Developments in Computers and Electronics

This branch of technology is developing so quickly, it's hard to fathom what electronics will be around in the future. Will we continue at our current pace for long? 

Baby Robot That Can Walk, Talk and Feel – (Daily Mail – June 7, 2007)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=460015&in_page_id=1965
Covered in a grey putty-like silicone skin the baby bot can roll around and 'speak'. It can even take a few steps if encouraged enough. It has 197 tactile sensors embedded in its outer layer and 51 compressed air-powered actuators, which allow it to react to touch.

Microsoft Surface Brings Computing to the Table – (Seattle Pi – May 30, 2007)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/317737_msftdevice30.html
One of Microsoft Corp.'s biggest secrets looks like a normal coffee table until it's switched on. After years of covert development, Microsoft says it will release a computer that uses the tabletop as its high-resolution display, recognizes objects placed on the surface and skips the traditional keyboard and mouse in favor of fingers on the screen.

Search Engine Aims to Google Your Genes – (Times Online – May 24, 2007)
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1832165.ece
Google has expanded its mission to lay bare the world’s information by investing in 23andMe, a company set up by its co-founder’s wife that lets users trawl their genetic profile online.  The move comes as Google, keen to present itself as a benign Big Brother, radically extends its efforts to build precise profiles of online consumers to target advertising campaigns more precisely.

Mouse Brain Simulated on Computer – (BBC News – April 27, 2007)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6600965.stm
Computing power is working to catch up. US researchers have simulated half a virtual mouse brain on a supercomputer. Brain tissue presents a huge problem for simulation because of its complexity and the sheer number of potential interactions between the elements involved. The vast complexity of the simulation meant that it was only run for 10 seconds at a speed ten times slower than real life - the equivalent of one second in a real mouse brain.

New Toys Read Brain Waves – (Associated Press – April 30, 2007)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070430/ap_on_hi_te/mind_reading_toys
Engineers at NeuroSky Inc. have big plans for brain wave-reading toys and video games. Technology from NeuroSky and other startups could even enable players to control video game characters or avatars in virtual worlds with nothing but their thoughts. Adding biofeedback to "Tiger Woods PGA Tour," for instance, could mean that only those players who muster Zen-like concentration could nail a put.

Building the Bionic Man -- (Doctor's Gadgets -- March 27, 2007)
http://www.doctorsgadgets.com/building-the-bionic-man-from-eye-to-anus.html
Advances in medical prostheses and computer technology are making the dream of building a bionic human a reality. An artificial hippocampus (part of the brain responsible for storing new memories) is being developed by scientists at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The Argus II bionic eye is currently undergoing trials in 50-75 patients in the US. In July 2001, Robert Tools received the first completely self-contained artificial heart transplant. The implications are huge and far-reaching.

A Depth-Sensing Camera, an LCD Projector and Some Genius -- (Microsoft -- March 12, 2007)
mms://wm.microsoft.com/ms/evnet/RB_TechFest_4_s_ch9.wmv 
The above link points towards a video - a fascinating demonstration of leading-edge technology with numerous potential applications. Curious? Watch the video!

This technology allows a person to take real life environmental factors (ie. in the video they use construction paper ramps, which are used for a car to jump over) and projects it into a computer program. The interviewer even puts his hand "into" the program and tosses the virtual car around. Virtual chessboards etc. are also demonstrated. Really neat program.

Data-Storing Bacteria Could Last Thousands of Years -- (ComputerWorld -- February 27, 2007)
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic
&taxonomyName=storage&articleId=9011945&taxonomyId=19&intsrc=kc_top
Scientists have developed a new technology that uses bacteria DNA as a medium for storing data long-term, even for thousands of years. The new technology creates an artificial DNA that carries up to more than 100 bits of data within the genome sequence. The researchers said they successfully encoded "e= mc2 1905!" - Einstein's theory of relativity and the year he enunciated it - on the common soil bacteria, Bacillius subtilis.

Brain Scan Can Read People's Intentions -- (Guardian -- February 9, 2007)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2009229,00.html#article_continue
A team of world-leading neuroscientists has developed a powerful technique that allows them to look deep inside a person's brain and read their intentions before they act. The research breaks controversial new ground in scientists' ability to probe people's minds and eavesdrop on their thoughts, and raises serious ethical issues over how brain-reading technology may be used in the future.

A Prosthetic Arm That Acts like a Real One -- (MIT Technology Review -- February 2, 2007)
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/18134/
A new technique that capitalizes on remaining nerves allows amputees to intuitively control their prosthetic limb, providing them with a much better level of control than traditional prosthetics. One of the first patients to undergo the procedure was able to use her new arm within a few days of her operation, becoming four times as fast on movement tests as she was with her traditional prosthetic.

Street-Fighting Robot Challenge Announced -- (New Scientist -- January 24, 2007)
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn11021?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=dn11021
A contest to build a robot that can operate autonomously in urban warfare conditions, moving in and out of buildings to search and destroy targets like a human soldier, was launched in Singapore recently. The country's Defense Science and Technology Agency is offering $652,000 to whoever develops a robot that completes a stipulated set of tasks – yet to be revealed – in the fastest time possible.

Credit Cards Built into Mobile Phones (Peter Warren -- Jan 20, 2005)

Story used by The Inquirer
(Taken from www.futureintelligence.co.uk) 

A consortium of technology companies is about to turn mobile phones into high-tech wallets. The technology will let people make cash payments from their phones simply by pointing them at the object they want to buy.

Click here for the full story.

Sharp computer puts focus on 3D (Written by Peter Warren -- Tuesday, 02 May 2006)

JAPANESE electronics giant Sharp is to unveil the world's first commercial use of 3D technology on a computer screen - a development that could bode well for Britain. Sharp plans to launch a notebook computer later this month with a screen that can use conventional 2D technology and a new system showing 3D images.

It will cost 350,000 yen (£1875). The system is based on a technology that tricks the eyes by broadcasting an image to one eye that the other cannot see - creating an optical illusion that presents the user with a three-dimensional image.

A Sharp spokeswoman said the company sees potential for the screens in TV, the games market and in design and medical imaging.

Exploiting 3D is high on the agendas of Japanese companies. Sharp recently formed a consortium with rivals Sony, Sanyo, Itochu and NTT to develop the technology.

In Britain, where much of the Sharp research has taken place, scientists have long complained that they have pioneered many of the breakthroughs but have not had the financial support.

(From http://www.futureintelligence.co.uk/content/view/79/61/ )

Cell Phone Offerings Set To Boom: report -- (Reuters -- Feb 1, 2007)

The market for content and services on cell phones is expected to grow to $150 billion by 2011, as access to the Web while on the move becomes easier and faster, research from Informa Telecoms & Media showed.

More info

Record-Breaking Speed for Flexible Silicon -- (MIT Technology Review -- January 11, 2007)
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/18055/
Researchers have made ultra-thin silicon transistors that operate more than 50 times faster than previous flexible-silicon devices. The advance could help make possible flexible high-end electronics that would be useful in a variety of applications, from computers to communication.

