A real mettalic arm from 1800s
We like to think of ourselves as very advanced in terms of technology and medicine. Well, according to the following image, scientists from 1800s had enough knowledge to create a basic prosthetic arm.
via scinotions
Future design blog presents articles on future concepts,car prototypes, design of the future.
10 Amazing house designs in Switzerland
It's not easy to come with an unique design for a house. House owners in Switzerland has an appetite for great designs when it comes to their houses. I guess their way of life and their rising economy is a boosting ramp for these designs. Enjoy this collection of Switzerland houses in Switzerland.via SwissRoom
Lithium-ion battery recharges by kinetic energy
The engineers at Georgia Institute of Technology, U.S., have developed a new type of lithium-ion batteries, that have some changes in their chemical parameters that allow the recharging of the battery at the touch or flexing of the object. The scientists have replaced the plastic interlayer, that is battery electrolyte (a chemical that stores electricity gelatinous paste) with a layer of lectric nanotubes (which converts the movement into energy).
The research team created a hybrid battery that converts the motion into electricity and chemical.
By creating this type of hybrid batteries, it can directly influence the flow of ions, scientists can jump completely over charging circuit, creating more efficient ways to capture mechanical energy.
The process is not very simple, but these small biomechanical devices from U.S. researchers could become one of the solutions to the need of energy around the Globe.
By creating this type of hybrid batteries, it can directly influence the flow of ions, scientists can jump completely over charging circuit, creating more efficient ways to capture mechanical energy.
The process is not very simple, but these small biomechanical devices from U.S. researchers could become one of the solutions to the need of energy around the Globe.
Top 5 Cars of 2013
We love cars, and in the last year we have seen a lot of frenzy over eco-cars and fuel efficiency. In 2013, most of the cars that will be released are all about design, curved, shape and... future.
The red color is back with a vengeance, and 3 out of 5 cars that I've picked for this top are red. Which one do you like?
2013 SRT Viper
2013 Dodge Dart R/T
2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
The Hyundai Veloster inadequacies in the performance area to accompaniment its slayer looks. Let's hope that this will change one time this 201-hp edition will be released.
estimated price: $23,000
The red color is back with a vengeance, and 3 out of 5 cars that I've picked for this top are red. Which one do you like?
2013 SRT Viper2013 SRT Viper has a 640-hp V-10 and a body constituted of Mg, aluminium, and carbon fiber. We are anticipating vastness from Chrysler's supercar. This Viper is projected to gainsay cars that can attain 90% of their prospective without technical guardrails.
estimated price: $100,000
2013 Jaguar F-Type Roadster
2013 Chevy Corvette C7
C7 will debut at the following winter's North American automobile exhibit in Detroit. It features a 5.5-liter V-8 that expends pushrods.
estimated price: $50,000
2013 Jaguar F-Type Roadster
Most blogs say that this car will be released around mid of 2013. The world has seen this car as theJaguar's C-X16 concept back in 2011. We will see this on the streets in 2013 as the new F-Type with a boosted 3.0-liter V-6 that will produce 380 hp.
estimated price: $60,000
2013 Chevy Corvette C7
C7 will debut at the following winter's North American automobile exhibit in Detroit. It features a 5.5-liter V-8 that expends pushrods.
estimated price: $50,000
2013 Dodge Dart R/T
R/T drives on a Fiat bod adopted from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, with a amply sovereign suspension. Most bloggers anticipate that suspension will be bluer and more buckram in the R/T. The 2013 Dodge Dart R/T will get a 184-hp 2.4-liter four under the hood.
estimated price: $23,000
2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
The Hyundai Veloster inadequacies in the performance area to accompaniment its slayer looks. Let's hope that this will change one time this 201-hp edition will be released.
estimated price: $23,000
iPhone 4 Case: Star Wars Han Solo in Carbonite 2012
Joy to the world! No, let me rephrase that. Joy to Star Wars fans because a new iPhone 4 Case is ready for you. The Star Wars Han Solo in Carbonite is something new, unique and it's amazingly made. This case fits perfectly with both iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s.
