Ophthalmologists and physicists team up to design 'bionic eye': "Stanford physicists and eye doctors have teamed up to design a 'bionic eye,' of sorts."
Monday, April 11, 2005
New Scientist Technology - Non-acoustic sensors detect speech without sound
New Scientist Technology - Non-acoustic sensors detect speech without sound: "JUST think how eerie it would be, yet also how peaceful - people all around having conversations on their mobile phones, but without uttering a sound.
Thanks to some military research, this social nirvana just might come true. DARPA, the US Department of Defense's research agency, is working on a project known as Advanced Speech Encoding, aimed at replacing microphones with non-acoustic sensors that detect speech via the speaker's nerve and muscle activity, rather than sound itself."
Steve's Commentary
I think it would take some getting used to, but it would be pretty amazing to talk on the phone without making any noise. This has serious potential to resolve the privacy/noise problems that arise from phone conversations in open offices or public places.
Thanks to some military research, this social nirvana just might come true. DARPA, the US Department of Defense's research agency, is working on a project known as Advanced Speech Encoding, aimed at replacing microphones with non-acoustic sensors that detect speech via the speaker's nerve and muscle activity, rather than sound itself."
Steve's Commentary
I think it would take some getting used to, but it would be pretty amazing to talk on the phone without making any noise. This has serious potential to resolve the privacy/noise problems that arise from phone conversations in open offices or public places.
New Scientist Technology - Bionic suit offers wearers super-strength
New Scientist Technology - Bionic suit offers wearers super-strength: "A ROBOT suit has been developed that could help older people or those with disabilities to walk or lift heavy objects.
....
Two control systems interact to help the wearer stand, walk and climb stairs. A 'bio-cybernic' system uses bioelectric sensors attached to the skin on the legs to monitor signals transmitted from the brain to the muscles. It can do this because when someone intends to stand or walk, the nerve signal to the muscles generates a detectable electric current on the skin's surface. These currents are picked up by the sensors and sent to the computer, which translates the nerve signals into signals of its own for controlling electric motors at the hips and knees of the exoskeleton. It takes a fraction of a second for the motors to respond accordingly, and in fact they respond fractionally faster to the original signal from the brain than the wearer's muscles do."
Steve's Commentary
This is really exciting for the obvious medical and military potential of a bionic suit. What I find most fascinating is that our movement is telegraphed by an electric current on our skin's surface before our muscles actually respond. Even more incredibly, we have the technology to detect it. (I wonder if this is the same mechanism that allows schools of fish to move in sync?) I wonder what a "smart environment" could do if it could detect your movements before they took actually place? Perhaps these signals could be detected to initiate control of a personal avatar in a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system (http://computer.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm).
....
Two control systems interact to help the wearer stand, walk and climb stairs. A 'bio-cybernic' system uses bioelectric sensors attached to the skin on the legs to monitor signals transmitted from the brain to the muscles. It can do this because when someone intends to stand or walk, the nerve signal to the muscles generates a detectable electric current on the skin's surface. These currents are picked up by the sensors and sent to the computer, which translates the nerve signals into signals of its own for controlling electric motors at the hips and knees of the exoskeleton. It takes a fraction of a second for the motors to respond accordingly, and in fact they respond fractionally faster to the original signal from the brain than the wearer's muscles do."
Steve's Commentary
This is really exciting for the obvious medical and military potential of a bionic suit. What I find most fascinating is that our movement is telegraphed by an electric current on our skin's surface before our muscles actually respond. Even more incredibly, we have the technology to detect it. (I wonder if this is the same mechanism that allows schools of fish to move in sync?) I wonder what a "smart environment" could do if it could detect your movements before they took actually place? Perhaps these signals could be detected to initiate control of a personal avatar in a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system (http://computer.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm).
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Why don't we pay attention anymore? | Tech News on ZDNet
Why don't we pay attention anymore? | Tech News on ZDNet: "All of that data flying at you by e-mail, instant message, cell phone, voice mail and BlackBerry--it could actually be making you dumber."
Steve's Commentary
I don't think this is a new revelation, but it is very truthful and relavent to the way people work. It is pretty easy to spend the whole day reading and writing email and taking phone calls, without ever getting to the "real work". It takes a concerted effort to put aside the distractions and focus on tasks.
This has been most apparent to me as I balance work with my pursuit of a graduate degree. I can be "busy" all day at work, then when I get home in the evening I isolate myself from any distractions to focus on school work. It seems like this would be a continuation of productivity, but this transition can be a real shock to my system. It is often very difficult to settle down enough to thoughtfully focus on one thing. At times, particularly at the beginning of a study session, I find myself itching to check email, call someone, or surf the web. My mind races from one topic to the next, until I start to crash. At that point, I can usually close my eyes for 10-15 minutes of decompression. When I open them, my mind is clearer and I can start to really get into a groove. Of course, it is usually late at night by the time that happens.
Steve's Commentary
I don't think this is a new revelation, but it is very truthful and relavent to the way people work. It is pretty easy to spend the whole day reading and writing email and taking phone calls, without ever getting to the "real work". It takes a concerted effort to put aside the distractions and focus on tasks.