Novel Chip Architecture Could Extend Moore's Law -- (MIT Tech Review -- January 16, 2007)
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18063/
In the chip-making industry, the best way to increase the speed of electronics and make them cheaper has always been to shrink a chip's transistors to create room for more. But now researchers have announced a radically different approach: a design that creates room for eight times more transistors on a chip, while avoiding the need to make the transistors smaller.

Touch Screens for Many Fingers -- (New Scientist -- January 18, 2007)
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18079/
The full power of multi-touch technology might be unleashed in screens far larger than those on the highly-touted Iphones. Over the past few years, researchers have developed an inexpensive way to make large multi-touch screens accommodating 10, 20, or even more fingers. Applications range from interactive whiteboards to touch-screen tables and digital walls - any of which could be manipulated by more than just one person.

Direct Brain Control of Robots -- (Science Agogo-- December 18, 2006)
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20061117211014data_trunc_sys.shtml
A metal skullcap with electrodes sticking out has turned a sci-fi cliché into reality, with the wearer being able to control a robot's movements with thought power alone. Researchers have demonstrated that an individual can "order" the robot to move to specific locations and pick up specific objects merely by generating the proper brain wave instructions.

Conceptualizing a Cyborg -- (Physorg -- January 18, 2007)
http://www.physorg.com/news88346219.html
To develop the next generation of prosthetics the idea is to use regions of undamaged nervous tissue to provide command signals to drive a device, such as an artificial limb. The central feature of the proposed interface is the ability to create transplantable living nervous tissue already coupled to electrodes.

We'll All be Cyborgs Someday -- (Statesman -- December 23, 2006)
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/12/23/23britainborg.html
In "Casino Royale," the latest James Bond movie, Bond is implanted with a microchip that allows headquarters to track his whereabouts and monitor his vital signs. If cybernetics experts are right, the day will come when most people are implanted with chips - and the real-life chips will do a lot more than Bond's does.

Samsung Develops Marathon Fuel Cell -- (Top Tech News -- December 28, 2006)
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Samsung-Develops
-Marathon-Fuel-Cell/story.xhtml?story_id=13000ER599E2
Researchers have engineered a fuel cell that can power a notebook computer for up to a month. The fuel cell is part of a docking station that lets a laptop run for eight hours a day, five days a week, for up to four weeks in a row. Of course, fuel cells are nothing new in the market for smarter, cleaner energy, but this is the first instance of applying the technique to a notebook with such long-lasting results. The new fuel cell is a 1200 watt-hour direct methanol fuel cell, or DFMC, which convert methanol to water to produce DC power.

Face-Hunting Software will Scour Web for Targets -- (New Scientist -- December 19, 2006)
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn10828?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=dn10828
A search engine that uses sophisticated facial recognition to allow users to identify and find people in online images will launch next month. But civil liberties groups say the biometric-style tool could compromise the privacy of anyone who has their picture online. Search engine Polar Rose reconstructs the 3D shape of a person's face and then combines that with characteristics of their features to generate a unique "face print". This can then be used to search other photos for a match.

New Research Could Lead To Invisible Electronics -- (Science Daily -- December 23, 2006)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061223092615.htm
Imagine a car windshield that displays a map to your destination, military goggles with targets and instructions displayed right before a soldier's eyes or a billboard that doubles as a window. Only in science fiction you say? Researchers report that by combining organic and inorganic materials they have produced transparent, high-performance transistors that can be assembled inexpensively on both glass and plastics.

Supercomputers Crunching Chips, Proteins and Nuclear Bombs -- (CNN -- December 7, 2006)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/12/05/supercomputers/index.html
An average PC can perform in the tens or hundreds of megaflops - millions of calculations per second. A supercomputer like Purple at Livermore can calculate 100 teraflops - 100 million million calculations per second. Using this ability to think faster, Purple can simulate the explosion of a nuclear weapon - from the moment the button is pressed to the point when the bomb detonates. In just a just a few billionths of a second, many complex systems interact to create a nuclear explosion. In 1994 it would have taken the world's fastest computer 6,000 years to complete the highly classified "button to bang" simulation. It took Purple about six weeks.

Single-Photon Source May Allow for Quantum Communication -- (Physorg -- November 9, 2006)
http://www.physorg.com/news82281692.html
One of the largest challenges for building quantum communications networks involves having single photons, which are needed to ensure the security and efficiency of quantum systems. With an adequate supply of single photons, quantum communications systems could send information at nearly the speed of light - and scientists have just developed a controllable single-photon source for generating and storing single photons.

A Growing Intelligence around Earth -- (NASA-- October 26, 2006)
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/26oct_sensorweb.htm?list163225
EO-1 is a new breed of satellite that can think for itself. It was programmed it to notice things that change (like the plume of a volcano) and take appropriate action. EO-1 can re-organize its own priorities to study volcanic eruptions, flash-floods, forest fires, disintegrating sea-ice—in short, anything unexpected.

Beaucoup Cell-Phone Security -- (Wired -- October 28, 2006)
http://wired.com/news/wireservice/0,72027-0.html?tw=wn_index_9
A new mobile phone takes security pretty seriously: It can recognize its owner, automatically locks when the person gets too far away from it and can be found via satellite navigation if it goes missing.

Polar Rose to Launch Picture Search Engine -- (Smart Economy -- October 9, 2006)
http://smarteconomy.typepad.com/smart_economy/2006/10/polar_rose_to_l.html
A new, web-based search engine has been created that can find photographs of people by analyzing pictures and identifying faces. The search engine will be the first of its kind in the world.

Good Information - It’s Not All about the Brain -- (Physorg -- October 27, 2006)
http://www.physorg.com/news81148594.html
A neuroscientist and a roboticist have created a new way to objectively quantify an idea that philosophers, educators and psychologists have discussed for decades -- that the many ways in which our bodies interact with our environment produces better information that helps the brain. The scientists used real and simulated robots to create a unique mathematical framework, which they consider the first step toward the development of an explicit quantitative framework that unifies neural and behavioral processes.

Solar Flares Will Disrupt GPS in 2011 -- (New Scientist -- September 29, 2006)
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn10189-solar-flares-will-disrupt-gps-in-2011.html
Global Positioning System receivers have been found to be unexpectedly vulnerable to bursts of radio noise produced by solar flares. When solar activity peaks in 2011 and 2012, it could cause widespread disruption to aircraft navigation and emergency location systems that rely heavily on satellite navigation data.

Memory Spot Chip -- (Smart Economy -- October 14, 2006)
http://smarteconomy.typepad.com/smart_economy/2006/10/hps_memory_spot.html
Researchers have developed a miniature wireless data chip, the size of a grain of rice, which could provide broad access to digital content in the physical world. The tiny chip could be stuck on or embedded in almost any object.