This ultra slim “barely there” style iphone case is designed to fit 4 and 4S models and simply snaps over your phone. My covers are designed and printed in my shop using a dye process which actually binds the ink with the surface, resulting in a durable, long-lasting imprint on your custom case! There are openings for your buttons and camera lens.
Robotic Exoskeleton Suit Reinvents Farm Harvest
The Tokyo University of farming and applied science has produced an agriculture industrial robot suit customised to the 40% of Japan’s farmhands who are over the age of 65.
Shigeki Toyama, a prof in robotics who produced the industrial robot and cropping suit, essayed to make it industry and task-specific in order to engender monetary value rescues in bringing forth the suit.
“Anyone can use it without a drop in work efficiency,” Toyama said. “I want to increase the types of work in which it can help.”
A robotic exoskeleton is an external robotic skeleton that supports and protects an the body, in contrast to the internal skeleton (endoskeleton). In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells".
The robotic exoskeleton was envisioned in movies like Alien and Matrix. It seems that now it could become real with the available technology these days.
Shigeki Toyama, a prof in robotics who produced the industrial robot and cropping suit, essayed to make it industry and task-specific in order to engender monetary value rescues in bringing forth the suit.
“Anyone can use it without a drop in work efficiency,” Toyama said. “I want to increase the types of work in which it can help.”
A robotic exoskeleton is an external robotic skeleton that supports and protects an the body, in contrast to the internal skeleton (endoskeleton). In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells".
The robotic exoskeleton was envisioned in movies like Alien and Matrix. It seems that now it could become real with the available technology these days.
All About Vasectomy reversal
A vasectomy is an procedure to cut and seal the tubings that conduct sperm from your testicles to your penis. Vasectomy is a lasting form of contraceptive method and implies that a man who undergo this surgery is no longer able to have kids.
A few adult males come to sorrow their conclusion to have a vasectomy and want it reversed.
Vasectomy reversal is more fortunate if it is done shortly after the original vasectomy. The more the time between the vasectomy and a reversal operation, the less likely you'll be able to father a child. The success rate declines along with time.
It is crucial to realize that winner is not ensured. Fertility is back in 8 out of 10 men who experience a vasectomy reversal. Nevertheless, 1/2 of men can make their partner with child in the two years after the operation. The presence of sperm in your seminal fluid does not assure that your partner will get pregnant. The agents that can affect your fortunes of a hopeful reversal are many.
The most important factor is the time since you had vasectomy procedure. The type of vasectomym and the technique used to do the reversal are pretty important as well.
A few adult males come to sorrow their conclusion to have a vasectomy and want it reversed.
Vasectomy reversal is more fortunate if it is done shortly after the original vasectomy. The more the time between the vasectomy and a reversal operation, the less likely you'll be able to father a child. The success rate declines along with time.
It is crucial to realize that winner is not ensured. Fertility is back in 8 out of 10 men who experience a vasectomy reversal. Nevertheless, 1/2 of men can make their partner with child in the two years after the operation. The presence of sperm in your seminal fluid does not assure that your partner will get pregnant. The agents that can affect your fortunes of a hopeful reversal are many.
The most important factor is the time since you had vasectomy procedure. The type of vasectomym and the technique used to do the reversal are pretty important as well.
New Bio Racing Car Powered by Chocolate
Assembled from taters, maneuvered with carrots and high-powered by chocolate.
The manufacturers of this Formula Three car would like to demonstrate that motor racing does not have to be a gas-guzzling eco-disaster.
Engineers at England's Warwick University allege it is the first racing-standard car assembled altogether from sustainable and recycled products.
[Dr James Meredith, University Of Warwick]:
"We have incorporated carrots into the steering wheel, we have incorporated potatoes into wing mirrors and we have managed to incorporate soy bean oil foam into the seat. We have also got many other natural fibres such as flax and hemp in the bodywork as well as recycled carbon fibre and some recycled bottles which make up the resin in the composites".
The race car is even power-driven by biofuel created of wastes from chocolate factories.
But the automobile is more than just an eco car -- the squad allege the racer will shortly be achieving speeds of equal to 160 mph.
Applied scientists like Steve Maggs enounce they would like to establish that going eco could as well imply going quick.
