Vehicles competing in the Urban Challenge will have to think like human drivers and continually make split-second decisions to avoid moving vehicles, including robotic vehicles without drivers, and operate safely on the course. The urban setting adds considerable complexity to the challenge faced by the robotic vehicles, and replicates the environments where many of today’s military missions are conducted.”

-Dr. Norman Whitaker, Urban Challenge Program Manager

More info at urban challenge

Brain-computer interface for Second Life

A research team led by professor Jun’ichi Ushiba of the Keio University Biomedical Engineering Laboratory has developed a BCI system that lets the user walk an avatar through the streets of Second Life while relying solely on the power of thought.

The system consists of a headpiece equipped with electrodes that monitor activity in three areas of the motor cortex (the region of the brain involved in controlling the movement of the arms and legs). An EEG machine reads and graphs the data and relays it to the BCI, where a brain wave analysis algorithm interprets the user’s imagined movements.

The researchers hope the mind-controlled avatar, which was created through a joint medical engineering project involving Keio’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and the Tsukigase Rehabilitation Center, will one day help people with serious physical impairments communicate and do business in Second Life.

Links:
Brain-computer interface for Second Life
Movie brain computer interface Second Life

Scientists Invent 30 Year Continuous Power Laptop Battery

Your next laptop could have a continuous power battery that lasts for 30 years without a single recharge thanks to work being funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The best part about these cells are when they eventually run out of power they are totally inert and non-toxic, so environmentalists need not fear these high tech scientific wonder batteries. If all goes well plans are for these cells to reach store shelves in about 2 to 3 years.

True or a Hoax?

Read the full article at next energy news

Mobile system promises free calls

A new way of making calls directly between mobile phones, for free, is being trialled by a Swedish company TerraNet.

And TerraNet phones currently only work with a special handset - although Mr Carlius said he hopes that it will eventually be a feature available on all phones, like Bluetooth.

He said that were this to happen, it could potentially spell the end for the current Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications model. About 70% of all mobile phones use this technology.

Mr Carlius said that mobile phone manufacturer Ericsson had invested around £3m in TerraNet.

Additional links:
Peer-to-peer mobile trial in Africa
Mobile system promises free calls
TerraNet AB

Robotic age - Is it coming soon ????

An ethical code to prevent humans abusing robots, and vice versa, is being drawn up by South Korea.
The Ministry of Information and Communication has also predicted that every South Korean household will have a robot by between 2015 and 2020.
Other bodies are also thinking about the robotic future. Last year a UK government study predicted that in the next 50 years robots could demand the same rights as human beings.

ASIMOV'S LAWS OF ROBOTICS (From 1942):

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law

Read more in the BBC article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6425927.stm

OpenMoko - First open source mobile phone platform

Check it out this could be an excellent alternative to the Microsoft and Nokia platforms and without the restrictions of these proprietary platforms.

First phone should be available for sale from 11 March 2007 produced by FIC (http://www.fic.com.tw/) in Taiwan.

OpenMoko (http://www.openmoko.org/)

More links:

Gizmodo

The Guardian newspaper

Libervis

Open Source Multimedia Player VLC

This is an excellent open source multi media player it plays almost every format more than Windows Media player or Real Player even .flv (flash) files are no problem. Multiplatform Apple, Windows and serveral Linux distributions.

Go and visit the VLC media player homepage.

Parallel Universes (superstring theory)

Some scientists now believe there may really be a parallel universe - in fact, there may be an infinite number of parallel universes, and we just happen to live in one of them. It all started when superstring theory, hyperspace and dark matter made physicists realise that the three dimensions we thought described the Universe weren't enough.