China Leads Next Generation Internet Development -- (People's Daily -- September 25, 2006)
http://english.people.com.cn/200609/25/eng20060925_305992.html
Proposed in the mid-1990s, the next generation Internet is estimated to increase information transmitting speed by more than 1000 times, to 40 gigabytes per second. China has successfully built the core network of its next generation Internet.

Teenager Moves Video Icons by Imagination -- (Washington University in St. Louis -- October 9, 2006)
http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/7800.html
A 14-year-old boy is the first human to play a video game, Space Invaders, using only the signals from his brain to make movements. Getting subjects to move objects using only their brains has implications toward building biomedical devices that can control artificial limbs, enabling the disabled to move a prosthetic by thinking about it.

A Projector the Size of a Sugar Cube -- (Physorg -- September 12, 2006)
http://www.physorg.com/news77299952.html
No larger than a sugar cube, this new video projector contains just a single mirror which can be rotated around two axes instead of the conventional microarrays. This makes it smaller, lighter and handier by far than traditional projectors.

Swallowable Sensors -- (MIT Technology Review -- September 7, 2006)
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17470&ch=biotech
Swallowable wireless sensors are now ready to begin monitoring the human body. The electronic pill is meant to be ingested by a patient; it then gathers information about the digestive system as it travels through it, transmitting the information to a receiver worn by the patient. The newly approved device is the size and shape of a large vitamin pill.

Why Fly When You Can Web Conference -- (NY Times -- September 18, 2006)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/18/business/businessspecial2/18whygo.html?
ex=1159243200&en=9bcefb9672f20ba7&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Driven by technological developments in telecommunications, web-conferencing is getting a further boost from the troubles afflicting airline passengers. All it takes is a broadband connection - now present in nearly every office and about 40 percent of American homes - along with an $800 laptop and, perhaps, a $30 Webcam.

Airport Screening Technology Developed -- ( Lycos -- September 8, 2006)
http://news.lycos.com/dynamic/stories/S/SEPT_11_AIRPORT_SECURITY?SITE=LYCOS&SECTION
=TECHNOLOGY&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-09-08-17-25-00
What will airport security look like in the decades to come? It is possible that the long lines of today will have vanished, made obsolete by sophisticated screening devices that could do everything from detecting dangerous trace particles on a traveler's person to automatically identifying all liquids within any containers being carried aboard.

Tracking Those Roaming Around Rome -- (CNET -- September 8, 2006)
http://news.com.com/Images+Tracking+those+roaming+around+Rome
/2300-11386_3-6113691.html?tag=nefd.lede
New technology is being field-tested in Rome that allows authorities to monitor - well, not everything, but close to it. Graphical visualizations - spread out over four sections in the attached article - display population movements, bus activity and even cell phone call density and frequency.

Fastest Supercomputer to be Built -- (BBC -- September 7, 2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5322704.stm
IBM is set to build the world's most powerful supercomputer at a US government laboratory. The machine, codenamed Roadrunner, could be four times more potent than the current fastest machine, BlueGene/L, also built by IBM. The new computer is a "hybrid" design, using both conventional supercomputer processors and the new "cell" chip design.

A Computer Game for Real-Life Crises -- (Washington Post -- August 30, 2006)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/29/AR2006082901487.html
Most cities do not have the budget for real-world emergency exercises - and Incident Commander, a training simulator, aims to fill that gap by giving players a lead role in managing crisis situations such as terrorist attacks and natural disasters. The game tutors players in how to build a budget and start a commissary under U.S government guidelines - and has already proved useful in real-life situations, according to rescue workers.

Which Travelers Have 'Hostile Intent' -- (Wall Street Journal -- August 14, 2006)
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115551793796934752-
2hgveyRtDDtssKozVPmg6RAAa_w_20070813.html
At airport security checkpoints in Knoxville, Tenn. this summer, scores of departing passengers were chosen to step behind a curtain, sit in a metallic oval booth and don headphones. With one hand inserted into a sensor that monitors physical responses, the travelers used the other hand to answer questions on a touch screen about their plans. The trial of the Israeli-developed system represents an effort by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to determine whether technology can spot passengers who have "hostile intent."

This Computer May Be Too Smart -- (Business Week -- July 13, 2006)
http://businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jul2006/gb20060713_595118.htm?chan=top+news_top+news
University of Cambridge scientist Peter Robinson has developed a "mind-reading" computer that can interpret reactions and feelings by analyzing a person's facial movements. Developed in conjunction with researchers at MIT, the computer uses a camera to capture people's facial expressions and then applies sophisticated pattern-matching technology to recognize emotions ranging from confusion to concentration.

Warning, Storm Ahead ... TNX -- (New Scientist -- July 28, 2006)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/07/27/china.storms.phones.ap/index.html
"Typhoon forecast to make land this evening," said the message sent to millions of mobile phones in the coastal city of Jinjiang and surrounding Fujian province. Authorities in Fujian have sent 18 million messages with storm information during five typhoons this year. Text messages have become a key tool for Chinese authorities during this year's unusually powerful typhoon season. Nearly one-third of China's 1.3 billion people have a cell phone, creating a rival to television and radio as a way to reach the public.

From a Poet's Failing Sight, a Novel 'Seeing Machine' -- (New York Times-- May 23, 2006)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/health/23visi.html?
;ex=1306036800en=bf9ed1af5ead2196ei=5088partner=rssnytemc=rss
A poet and artist has enlisted the help of scientists and engineering students to create a "seeing machine" that may eventually help people like her, with severely impaired vision, to read, look at pictures and explore landscapes and buildings.

Is Virtual Life Better Than Reality? -- (CBS -- July 31, 2006)
http://www.newscientistspace.com/article.ns?id=dn8466
When reality gets hard to take, there's an escape to a parallel universe — a virtual world without end where real people create online personas called avatars. Anything is possible. And, while the reality may be virtual, real money is changing hands among the players in these games. An estimated $1 billion worldwide is spent by users buying and selling virtual goods, such as furniture for virtual houses and clothing for their avatars.

Multi-Touch Interaction Experiments (video) http://mrl.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/

At New York University's Media Research Laboratory, computer scientist Jefferson Y. Han and colleagues are developing highly interactive touchscreen workstations. The project's Web site offers a video of this technology, which calls to mind the fictional computers portrayed in the film MINORITY REPORT.

While most computer users are accustomed to brushing a finger across a touchpad or poking an onscreen menu to complete a transaction, the Multi-Touch Interaction technology allows users to interact with the program on a much larger scale, using both hands and sweeping gestures. Wall-sized and tabletop displays with the multi-touch interaction could also accommodate multiple users simultaneously. 

Several more videos that dramatically illustrate the technology's potential applications can be viewed on YouTube, a public video-sharing blog spot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVI6xw9Zph8 

Jeff Han's Web page: http://mrl.nyu.edu/~jhan/

(taken from "Futurist Update" <futuristupdate@wfs.org>)

Translator Lets Computers Understand Experiments -- (New Scientist -- June 7, 2006)
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn9288-translator-lets-computers-understand-experiments-.html
A framework for translating the write-ups of experiments into a format that can be processed by computers has been developed by academics. The new tool could revolutionize the way scientific papers are written and help scientists make creative leaps, researchers say.