[Dr. Steve Maggs, Engineer, University of Warwick]:
"We will be green in the future. We have already seen Formula One adopting some green technologies in the (KERS) - Kinetic Energy Recovery System that we are seeing on cars this year which have actually have improved
performance and making the sport more exciting. I am convinced that some of these technologies will be sustainable materials technology will see them on not just Formula one but other aspects of Motorsport as well".
Just in spite of late attempts by the world's racing community to try out its green credentials, this eco car will not have the chance to raise itself on the racetrack any time soon.
It's chocolate-based fuel is a little too strange to conform to current racing rules
The manufacturers of this Formula Three car would like to demonstrate that motor racing does not have to be a gas-guzzling eco-disaster.
Engineers at England's Warwick University allege it is the first racing-standard car assembled altogether from sustainable and recycled products.
[Dr James Meredith, University Of Warwick]:
"We have incorporated carrots into the steering wheel, we have incorporated potatoes into wing mirrors and we have managed to incorporate soy bean oil foam into the seat. We have also got many other natural fibres such as flax and hemp in the bodywork as well as recycled carbon fibre and some recycled bottles which make up the resin in the composites".
The race car is even power-driven by biofuel created of wastes from chocolate factories.
But the automobile is more than just an eco car -- the squad allege the racer will shortly be achieving speeds of equal to 160 mph.
Applied scientists like Steve Maggs enounce they would like to establish that going eco could as well imply going quick.
[Dr. Steve Maggs, Engineer, University of Warwick]:
"We will be green in the future. We have already seen Formula One adopting some green technologies in the (KERS) - Kinetic Energy Recovery System that we are seeing on cars this year which have actually have improved
performance and making the sport more exciting. I am convinced that some of these technologies will be sustainable materials technology will see them on not just Formula one but other aspects of Motorsport as well".
Just in spite of late attempts by the world's racing community to try out its green credentials, this eco car will not have the chance to raise itself on the racetrack any time soon.
It's chocolate-based fuel is a little too strange to conform to current racing rules
Aston Martin Viceroy Concept
The Aston Martin Viceroy represent a concept design of a hydrogen-powered exclusive supercar inspired by British traditions. The author of this amazing concept design is Christopher Chilcott from Swansea Metropolitan University. The concept design was inspired by the bespoke cutting and prestige of Savile Row in London, one of Great Britain's oldest traditions.
You can observe that a few of the distinctive conception elements are particularly accented – almost amplified: these admit the long hood, the high waist and the large cycles which altogether substitute the wheel arches.
You can observe that a few of the distinctive conception elements are particularly accented – almost amplified: these admit the long hood, the high waist and the large cycles which altogether substitute the wheel arches.
Spectacular rejuvenation of untimely aged mice clues at possible therapy
Immature aging can be overturned by reactivating an enzyme that protects the tips of chromosomes, a research in mice evokes.
Men of science led by Ronald A. DePinho (above), a Harvard school of medicine professor of genetic science, say their study demonstrates for the 1st time a spectacular reversion of many facets of age-related degeneration in mice, a milestone in aging scientific discipline accomplished by engineering mice with a manageable telomerase gene.
Mice orchestrated to lack the enzyme, called telomerase, convert prematurely weak. But they recovered to wellness when the enzyme was replaced. The study, brought out online November 28 in Nature, clues that some conditions characterised by early aging could be handled by boosting telomerase activity.
This study can be the best option for normal human aging to be decelerated by reawakening the enzyme in cells where it has stopped working, says Ronald DePinho, a malignant neoplastic disease geneticist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, who chaired the new study. "This has implications for thinking about telomerase as a serious anti-aging intervention."
source
Men of science led by Ronald A. DePinho (above), a Harvard school of medicine professor of genetic science, say their study demonstrates for the 1st time a spectacular reversion of many facets of age-related degeneration in mice, a milestone in aging scientific discipline accomplished by engineering mice with a manageable telomerase gene.
Mice orchestrated to lack the enzyme, called telomerase, convert prematurely weak. But they recovered to wellness when the enzyme was replaced. The study, brought out online November 28 in Nature, clues that some conditions characterised by early aging could be handled by boosting telomerase activity.