This has been most apparent to me as I balance work with my pursuit of a graduate degree. I can be "busy" all day at work, then when I get home in the evening I isolate myself from any distractions to focus on school work. It seems like this would be a continuation of productivity, but this transition can be a real shock to my system. It is often very difficult to settle down enough to thoughtfully focus on one thing. At times, particularly at the beginning of a study session, I find myself itching to check email, call someone, or surf the web. My mind races from one topic to the next, until I start to crash. At that point, I can usually close my eyes for 10-15 minutes of decompression. When I open them, my mind is clearer and I can start to really get into a groove. Of course, it is usually late at night by the time that happens.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
New Scientist Breaking News - Drop sensor provides laptop motion control
New Scientist Breaking News - Drop sensor provides laptop motion control: "The new model of the notebook includes a motion sensor that locks the head of the hard drive in one position if the machine is suddenly dropped, to prevent damage as well as loss of data. The sensor is able to tell when the computer is moved up and down or rolled forwards or to the side.
But now software engineer Amit Singh, who lives in California, US, has found a way to turn the sensor into a novel means of controlling the system. As the sensor can be accessed using through the computer's operating system, Singh came up with some simple code to let him control things on the screen using movement. "
Steve's Commentary
Researcher Amit Singh has found a way of using the drop sensor in Apple's new Powerbook for some more trivial but innovative uses. These new Powerbooks are one of the first personal computers to incorporate environmental sensors. They have a means of detecting events in their environment (motion) and responding to them. The drop sensor is a step toward integrating the virtual world with the physical world in a very practical way. Mr. Singh's efforts mirror that of the "PC modding" subculture. Perhaps his work, and that of Apple, forshadow new directions for pc modders that will open up the doors to more "environmentally aware" computers.
But now software engineer Amit Singh, who lives in California, US, has found a way to turn the sensor into a novel means of controlling the system. As the sensor can be accessed using through the computer's operating system, Singh came up with some simple code to let him control things on the screen using movement. "
Steve's Commentary
Researcher Amit Singh has found a way of using the drop sensor in Apple's new Powerbook for some more trivial but innovative uses. These new Powerbooks are one of the first personal computers to incorporate environmental sensors. They have a means of detecting events in their environment (motion) and responding to them. The drop sensor is a step toward integrating the virtual world with the physical world in a very practical way. Mr. Singh's efforts mirror that of the "PC modding" subculture. Perhaps his work, and that of Apple, forshadow new directions for pc modders that will open up the doors to more "environmentally aware" computers.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Company Offers a High-Tech Way to Get Clothes to Fit
Company Offers a High-Tech Way to Get Clothes to Fit: "One of the most frustrating parts of clothes shopping is that manufacturer size numbers are inconsistent, making the purchase of an outfit that fits a gamble, at best.
A Philadelphia startup is trying to use technology to both get a more precise measure of consumers and to match it against a detailed database on what various apparel companies truly mean with their sizes. "
Steve's Commentary
This is a very interesting technology for the retail sector. Intellifit offers a technology enhanced shopping experience that helps customers more quickly identify products that meet their needs. They have installations in eleven locations around the country including Michigan, New York, California, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Virginia and New Jersey.
A Philadelphia startup is trying to use technology to both get a more precise measure of consumers and to match it against a detailed database on what various apparel companies truly mean with their sizes. "
Steve's Commentary
This is a very interesting technology for the retail sector. Intellifit offers a technology enhanced shopping experience that helps customers more quickly identify products that meet their needs. They have installations in eleven locations around the country including Michigan, New York, California, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Virginia and New Jersey.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
The Edge of Innovation - Daring new ideas brought to you by MSN and Infiniti
The Edge of Innovation - Daring new ideas brought to you by MSN and Infiniti
Steve's Commentary
This site is a little unexpected. I wasn't aware that Infiniti had any place in technology and entertainment. Maybe it is just a marketing tool to draw WWW traffic? Anyway, I'm blogging it because they had an article that talked about hypersonic sound.
Steve's Commentary
This site is a little unexpected. I wasn't aware that Infiniti had any place in technology and entertainment. Maybe it is just a marketing tool to draw WWW traffic? Anyway, I'm blogging it because they had an article that talked about hypersonic sound.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
IBM Research
IBM Research: "Innovation sprouts from the fertile ground of inquiry. In IBM Research, our foundation is our wide array of scientific disciplines, award-winning researchers and global labs. And, over the years, we've expanded our ground to include challenging ideas from our colleagues in academic and government research centers as well as from our clients. Come learn who we are and what we do to create innovation that matters for our company and for the world."
Steve's Commentary
When I worked at IBM, I used to hear stories about all of the great inventions and research projects that were collecting dust on shelves. The message I got was that they had more ideas than they knew what to do with. Their research extends far beyond computers. They have disciplines in chemestry, mathematics, physics, and much more.
Steve's Commentary
When I worked at IBM, I used to hear stories about all of the great inventions and research projects that were collecting dust on shelves. The message I got was that they had more ideas than they knew what to do with. Their research extends far beyond computers. They have disciplines in chemestry, mathematics, physics, and much more.
HP Labs - Advanced Research at HP
HP Labs - Advanced Research at HP
Steve's Commentary
HP is another heavy hitter amongst the research labs. This site opens the door to many of their projects.
Steve's Commentary
HP is another heavy hitter amongst the research labs. This site opens the door to many of their projects.
MERL � Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories
MERL � Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories
Steve's Commentary
This is a link I had to include here. Mitsubishi does a lot more than cars and TVs. This research site has literally hundreds of projects (past & present) in advanced areas of technology for computers, networks, robotics, communications, sensors, and more.
Steve's Commentary
This is a link I had to include here. Mitsubishi does a lot more than cars and TVs. This research site has literally hundreds of projects (past & present) in advanced areas of technology for computers, networks, robotics, communications, sensors, and more.
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