Researchers Teach Computers To Perceive Three Dimensions in 2-D Images -- (Carnegie Mellon -- June 13, 2006)
http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060613_3d.html
Researchers in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science have found a way to help computers understand the geometric context of outdoor scenes and thus better comprehend what they see. The discovery promises to revive an area of computer vision research all but abandoned two decades ago because it seemed insoluble. It may ultimately find application in vision systems used to guide robotic vehicles, monitor security cameras and archive photos.

Error-Check Breakthrough in Quantum Computing -- (New Scientist -- June 12, 2006)
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn9301-errorcheck-breakthrough-in-quantum-computing.html
Physicists have discovered a new way to check the quantum state of information stored inside a qubit. Knowing exactly what's going on inside makes designing error-checking for quantum computers possible. This is necessary because information encoded as a qubit degrades over time.

West Virginia Schools Use Dance Video Game in Gym Class -- (Post-Gazette -- June 4, 2006)
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06155/695356-298.stm
Video games in gym class? After trying a pilot program in 20 schools last year, West Virginia has announced the "Dance Dance Revolution" video game program to all of West Virginia's 753 public schools. They trained teachers, then, this spring, introduced the program in about 150 middle schools, targeting students who are maturing and developing lifestyle habits. Their primary intent is to combat childhood obesity in a state which consistently ranks among the nation's highest in rates of obesity and related ailments.

Magnetic Tape Prototype Makes Data Leap -- (CNet -- May 15, 2006)
http://news.com.com/2100-1015_3-6072590.html?part=rss&tag=6072590&subj=news
Researchers at IBM's Almaden Research Center and at Fuji Photo have devised a prototype storage system utilizing a dual-layer magnetic tape that can hold 6.67 billion bits of data per square inch. That's 15 times greater than most popular types of magnetic tape on the market today. The achievement helps bolster the argument that tape will continue to remain an economical means of archival storage for years to come.

Virtual Reality to Treat Hallucinations

 Researchers in Spain have developed a way to deploy virtual-reality technologies to help psychotic patients recognize hallucinations. In computer simulations of complex situations, such as an assembly line, the patients must focus on specific images and identify any that do not match predetermined objects. "The aim is not to recreate the hallucinations of patients, but to train their attention in order to reduce them or stop them from appearing," according to project leader Beatriz López Luengo of the University of Jaen. 

SOURCE: Andalucía Investiga, http://www.andaluciainvestiga.com/espanol/noticias/8/2971.asp

Virus-Assembled Batteries (see Biology page)

Speedy Robot Legs it to Break Record -- (New Scientist -- April 5, 2006)
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn8957-speedy-robot-legs-it-to-break-record.html
A two-legged robot that walks at record-breaking speed has been developed by researchers from Germany and Scotland. "RunBot" is the fastest robot on two legs for its size. At 30 centimeters high, it can walk at a speedy 3.5 leg-lengths per second. This beats the previous record holder - MIT's "Spring Flamingo" - which is four times as tall but manages just 1.4 leg-lengths per second.

Brain Cells Fused with Computer Chip -- (Live Science -- March 27, 2006)
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060327_neuro_chips.html
The line between living organisms and machines has just become a whole lot blurrier. European researchers have developed "neuro-chips" in which living brain cells and silicon circuits are coupled together. The achievement could one day enable the creation of sophisticated neural prostheses to treat neurological disorders or the development of organic computers that crunch numbers using living neurons.

Software Out There -- (New York Times -- April 5, 2006)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/technology/techspecial4/05lego.html?ex=1301
889600&en=9294046d7c3d82ca&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
The Internet is entering its Lego era. Indeed, blocks of interchangeable software components are proliferating on the Web and developers are joining them together to create a potentially infinite array of useful new programs. This new software represents a marked departure from the inflexible, at times unwieldy, programs of the past, which were designed to run on individual computers.

New Device Allows Woman to See, Even Without Eyes -- (Ivanhoe Newswire -- March 31, 2006)
http://rdu.news14.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=82612
More than a million people in the United States are legally blind. Many of them once had vision but tragically lost it. Now a breakthrough device could give them back some of their sight. A camera on the tip of your glasses sends signals to a computer that's strapped around your waist. The computer then stimulates electrodes in the brain through a cord that attaches to the head. Patients see flashes of light and outlines of objects.

MIT Group Develops Mind-Reading Device -- (CNET -- April 4, 2006)
http://news.com.com/MIT+group+develops+mind-reading+device/2100-1008_3-6057638.html
Three researchers at the MIT Media Lab have developed a device that "reads minds" and alerts wearers to the emotional state of the person they're conversing with. The device is called the Emotional Social Intelligence Prosthetic. The research team hopes it will help people with autism learn to better read the social cues of others.

Kurzweil Demonstrates Universal Translator

At the 2006 annual WFS conference held in Toronto, Ray Kurzweil demonstrated a headset used as a universal translator. This could easily spell the end of the need for foreign language education in schools. In Kurzweil's video he first spoke in English, which was translated into French, and then German, by a computerized voice. Then he spoke in French which was repeated back in English. The headset would not only reduce the need to learn to speak foreign languages, but would at the same time make learning them easier... a portable language tutor. This will also greatly heighten the ability for people to travel anywhere in the world and still be able to communicate perfectly.

~Bob Stewart

Augmented Reality -from 2D objects to 3D animated worldscapes -Microsoft's prototype Photosynth browser

We appear to be ready to jump into a new exciting world of augmented reality (AR) where participants can transverse from a world of flat 2D objects, artifacts and landscapes (pictures, photo albums,  paper documents ) to what I have coined -- animated worldscapes (AW) (navigable 3D worlds)

~Walter Derzko

http://smarteconomy.typepad.com/smart_economy/2006/08/augmented_reali.html

See how Microsoft's 3D worldscape works, combining 2D photographs into a 3D navigable world with this Demo video.

Walter Derzko's presentation on Smart Technology from WFS conference in Toronto, July 2006 

Click here for the presentation.

Powerpoint presentation outlining the capabilities on nanotechnology and "smart" technology as of July 2006. A great introduction into the world of Smart Tech and Nanotech, it makes you want to go out and learn more. Fortunately Derzko provides more at his blog site, linked here.

Chemists Work on Plastic Promise -- (BBC -- March 20, 2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4825388.stm
A new plastic that could rival silicon as the material of choice for some electronic devices has been developed. The invention could eventually slash the cost of flat panel screens and bring electronic paper into common use. The new material can also be laid down using simple printing techniques rather than the expensive and elaborate methods used to process silicon.