This study can be the best option for normal human aging to be decelerated by reawakening the enzyme in cells where it has stopped working, says Ronald DePinho, a malignant neoplastic disease geneticist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, who chaired the new study. "This has implications for thinking about telomerase as a serious anti-aging intervention."
source
Antibiotics could treat heart failure
Antibiotic drugs could do more than just treat infections. Researches discovered that can also preclude injuries to the heart.
Researchers explicated that many heart conditions and heart attack patients experience something called a reperfusion trauma following their treatment.
"If you can imagine that the spring that's in your heart cell is cut up and damaged, obviously that heart muscle cell will not work very easily," Schulz said.
The head of study, Professor of paediatrics and pharmacology Rick Schulz, said he's aspirant that doxycycline will demonstrate to be a secure and cheap treatment for a number of a different number of heart conditions.
Heart failure kills tens of thousands of people in countries of South and Central America annually and anywhere 'tween 10 and 20 million people are considered to be contaminated by it.
Researchers explicated that many heart conditions and heart attack patients experience something called a reperfusion trauma following their treatment.
"If you can imagine that the spring that's in your heart cell is cut up and damaged, obviously that heart muscle cell will not work very easily," Schulz said.
The head of study, Professor of paediatrics and pharmacology Rick Schulz, said he's aspirant that doxycycline will demonstrate to be a secure and cheap treatment for a number of a different number of heart conditions.
Heart failure kills tens of thousands of people in countries of South and Central America annually and anywhere 'tween 10 and 20 million people are considered to be contaminated by it.
Incredible and amazing future designs
The 2010 edition of the Electrolux Design Lab competition centers originative solutions for compact living. The 2010 brief demanded industrial design scholars to regard how people will prepare and store food, wash clothes, and do dishes in the homes of 2050, when 74%* of the global population are anticipated to live in an cityfied environment. This means we have to use space more efficiently in order to meat everyday needs. The finalists in this contest suggest ways to optimize future domestic space.
For example, the element "Modular Kitchen" combines cooking, refrigeration, air conditioning and lighting in one wall-mounted appliance. Multiple units and surfaces automatically work together through wireless smart networking.
The clean closet is essentially a closet that clean clothing. Textiles are scan for impurity and clean with molecular technology. This waterless concept replaces the laundry basket, washing machines and drying spaces. Todays methods of cold storage occupy a great deal of space. Conversely, the bio-robot-refrigerator has no need for doors or a draws.
For example, the element "Modular Kitchen" combines cooking, refrigeration, air conditioning and lighting in one wall-mounted appliance. Multiple units and surfaces automatically work together through wireless smart networking.
The clean closet is essentially a closet that clean clothing. Textiles are scan for impurity and clean with molecular technology. This waterless concept replaces the laundry basket, washing machines and drying spaces. Todays methods of cold storage occupy a great deal of space. Conversely, the bio-robot-refrigerator has no need for doors or a draws.
Blackberry PlayBook vs iPad
iPad lacks so many things that I'm still confused why it's still ahead of competition. Don't get me wrong, I know it looks and it feels great, but how about functionality? If I'm paying a s-load of money for something, they better stick inside all the gimmics available. For some reason, Apple forgot to include important features like Flash support, USB support, Camera, Video output.
After seeing so many self-entitled iPad Killers, I found out that Blackberry PlayBook actually has a chance.
Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM), producer of the Blackberry platform, has released a video on YouTube showing that Blackbery's browser is faster than Mobile Safari, the browser integrated into Apple iPad tablet.
Initial results show that Blackberry PlayBook offers superior experience but must also consider the fact that the test is not independent. The following image will give you the exact details of BB PlayBook and iPad compared.
Blackberry Tablet playbook will have a 7-inch diagonal, two HD cameras (3MP and 5MP) and a dual-core processor at 1 GHz and will be available in the first term of next year.
Currently, the main player on the market is Apple iPad, followed by Samsung distant Galaxy Tab. RIM hopes that the new Blackberry PlayBook to gain the ground lost in recent years compared to competing platforms.
On BB website, they say this tablet is all about web without limits. It's great for games, media, apps. Full Adobe® Flash® 10.1 enabled.
Blackberry PlayBook also features 1080p HD video HDMI video output, Micro USB and Micro HDMI.