Watch at YouTube or read more about it at the BBC.
More links:
wikipedia
Dr. Michio Kaku pioneer parallel universe and string theory

Imagine a machine with the ability to manufacture anything

A factory of one's own
According to MIT's Neil Gershenfeld, the digital revolution is over, and the good guys won. The next big change will be about manufacturing. Anyone with a PC will be able to build anything just by hitting 'print.'
Read article at CNN

Neil Gershenfeld
I have never understood the division between computer science and physical science. The problems that I've studied—from molecular quantum computation to virtuosic musical instruments—have all had the character that their logical function and their physical embodiment cannot be understood independently.
My research interests have always been at the boundary between the content of information in a system and its physical representation. More recently, I've also focused on the institutional context required for the development of this kind of work, which led to the establishment of the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at MIT. CBA is assembling the significant physical (and intellectual) infrastructure required to bring the sensibility of the Media Lab to the practice of physical science.
Of the grand-challenge problems being addressed by CBA, two are of particular interest to me: personal fabrication, which involves programming the assembly of active materials in order to bring the malleability of the digital world to the physical world; and "statistical-mechanical" engineering, which seeks to bring rigor to the design of the emergence of functionality in enormously complex systems without explicitly specifying how they work. The former promises to bring not only information technology to the masses, but also the locally appropriate design and development of those technologies. And the latter promises to support the resulting distributed engineering of planetary-scale systems.

Links:
Prof. Neil Gersh homepage
FabLab at MIT
Centre for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at MIT

'Plasma needle' could replace the dentist's drill

The plasma needle, is cold and painless to the touch. The needle's creator, physicist Eva Stoffels-Adamowicz, who is based at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, says it could also be used to painlessly remove cancerous tissue.

Stoffels-Adamowicz came up with the idea for the needle while working with low-pressure plasmas, which are created in a vacuum. In order for the plasma to be used on people, she and her colleagues developed a plasma needle that works in air.

Read more about this at the New Scientists website.
Other links:
http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/7/11/15/1#needle

Recovery and regeneration damaged brain

A study of the "miraculous" recovery of a man who spent 19 years in a minimally conscious state.

Research suggest that Wallis's brain had, very gradually, developed new pathways and completely novel anatomical structures to re-establish functional connections, compensating for the brain pathways lost in the accident.
They found that new axons - the branches that connect neurons together - seemed to have grown, establishing novel working brain circuits.
Surprisingly, the circuits look nothing like normal brain anatomy. A lot of the damage had been to axons that passed from one side of the brain to the other, torn by the force of the accident. But Schiff says that new connections seem to have grown across around the back of the brain, forming structures that do not exist in normal brains.

You can read tarticlecal at the New Scientist website

ERP Software development

I believe the future of developing ERP software lies in an evolutionary design process rather than a planned design process. Businesses are constantly in movement and therefore changing software should follow and support this evolutionary process.

Old: design - build - use for x years
New: constant process of improving your software to support the ever changing business processes

Silicon Ink to generate power

Innovalight is working on a product called "Silicon Ink" that can be used to replace solar cells. According to the company the product is a lot more environmentally friendly and a lot more flexible than the current solar panels.

This invention has the potential to become an additional power source for mobile devices.

Key attributes of silicon nanocrystals:
Tunable (absorption and emission wavelengths)

• Non toxic
• Solution process capable
• Stable and reliable
• Low cost manufacturing

Red Harring: Conrad Burke’s InnovaLight is aiming to mobilize the solar power market

Open Workbench the open source project planning tool

This is a good alternative for MS Project. It is a standalone version for a enterprise solution (work on project planning with a team) you need to upgrade to Clarity. However most of us use MS Project as a standalone app and Open Workbench seems to have pretty much the same functionality but it does takes a bit of time to get used too.

Sudoku nice puzzles to train the mind

Try a puzzle at www.websudoku.com

or download the free open source sudoku game

If you cannot solve the puzzle let the computer solve it for you with the use of the SudokuSolver.

Virtual reality sphere

Virtual reality software in combination with this sphere let's you run, walk and crawl through a virtual world. To bad the company puts the focus on military training when there are so many more possibilities.

http://www.virtusphere.net/index.htm

Web Visual programming

While I was busy searching for information about Ruby progamming language I came across Tersus.


This is a visual programming environment for creating web application. Sofar it looks very promising and is (for a large part) opensource.
Have a look yourself:
www.tersus.org
www.tersus.com
https://sourceforge.net/projects/tersus

Robot gets job as receptionist

The new Honda prototype Asimo Robot got his/her first job as a receptionist. If you watch the clips it all still looks a bit awkward but I think it is big step forward.

Flash movie
More clips of Asimo

Cyberhand

Development of a new generation of hand prosthesis. New is the ability to feel and control the hand from the brain. Read more at the Cyberhand homepage.