Mental Typewriter Controlled by Thought Alone -- (New Scientist -- March 9, 2006)
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/info-tech/dn8826.html
A computer controlled by the power of thought alone has been demonstrated at a major trade fair in Germany. The device could provide a way for paralyzed patients to operate computers, or for amputees to operate electronically controlled artificial limbs. But it also has non-medical applications, such as in the computer games and entertainment industries

RFID Worm Created in the Lab -- (New Scientist -- March 15, 2006)
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8854-rfid-worm-created-in-the-lab.html
Researchers have discovered a way to infect Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags with a computer worm, raising the disturbing prospect that products, ID cards, and even pets could be used to spread malicious code. RFID tags provides a simple and efficient method of short-range identification and are increasingly being used to track products, make automatic payments and control access to buildings and public transport.

The Silent Speaker -- (Forbes -- March 10, 2006)
http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2006/0410/084.html?partner=yahoomag
Researchers have begun using an uncanny technology called subvocal speech recognition. Attaching a set of electrodes to the skin of your throat and, without opening your mouth or uttering a sound, your words are recognized and begin appearing on a computer screen. Researchers have already used subvocal commands to drive a car around a virtual city in a computer simulation and to Google the Web using nothing but unuttered search terms and commands.

Computer Made from DNA and Enzymes -- (National Geographic -- February 24, 2006)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0224_030224_DNAcomputer.html
Israeli scientists have devised a computer that can perform 330 trillion operations per second, more than 100,000 times the speed of the fastest PC. The secret: It runs on DNA. The design is considered a giant step in DNA computing. The Guinness World Records last week recognized the computer as "the smallest biological computing device" ever constructed. DNA computing is in its infancy, and its implications are only beginning to be explored. But it could transform the future of computers, especially in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications.

IBM's Chip-Shrinking Secret -- (Technology Revie -- February 27, 2006)
http://www.techreview.com/BizTech-R&D/wtr_16425,295,p1.html
A novel chip-making strategy forged by IBM researchers could break through previous constraints, allowing semiconductor makers to use their same basic tools to continue shrinking chip features. If the strategy pans out, it would enable more advances in computing speed and power, without requiring a long-feared multi-billion-dollar industrial retooling.

Quantum Telecloning: Captain Kirk's Clone and The Eavesdropper -- (Phys Org -- February 16, 2006)
http://www.physorg.com/news10924.html
Quantum cryptographic protocols are so secure that they can not only discover tapping but also where and how much information is leaking out. Now, using telecloning, the identity and location of the eavesdropper can be concealed. The first experimental demonstration of quantum telecloning has been achieved by scientists at the University of Tokyo.

Nanotube Networks Conjured on Crystals -- (New Scientist -- March 1, 2006)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?hbxmail=nl&id=dn8789
The key to instantly assembling intricate networks of nanotubes has been discovered by scientists armed with some of the most sophisticated microscopes in the world. The phenomenon may one-day help create tiny nano-circuits that let electrons pass through nano-pipes instead of along silicon wires.

3D Plasma Shapes Created in Thin Air -- (New Scientist -- February 27, 2006)
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/mech-tech/dn8778.html
The night sky could soon be lit up with gigantic three-dimensional adverts, thanks to a Japanese laser display that creates glowing images in thin air. The display utilizes an ionization effect which occurs when a beam of laser light is focused to a point in air. The laser beam itself is invisible to the human eye but, if the intensity of the laser pulse exceeds a threshold, the air breaks down into glowing plasma that emits visible light.

The 50 Best Robots Ever -- (Wired -- January 31, 2006)
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.01/robots.html
They're exploring the deep sea and distant planets. They're saving lives in the operating room and on the battlefield. They're transforming factory floors and filmmaking. The growth of robots in our lives has prompted this website to list its top 50 favorite robots.

Nanotubes Break Superconducting Record -- (PhysicsWeb -- February 14, 2006)
http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/10/2/8/1
Physicists in Japan have shown that "entirely end-bonded" multi-walled carbon nanotubes can superconduct at temperatures as high as 12 K, which is 30 times greater than for single-walled carbon nanotubes. The superconducting nanotubes could be used to study fundamental 1D quantum effects and also find practical applications in molecular quantum computing

ROBOTS IMPROVE SURGERY 

Robot-assisted surgery can be more accurate than conventional surgery, according to a team of surgeons at Imperial College London. 

The team looked at 27 patients who underwent a partial knee-replacement operation. The patients were separated into two groups, with 14 having conventional surgery and 13 having surgery in which a robot known as Acrobot assisted the surgeon. 

The researchers found that the Acrobot-assisted surgeries took longer but that in every case the bones were lined up to within 2 degrees of the planned position. The same level of accuracy occurred in just 40% of the conventional surgeries.

 "These robots are designed to hold the surgeon’s hand in the operating theater, not take over the operation," says research team leader Justin Cobb. "We can use this data to develop a new generation of less invasive procedures, providing faster recovery and better outcomes for patients." 

SOURCE: Imperial College London, http://www.ic.ac.uk/P7449.htm

Robot Demonstrates Self Awareness -- (Discovery -- January 24, 2006)
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20051219/awarerobot_tec.html
A new robot can recognize the difference between a mirror image of itself and another robot that looks just like it. This so-called mirror image cognition is based on artificial nerve cell groups built into the robot's computer brain that give it the ability to recognize itself and acknowledge others. The ground-breaking technology could eventually lead to robots able to express emotions.

Spin Doctors Create Quantum Chip -- (Wired -- January 12, 2006)
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70001-0.html?tw=wn_tophead_12
University of Michigan scientists have created the first quantum microchip, which could be a giant stride in the race to produce a new generation of brawny, super-fast computers. Working with individual ions is key to building powerful computing machines that will exploit quantum physics, instead of transistors, and trump the power of today's most powerful supercomputers.

Legal Applications of Artificial Intelligence -- (University of Texas -- January 10, 2006)
http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~palmquis/courses/project98/ailaw/ailaw.htm
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology develops, the creation of computers that can autonomously reason with the law to determine legal solutions is slowly becoming a reality. Expert systems will one day be able to predict the outcome of litigation with a good degree of accuracy. An important attribute of expert systems is their ability to explain why a particular analysis or recommendation was produced. The process usually involves the assignation of numerical "weights" in relation to case facts. This website is a great starting point for those interested in the future of law and AI.

Talking Heads May Replace Texts -- (New Scientist -- December 28, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18625045.900
Seestorm, a Russian company based in Moscow, has devised a way to allow phone owners to take a picture of themselves using a cell phone camera, and then attach a voice or text message to the file. The person they are calling receives an animated version of the picture in which the caller's eyes and mouth move as they appear to speak the message. The company uses software on its servers to slice up the message into its component phonemes and then match these to mouth and eye movements in its library.

Farming the Monsters -- (The Australian -- December 28, 2005)
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,17445722%5E15400%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html
About 20 million people around the world are spending time in so-called massively multiplayer online role-playing games. These online spaces are not only adding users, but are growing economies that interact with the real world. One game, Second Life, has its own currency, convertible to US dollars at a fluctuating exchange rate, and users can buy the virtual currency with credit cards or sell it for real dollars by check or PayPal transfers. Its 60,000 users trade $US2 million monthly, making its economy about the same size as that of South Pacific island nation Tuvalu.