After seeing so many self-entitled iPad Killers, I found out that Blackberry PlayBook actually has a chance.
Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM), producer of the Blackberry platform, has released a video on YouTube showing that Blackbery's browser is faster than Mobile Safari, the browser integrated into Apple iPad tablet.
Initial results show that Blackberry PlayBook offers superior experience but must also consider the fact that the test is not independent. The following image will give you the exact details of BB PlayBook and iPad compared.
Blackberry Tablet playbook will have a 7-inch diagonal, two HD cameras (3MP and 5MP) and a dual-core processor at 1 GHz and will be available in the first term of next year.
Currently, the main player on the market is Apple iPad, followed by Samsung distant Galaxy Tab. RIM hopes that the new Blackberry PlayBook to gain the ground lost in recent years compared to competing platforms.
On BB website, they say this tablet is all about web without limits. It's great for games, media, apps. Full Adobe® Flash® 10.1 enabled.
Blackberry PlayBook also features 1080p HD video HDMI video output, Micro USB and Micro HDMI.
Stem Cell bandage May consequence in better Function coming after Heart Attack
Men of science from University of Cincinnati have discovered that applying a stem cell-infused bandage together with overexpression of a particular cell instruction particle promoted cell migration to damaged cardiac tissue coming after heart attack and ensued in ameliorated function in animal models.
The investigators also ascertained that function improved more systematic than when stem cells were directly put in heart tissue -- a therapy that's being analysed elsewhere.
"Following myocardial infarction, better known as heart attack, tissue becomes damaged and scarred, cardiomyocytes die and heart pump function is reduced," Wang says. "There are therapies being tested by other researchers where stem cells are injected directly into damaged heart muscle to see if contractile function can be restored."
The investigators also ascertained that function improved more systematic than when stem cells were directly put in heart tissue -- a therapy that's being analysed elsewhere.
"Following myocardial infarction, better known as heart attack, tissue becomes damaged and scarred, cardiomyocytes die and heart pump function is reduced," Wang says. "There are therapies being tested by other researchers where stem cells are injected directly into damaged heart muscle to see if contractile function can be restored."
The Future of Apple
Ok, this is funny. I know all you Apple fans out there will taste this one :)
THE FUTURE OF APPLE
NASA: 30-year-old Black Hole near outer space
Astronomers have discovered the youngest black hole that exists in our neighborhood space. This 30 years old black hole provides an unique opportunity to see this kind of celestial body and its development from an early age. According to the communique posted on the NASA site, the discovery was made at the Chandra Observatory.
This is one of the youngest black holes ever observed. Astronomers' knowledge about the universe is based almost entirely on electromagnetic radiation detected by telescopes.
This black hole could help scientists better understand how massive stars explode, how they create black holes or neutron stars, or how many such bodies exist in our galaxy.
The black hole is a remnant of the supernova SN 1979C and is located in the galaxy M100, about 50 million light years from Earth.
This finding is extremely important because it gives the scientific community the opportunity to gather information that can validate or on the contrary, invalidate existing theoretical models available at this moment.
This is one of the youngest black holes ever observed. Astronomers' knowledge about the universe is based almost entirely on electromagnetic radiation detected by telescopes.
This black hole could help scientists better understand how massive stars explode, how they create black holes or neutron stars, or how many such bodies exist in our galaxy.
The black hole is a remnant of the supernova SN 1979C and is located in the galaxy M100, about 50 million light years from Earth.
This finding is extremely important because it gives the scientific community the opportunity to gather information that can validate or on the contrary, invalidate existing theoretical models available at this moment.
Men of science discourage Body Scanners dute to cancer risks
Dr Michael Love said that the risk to get skin cancer is minimal, but statistically someone will get it. "No exposure to X-ray is considered beneficial. We know X-rays are hazardous but we have a situation at the airports where people are so eager to fly that they will risk their lives in this manner," he said.
The potential wellness risks posed by the scanners add to passengers and airline crews' interests about the devices, which have been nicknamed "naked" scanners because of the vivid image they give of a individual's body, privates and all. Biochemist John Sedat and his workfellows alleged in one open letter that most of the energy from these scanners is deported to the skin and underlying tissue. Approximately 315 "naked" scanners are presently used at 65 US airports, concording to the TSA.
The potential wellness risks posed by the scanners add to passengers and airline crews' interests about the devices, which have been nicknamed "naked" scanners because of the vivid image they give of a individual's body, privates and all. Biochemist John Sedat and his workfellows alleged in one open letter that most of the energy from these scanners is deported to the skin and underlying tissue. Approximately 315 "naked" scanners are presently used at 65 US airports, concording to the TSA.
Wearable blood pressure sensor offers 24/7 continuous monitoring
High blood pressure constitutes one of the principal vital signs of your body and is a common risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and aneurysms, so diagnosing and monitoring it are critically important. However, with all this technology around us, getting reliable blood pressure readings is not always easy.
Visits to the doctor's office can provoke anxiety that distorts blood pressure readings, and even when accurate, such visits provide only one-time snapshots of the patient's condition. To overcome these obstacles, MIT engineers have built a wearable blood pressure sensor that can provide continuous, 24-hour monitoring.
Blood pressure does tend to change during the day. When we wake up, it typically is somewhat higher than it is after we've had a chance to sit down or .eat some breakfast. So, continuous monitoring offers a much broader image of one's cardiovascular health. The new monitor, which loops around the wrist and the index finger, is just as accurate as traditional cuff devices but much less cumbersome, allowing it to be worn for hours or days at a time.
"The human body is so complex, but the cuff gives only snapshot data," says Harry Asada, an MIT mechanical engineer who led the development of the new monitor. "If you get signals all of the time you can see the trends and capture the physical condition quite well."
Devices like this one could be used to keep track on hypertension during the whole day, as well as sleep apnea. The data gathered from this devices can be used eventually by the doctors to predict when a heart attack that may occur.
CardioSign is the company that is working on commercializing the device and hopes to start clinical trials soon. The company was launched by Asada's former student. He thinks that a commercial version of the device could be available within five years, once it becomes easier to use, more reliable and cheaper to manufacture.
The latest prototype was developed jointly with industrial sponsor Sharp Corporation, and Dr. Andrew Reisner of Massachusetts General Hospital took the lead in clinical applications and human subject tests.
No cuff required
Traditional blood pressure monitoring requires a cuff, wrapped around the upper arm and inflated until blood flow is completely cut off. The examiner then gradually releases the pressure, listening to the flow until the pulse can be detected.
With this new device for monitoring blood pressure, no cuff is required. The sensor use a method called pulse wave velocity, which allows blood pressure to be calculated by measuring the pulse at two points along an artery.
Using this method the errors due to height changes will be removed. The sensors can also be calibrated for more accurate measurements. Once the blood pressure information is gathered, the data can be transmitted via wireless Internet. This new blood pressure monitor runs on a tiny battery, about the same size as the ones that power watches.
The wearable blood pressure sensor was born from a collaboration called the Home Automation and Healthcare Consortium, which launched in 1995 and included several MIT faculty members and about 20 companies.
The project was funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Sharp Corporation.
Photos: Donna Coveney
BrainPort Device Lets Blind "See" with Their Tongues
Ok. This one got me twisted the first time I read it on the internet. It seems that scientists are currently developing a pair of sunglasses wired to an electric "lollipop" that really helps the visually impaired regain optical sensations via a different pathway.
Neuroscientist Paul Bach-y-Rita hypothesized in the 1960s that "we see with our brains not our eyes." This new device trades on that thinking and aims to partially restore the experience of vision for the blind and visually impaired by relying on the nerves on the tongue's surface to send light signals to the brain.
About two million optic nerves are required to transmit visual signals from the retina—the portion of the eye where light information is decoded or translated into nerve pulses—to the brain's primary visual cortex.
The magic device is called BrainPort and is currently being developed by neuroscientists at Middleton, Wisc.–based Wicab, Inc.
How does it work?
Visual data are collected through a small digital video camera about 1.5 centimeters in diameter that sits in the center of a pair of sunglasses worn by the user. Bypassing the eyes, the data are transmitted to a handheld base unit, which is a little larger than a cell phone. This unit houses such features as zoom control, light settings and shock intensity levels as well as a central processing unit (CPU), which converts the digital signal into electrical pulses—replacing the function of the retina.