Gold's Glitter Not the Same at the Nanoscale -- (Argonne National Laboratory -- January 10, 2006)
http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2006/news060103.html
Researchers have found that gold "shines" in a different way at the nanoscale, and the insights may lead to new optical chips for computers or for switches and routers in fiber networks. Researchers examined the characteristics of photoluminescence, the emission of light when electrons are stimulated in gold nanorods, and found that they could control the wavelength of the light emitted by the material, making it possible to use as a light source inside an optical chip, allowing transmission of information through light.

Will We Merge With Machines? -- (Popular Science -- December 28, 2005)
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/futurebody/879d9371b1d75010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html
The pattern is familiar: Researchers develop a technology or drug to aid the ailing. Soon thereafter, healthy people co-opt it to make themselves stronger, faster or smarter. Follow this trend far enough, and we reach the augmented human. Popular Science has scoured the most promising research under way in bioengineering laboratories worldwide to take an informed look at how technology will enter and alter our bodies over the coming decades.

Let's See Some ID, Please -- (MSNBC -- January 10, 2006)
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10441443/
Although anonymity has been part of Internet culture since the first browser, its also a major obstacle to making the Web a safe place to conduct business: Internet fraud, identity theft, spam emails, and sexual predators all have their roots in the ease of masking ones identity in the online world. Change, however, is on the way. Already over 20 million PCs worldwide are equipped with a tiny security chip called the Trusted Platform Module, although it is as yet rarely activated. But once merchants and other online services begin to use it, the TPM will do something never before seen on the Internet: provide virtually fool-proof verification that you are who you say you are.

'Data-In, Data-Out' Signals Quantum Breakthrough -- (New Scientist -- December 8, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8432
A trick for transferring quantum information from atoms to photons and back again could be used to create impenetrable global communication networks and computers that work at astounding speeds. The crucial step is filtering the individual photon from the various laser pulses. A team managed this by using crystals to separate photons based on their polarity, reflectivity and absorption.

Holographic-Memory Discs May Put DVDs to Shame -- (New Scientist -- December 1, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8370
A computer disc about the size of a DVD that can hold 60 times more data is set to go on sale in 2006. The disc stores information through the interference of light, a technique known as holographic memory. Unlike other technologies that record one data bit at a time, holography allows a million bits of data to be written and read in parallel with a single flash of light.

Machines and Objects to Overtake Humans on the Internet -- (PhysicsOrg -- November 17, 2005)
http://www.physorg.com/news8250.html
Machines will overtake humans to become the biggest users of the Internet in a brave new world of electronic sensors, smart homes, and tags that track users' movements and habits, the UN's telecommunications agency predicted. Currently there are about 875 million Internet users worldwide, a number that may simply double if humans remain the primary users of the future. But experts are counting on tens of billions of human and inanimate "users" in future decades.

Japan Developing Remote Control for Humans -- (CNN -- November 8, 2005)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/10/25/human.remote.control.ap/index.html
Japans top telephone company, says it is developing the technology to perhaps make video games more realistic. A special headset is placed on the cranium that sends a very low voltage electric current from the back of your ears through your head. The technology is called galvanic vestibular stimulation -- essentially, electricity messes with the delicate nerves inside the ear that help maintain balance. The phenomenon is painless but dramatic, as your feet start to move before you know it.

Top Supercomputer Reaches New Record Speeds -- (New Scientist -- November 14, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8313
The most powerful supercomputer on the planet has reached a scorching new processing speed, confirming its reputation as the world's top number-cruncher by some margin.The BlueGene/L System ranks number one on the latest world rankings, a list of the 500 fastest supercomputers known as the Top500. BlueGene/L was jointly developed by IBM and the US National Nuclear Security Administration and is installed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The machine is used to simulate nuclear weapon explosions and model molecular dynamics. The behemoth has now reached a peak speed of 280.6 teraflops (1 teraflop is one trillion calculations in 1 second).

Silicon Chip Works on The Speed of Light -- (New Scientist -- November 8, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/info-tech/dn8257.html
A silicon chip that can carry light and even slow it down has been unveiled by IBM researchers. The chip demonstrates some of the essential techniques for creating high-speed photonic memory, which many researchers believe will one day make electronic memory obsolete in optical communications networks.

Graphite Found to Exhibit Surprising Quantum Effects -- (Scientific American -- November 15, 2005)
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=00033D41-7354-1372-B35483414B7F0000
Last year, researchers used adhesive tape to strip graphite down to a layer just one atom thick; they called this superthin layer of graphite "graphene." Experiments on graphene have revealed some strange phenomena. The two-dimensional material remains capable of conducting electricity, but these electrons display some unusual properties. The findings may lead to new applications in carbon-based electronic and magneto-electronic devices.

EMOTIONALLY RESPONSIVE TOYS

Expected between 2006-2010

Responding to the sound of its owner's voice, these toys will react with a variety of emotions. Sony's Aibo dog robot can already simulate anger and fear, surprise, dislike, sadness and joy.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

VIDEO TILES

Expected between 2006-2010

These will provide news or entertainment in the bath or shower. They can even change a scene to let you bathe under an African sunset, for example.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

VIDEO TATTOOS

Expected between 2008-2012

One worth waiting for ... ultra-thin polymer video screens stuck to the skin will act as as "moving tattoos".

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

SENSITIVE FABRICS

Expected between 2008-2012

Clothes made from smart fabrics will measure the wearer's heart rate and temperature and transmit the data to a computer controlling the home. The computer will use the information to judge our mood - and light and heat the room accordingly.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

SELF-DRIVING CAR

Expected between 2011-2015

Cars will steer themselves, using enhanced satellite navigation and sensors to stop them getting too close to the car in front. Mercedes has already carried out tests on a closed track.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

MICROCHIPS IN FOOD

Expected between 2011-2015

Intelligent microwave ovens will automatically read the information on a chip hidden in the packaging of food and cook it exactly according to the instructions.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

ROBOTS GUIDE BLIND PEOPLE

Expected between 2013-2017

A prototype robot which helps blind people shop or find their way around buildings already exists at Utah State university. Professor Vladimir Kulyukin designed the machine that locates items and avoids collisions. The robot could replace guide dogs.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

VIEWERS PLAY FILM ROLES

Expected between 2016-2020

Using computer-simulated versions of themselves, viewers will be in the thick of the action by introducing themselves into the movie.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

HOLOGRAPHIC TV

Project Aims to Create 3D Television by 2020 -- (Reuters -- August 19, 2005)

Imagine watching a football match on a TV that not only shows the players in three dimensions but also lets you experience the smells of the stadium and maybe even pat a goal scorer on the back. Japan plans to make this futuristic television a commercial reality by 2020. The targeted virtual reality television would allow people to view high-definition images in 3D from any angle, in addition to being able to touch and smell the objects being projected upwards from a screen parallel to the floor.

3D HOME PRINTERS

Expected between 2026-2030

Companies including the US-based Z Corporation are already working on technology which involves the printer building up layers of a material to create a solid model of a digital image.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

BRAIN DOWNLOADS

Expected 2051+

Everything in your brain - thoughts, feelings and memories - will be transferred to a computer, ensuring a form of digital immortality if eventually uploaded into a human brain later.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=15779660%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

BILLBOARDS BEAM ADVERTS TO PASSING CELL PHONES -- (New Scientist -- August 22, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7883
Ignoring adverts is about to get a lot tougher with the development of billboards and advertising posters that use Bluetooth to beam video ads direct to passing cell phones. As people walk past the posters they receive a message on their phone asking them if they wish to accept the advert. If they do, they can receive movies, animations, music or still images further promoting the advertised product.

Biological Robots Build Themselves -- (Live Science -- September 29, 2005)
http://www.livescience.com/technology/050928_dna_robots.html
Inspired by biological systems, scientists have developed miniature robots that can self-assemble using parts that float randomly in their environments. The robots also know when something is amiss and can correct their own mistakes.

Broadband Net Goes Stratospheric -- (BBC -- October 20, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4354446.stm
The latest broadband delivery system has seen researchers looking to the skies to provide super-fast internet access via airships. Airships in the stratosphere beaming back broadband capable of speeds up to 120Mbps may seem like fantasy. But tests in Sweden have suggested it could become a reality within three to five years.

Devices Help the Blind Cross Tech Divide -- (CNET -- October 6, 2005)
http://news.com.com/Devices+help+the+blind+cross+tech+divide/2100-1041_3-5888810.html?tag=nefd.lede
More companies are making technology easier to use for people with disabilities. With baby boomers retiring, an already multibillion dollar industry is growing. People with visual, physical, hearing or learning disabilities now have plenty of products to choose from to help them interact with gadgets and the Internet.

EYEGLASS COMPUTERS

Miniature computer screens incorporated into the sidepieces of eyeglasses bring futuristic mobile-wearable computing into the commercially viable present. The Eyetop glasses, developed by France-based Ingineo, allow the user to view the computer's monitor and still see straight ahead. Eyetop can be connected to a variety of digital devices with video or audio output (cameras, digital jukeboxes, etc.) in addition to personal computers and digital assistants. And, since the screen is so close to the wearer's eye, road warriors need not fear strangers peeking at their PDAs in public.

The Futurist Magazine, July-August 2003

The current technology seems a little unnatural to a person who hasn't tested it out; however, being that eyeglass computer screens are already developed, never mind in the works, it gives you a new perspective on computerized vision enhancements seen in futuristic cyborgs. Targeting systems and other computer analyses that we see used by futuristic bounty hunters in science-fiction novels may even be possible today, so we can surely expect them to be mass-marketable in the future.

Futurists Pick Top Tech Trends -- (Wired -- October 27, 2005)
http://www.wired.com/wireless/story/0,2278,69138-,00.html
Investors who plan strategies over multiple years or decades recognize that today's must-have technologies are probably destined for tomorrow's waste bins. But there's no scientific method for identifying their replacements. This column includes input from an assortment of experts who share their views on top contenders to be the technologies of tomorrow.

IBM BRAINS CAPTURE A PC'S SOUL -- (C|Net News -- August 12, 2005)
http://news.com.com/IBM+brains+capture+a+PCs+soul/2100-1041_3-5830870.html?tag=nefd.top
Researchers at IBM are testing software that would let you tote your home or office desktop around on an iPod or similar portable device so that you could run it on any PC. The virtual computer user environment setup is called SoulPad. After the person disconnects the system, SoulPad saves all work to the device, including browser cookies or other digital signatures that a PC keeps in its short-term memory.

JAPAN PLANS WORLD'S FASTEST COMPUTER -- (Associated Press -- July 26, 2005)
Japan wants to develop a supercomputer that can operate at 10 petaflops, or 10 quadrillion calculations per second, which is 73 times faster than the current top-ranked IBM's Blue Gene. Kyodo News reported that the total amount for the project is estimated between 80 billion and 100 billion yen ($714 million to $893 million) and the ministry will request 10 billion yen ($89 million) for the next fiscal year's budget.

KOREA'S HIGH-TECH UTOPIA, WHERE EVERYTHING IS OBSERVED -- (New York Times -- October 6, 2005)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/05/technology/techspecial/05oconnell.html?
ex=1286164800&en=4a368c49e8f30bd2&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
A ubiquitous city is where all major information systems (residential, medical, business, governmental and the like) share data, and computers are built into the houses, streets and office buildings. New Songdo, located on a man-made island of nearly 1,500 acres off the Incheon coast about 40 miles from Seoul, is rising from the ground up as a U-city.

LAPTOP DOCTOR

Your future cell phone or laptop computer could help you track your vital signs and communicate with the doctor whenever something's amiss.

A portable device that monitors your breathing and heart rate via wireless signals has been developed by University of Florida engineer Jenshan Lin and colleagues. The device also allows users to transmit the information in real time to medical personnel through a cell phone or Internet connection.

Using technologies to improve home health care, especially for elderly persons hoping to maintain their independence, could be a boon as both health-care costs and the number of care-needing seniors rise in the years ahead.

SOURCE: University of Florida,

http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2005news/heartmonitor.htm 

Micro-Organisms May Be Turned into Nano-Circuitry -- (New Scientist -- October 27, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8105
Micro-organisms commonly found floating in oceans might someday be reborn as components in incredibly complex computer circuits. The single-celled algae, called diatoms, live in water and assemble a shell, or frustule, of silica by converting nutrients and light. They can adopt an incredible diversity of shapes from simple geometric structures like triangles and squares to extremely complex 3D constructs with thousands of individual pores.

MIND MAY AFFECT MACHINES -- (Wired -- July 19, 2005)
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,68216,00.html?tw=rss.TOP
Researchers at the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research program, or Pear, have been attempting to measure the effect of human consciousness on machines since 1979. Using random event generators they have conducted experiments involving participants' focused intent on controlling the machines' output. Out of several million trials, they've detected small but "statistically significant" signs that minds may be able to interact with machines.

MITSUBISHI BANKING ON ROBOT COMPANION'S CHARM -- (Washington Post -- September 15, 2005)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR2005091500746.html
Mitsubishi says their new Internet-linked robot "Wakamaru" has a friendly personality that could make her a much-loved member of the family. Able to recognize up to 10 people and call them by name, the 40 inch tall Wakamaru will approach and greet family members in a gentle, feminine voice when they arrive home and offer to pass on telephone messages or read out any e-mails that may have arrived.