From the CPU, the signals are sent to the tongue via a "lollipop," an electrode array about nine square centimeters that sits directly on the tongue. Each electrode corresponds to a set of pixels. White pixels yield a strong electrical pulse, whereas black pixels translate into no signal. Densely packed nerves at the tongue surface receive the incoming electrical signals, which feel a little like Pop Rocks or champagne bubbles to the user.
It's not really clear at the moment whether the information is then transferred to the brain's visual cortex, where sight information is normally sent, or to its somatosensory cortex, where touch data from the tongue is interpreted, Wicab neuroscientist Aimee Arnoldussen says. "We don't know with certainty," she adds.
Using BrainPort it's just like riding a bike
Within 15 minutes of using BrainPort, blind people can begin interpreting spatial information via this amazing device, says William Seiple, research director at the nonprofit vision healthcare and research organization Lighthouse International. The electrodes spatially correlate with the pixels so that if the camera detects light fixtures in the middle of a dark hallway, electrical stimulations will occur along the center of the tongue.
"It becomes a task of learning, no different than learning to ride a bike," Arnoldussen says, adding that the "process is similar to how a baby learns to see. Things may be strange at first, but over time they become familiar."
Wicab will submit BrainPort to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval at the end of the month, says Robert Beckman, president and chief executive officer of the company. He notes that the device could be approved for market by the end of 2009 at a cost of about $10,000 per machine.
Neuroscientist Paul Bach-y-Rita hypothesized in the 1960s that "we see with our brains not our eyes." This new device trades on that thinking and aims to partially restore the experience of vision for the blind and visually impaired by relying on the nerves on the tongue's surface to send light signals to the brain.
About two million optic nerves are required to transmit visual signals from the retina—the portion of the eye where light information is decoded or translated into nerve pulses—to the brain's primary visual cortex.
The magic device is called BrainPort and is currently being developed by neuroscientists at Middleton, Wisc.–based Wicab, Inc.
How does it work?
Visual data are collected through a small digital video camera about 1.5 centimeters in diameter that sits in the center of a pair of sunglasses worn by the user. Bypassing the eyes, the data are transmitted to a handheld base unit, which is a little larger than a cell phone. This unit houses such features as zoom control, light settings and shock intensity levels as well as a central processing unit (CPU), which converts the digital signal into electrical pulses—replacing the function of the retina.
From the CPU, the signals are sent to the tongue via a "lollipop," an electrode array about nine square centimeters that sits directly on the tongue. Each electrode corresponds to a set of pixels. White pixels yield a strong electrical pulse, whereas black pixels translate into no signal. Densely packed nerves at the tongue surface receive the incoming electrical signals, which feel a little like Pop Rocks or champagne bubbles to the user.
It's not really clear at the moment whether the information is then transferred to the brain's visual cortex, where sight information is normally sent, or to its somatosensory cortex, where touch data from the tongue is interpreted, Wicab neuroscientist Aimee Arnoldussen says. "We don't know with certainty," she adds.
Using BrainPort it's just like riding a bike
Within 15 minutes of using BrainPort, blind people can begin interpreting spatial information via this amazing device, says William Seiple, research director at the nonprofit vision healthcare and research organization Lighthouse International. The electrodes spatially correlate with the pixels so that if the camera detects light fixtures in the middle of a dark hallway, electrical stimulations will occur along the center of the tongue.
"It becomes a task of learning, no different than learning to ride a bike," Arnoldussen says, adding that the "process is similar to how a baby learns to see. Things may be strange at first, but over time they become familiar."
Wicab will submit BrainPort to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval at the end of the month, says Robert Beckman, president and chief executive officer of the company. He notes that the device could be approved for market by the end of 2009 at a cost of about $10,000 per machine.
Future Weapons, NEW THAAD Missile
The THAAD (theatre high-altitude area defence) missile system is an easily transportable defensive weapon system to protect against hostile incoming threats such as tactical and theatre ballistic missiles at ranges of 200km and at altitudes up to 150km.
The THAAD missile system provides the upper tier of a 'layered defensive shield' to protect high value strategic or tactical sites such as airfields or populations centres. The THAAD missile intercepts exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric threats.
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