NABBING CYBERSTALKERS -- Stalkers who track and harass their victims in cyberspace have become increasingly adept at covering their own tracks. But now computer scientists and cybersecurity experts are on their trail. A new computer program called the Predator and Prey Alert (PAPA) system is a forensic toolkit that will allow law enforcement agents to remotely shadow a victim online, then assume control of the victim's computer and interact directly with the stalker. PAPA records all exchanges with the culprit in order to provide high-quality evidence for prosecution. The system, under development by Florida State University computer science professor Sudhir Aggarwal, takes advantage of the cyberstalker's aggressive and repetitive behavior. It also gives the investigators the ability to intervene directly to protect the victim. 

SOURCE: Florida State University, http://www.fsu.edu

NANOTECH RESEARCHERS REPORT BIG BREAKTHROUGH -- (USA TODAY -- August 23, 2005)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/nano/2005-08-18-nanotube-breakthrough_x.htm
An advance in nanotechnology may lead to the creation of artificial muscles, super strong electric cars and wallpaper-thin electronics, researchers report. Self-supporting, transparent and stronger than steel or high-strength plastics, the sheets are flexible and can be heated to emit light. A square mile of the thinnest sheets, about 2-millionths-of-an-inch thick, would weigh only about 170 pounds.

NO MORE SCHOOLBOOKS -- (Wired News -- August 18, 2005)
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,68578,00.html?tw=wn_2techhead
Students at Empire High School here started class this year with no textbooks -- but it wasn't because of a funding crisis. Instead, the school issued iBooks -- laptop computers by Apple Computer -- to each of its 340 students, becoming one of the first U.S. public schools to shun printed textbooks. School officials believe the electronic materials will get students more engaged in learning.

PHOTONIC CLOCKING -- (Electronic Engineering Times -- September 19, 2005)
http://www.eetasia.com/ARTP_8800376825_499488.HTM
In the microprocessor industry, copper interconnects are finding limitations as data-transmission bandwidth and processor speed continue to rise. The recognized solution is to change from electronic to photonic interconnects for both data transport and clocking. Photonic clocking not only solves the limitations of electronic clocking, but also reduces jitter, skew, delay, crosstalk and power consumption while maintaining clock signal integrity for longer distances.

POUNDING PAVEMENT GENERATES ELECTRICITY WHEN WEARING NOVEL BACKPACK -- (Scientific American -- September 15, 2005)
http://sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000E2203-A303-1320-A30383414B7F00A7
Scientists have developed a backpack that translates the regular up and down movement of a walker's hips into electrical energy. The contraption could conceivably help provide power to soldiers, relief workers, scientists and others on remote trips.

RESEARCHERS BUILD WORLD'S SMALLEST MOBILE ROBOT -- (Dartmouth -- September 15, 2005)
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2005/09/14.html
Researchers have contributed to the miniaturizing trend by creating the world's smallest untethered, controllable robot. Their extremely tiny machine is about as wide as a strand of human hair, and half the length of the period at the end of this sentence. About 200 of these could march in a line across the top of a plain M&M.

Researchers Develop Cancer Nanobomb -- (Science Daily -- October 17, 2005)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051013222044.htm
Researchers are opening a new front in the war on cancer, bringing to bear new nanotechnologies for cancer detection and treatment and introducing a unique nanobomb that can literally blow up breast cancer tumors. They say this is basic research in the very early stages of inquiry and that it would take extensive testing and years of clinical trials before the nanobombs could actually be used in medical applications to treat human beings.

RFID CHIPS PROMISE TO REVAMP MEDICINE -- (Space Daily -- August 31, 2005)
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/gps-05zzzo.html
Radio frequency identification chips are on the market and available for implantation in the human body. There is no risk of an RFID chip moving inside the body, because muscle tissue holds it in place. When a RFID scanner is run over the chip, a 16-digit number appears which when typed into a secure computer system, the number provides information about identity and medical history.

Robotic Fish in Action at London Aquarium -- (PhysOrg -- October 11, 2005)
http://www.physorg.com/news7029.html
Three stunningly beautiful robotic fish have been created with jewel-bright scales and sinuous, astonishingly life-like movements. Researchers have been working with the London Aquarium for three years to develop a biologically inspired robotic fish which mimic the undulating movement of nature's fish species. The robotic fish have sensor-based controls and autonomous navigation capabilities, they can find their own way around the tank safely, avoiding the objects, and react to their environment.

SCIENTISTS CREATE PNA MOLECULE WITH POTENTIAL TO BUILD NANODEVICES - (Carnegie Mellon -- October 4, 2005)
http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/051003_nano.html
Researchers have shown that the binding of metal ions can mediate the formation of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) duplexes from single strands of PNA that are only partly complementary. This result opens new opportunities to create functional, three-dimensional nanosize structures such as molecular-scale electronic circuits, which could reduce by thousands of times the size of today's common electronic devices.

SHADES BATTLE BOILING BRAINS -- (Wired -- September 15, 2005)
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,68744,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5
An advanced sensor patch built into the nosepiece of GMI Medical Instrumentation's new TechXtreme sunglasses monitors the wearer's brain-temperature level, and the results are streamed wirelessly to a numerical display on a sports watch. The sunglasses could save the lives of athletes, construction workers and anyone else who faces the risk of heatstroke.

SKIN WILL HELP ROBOTS FEEL -- (BBC -- August 23, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4154366.stm
Japanese researchers have developed a flexible artificial skin that could give robots a humanlike sense of touch. The team manufactured a type of "skin" capable of sensing pressure and another capable of sensing temperature. These are supple enough to wrap around robot fingers and relatively cheap to make, the researchers have claimed.

Sub-$100 Laptop Design Unveiled -- (BBC -- September 29, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4292854.stm
Nicholas Negroponte has been outlining designs for a sub-$100 PC which will be tough and foldable in different ways, with a hand crank for when there is no power supply. He came up with the idea for a cheap computer for all after visiting a Cambodian village. One Laptop Per Child, a non-profit group, plans to have up to 15 million machines in production within a year.

This Laser Trick's a Quantum Leap -- (Wired -- October 4, 2005)
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,69033,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1
Physicists in Australia have slowed a speeding laser pulse and captured it in a crystal, a feat that could be instrumental in creating quantum computers. The scientists slowed the laser light pulse from 300,000 kilometers per second to just several hundred meters per second, allowing them to capture the pulse for about a second. The accomplishment marks a new world record, but the scientists are more thrilled that they were able to store and recall light, an important step toward quantum computing.

'THOUGHTS READ'  VIA BRAIN SCANS -- (BBC -- August 7, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4715327.stm
Scientists say they have been able to monitor people's thoughts via scans of their brains. Teams at University College London and University of California in LA could tell what images people were looking at or what sounds they were listening to. The US team says their study proves brain scans do relate to brain cell electrical activity. The UK team say such research might help paralyzed people communicate, using a "thought-reading" computer.

What Is Web 2.0? -- (O'Reily Net -- October 20, 2005)
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
The idea of a new, more collaborative internet is growing. Web 2.0 is an "architecture of participation"; a network made up of links between web applications that rival desktop applications, the blog publishing revolution and other increasingly important facets of the internet.