Strange as it may seem, Scientists at North Carolina State University have invented remote-controlled cockroaches which they envision may one day be used to locate survivors in search and rescue missions.
A transmitter/receiver is attached to the back of a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach and connected to it's antennae. When the scientist want the roach to turn, they send a small electrical signal which tricks it into believing it is has come across a wall (e.g. wall on the left, so turn right). The little cyber roaches are then controlled via Microsoft's Kinect gaming technology. A route is plotted and the Kinect steers and monitors their movement.
As described on Wikipedia "Paleofuture (also Paleo-Future) is a blog that documents historical ideas, visions, and predictions about the future". It was created by Matt Novak back in 2007 as part of a college writing assignment. Since then, Novak has become somewhat of an expert on the subject having written articles for the BBC and The Daily.
According to this report in Current Biology (Vol 23 No 11), use of noninvasive brain stimulation resulted in subjects ability to learn new arithmetic operations two to five times faster than a control group. The experimental group also had considerably better retention when tested against the control group six months later.
Of course these aren't the first researchers to experiment with lite electrical brain stimulation. Here is an interesting clip from the video series 'Through the Wormhole' where Dr Allan Snyder uses brain stimulation to boost creativity in order to improve problem solving.
You don't have to be a futurist to envision the possibility of children in a future classroom putting on a 'thinking cap' before beginning their daily studies. Perhaps it would look something like products which are currently on the market being sold to researchers such as the Starstim by Neuroelectrics.
So what would be the implications of a future with brain enhancing technology at our disposal? Well you'll be happy to know that smart people are already debating the issue and if you're interested you can read this nice University of Oxford article to get up to speed.
Remember how the mouse dramatically changed the way we interacted with our computers? Now the hip new interface is the touchscreen which can be found on our tablets, phones, music players, etc. Makes you wonder what the next big innovation might be.
Well a company called InteraXon would like it to be a headband which would allow us to use our thoughts to control our computers. Currently the company is trying to raise $150,000 on indiegogo for a sci-fi looking product called Muse. There is not much information on exactly what you will be able to do with Muse, but it seems at this point they are promoting more the idea of using it as a self help tool (say to improve concentration, lower stress, etc.) as opposed to controlling gadgets. I'm sure this is due to current limitations of such technology but I think it is probably only a matter of time before such devices will be fully developed and in widespread use.
A very clever sci-fi short film which envisions a future world dependent on augmented reality, social networking and the integration of gaming into everyday life. Sight was created by Eran May-raz and Daniel Lazo as their graduation project from the Bezalel Academy of Arts.
There is a lot happening in the area of augmented reality and virtual reality. This technology was the cat's meow back in the early 1990s but essentially fell off the map by 2000. I'm really excited about it coming back into the spotlight.
Here is a method of turning technology most of us already have into a virtual reality viewer.
Just read on Kurzweil's site that scientist from Berkeley Lab have developed a way to generate electric power using harmless viruses. They have essentially created a generator which uses these viruses to convert mechanical energy into electricity.
You can see a demonstration in the video below where a researcher taps a virus coated electrode which powers a small liquid-crystal display. Go to 0:47 to see it in action.
With this technology, coupled with the ever improving ability to capture and store electricity, I envision us all one day wearing virus embedded shoes which will be used to power our iPhones, Google Glasses etc.
A few weeks ago I wrote a short blog entry regarding rumors that Google would be releasing a pair of augmented reality glasses by the end of the year. Well, yesterday the company revealed some stylish photos of a prototype along with a short video showing how much better (or at least cooler) our lives would be with these futuristic specs.
Though I personally would love to have such a device, one has to wonder if the rest of the world will be ready for these sci-fi looking glasses. I mean, of course geeks & technophiles will be interested but what about the average person? Only time will tell but in the mean time we get to enjoy Google's conception of our future.
A 1974 interview with Arthur C. Clarke (most famous as the writer of 2001: A Space Odyssey) in which he accurately describes the future creation of personal computers connected to a vast network and how it would influence people's lives.
The robotic exoskeleton has been a mainstay of science fiction for as long as I can remember. Popular renditions include comic book icon Iron Man, Halo's MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, and the Power Loader Sigourney Weaver used in the movie Aliens. Being a fan of Japanese anime, my personal preference would be something more along the lines of the Robotech Cyclone pictured below. I mean, who wouldn't want a motorcycle which turns into a suit of protective power armor?
As with much of our currently realized technology, science fiction writers & artist first dream it, then the scientist, technicians and engineers build it. This seems to be true with the exoskeleton as well. The first true attempt at a robotic exoskeleton was undertaken by General Electric in the 1960s. The suit, named Hardiman, was designed to mimic natural movements and to provide the wearer with enough strength to lift up to 1500 lbs. Unfortunately , Hardiman’s size, weight, and lack of stability, kept the machine from functioning properly and as a result the project never went beyond an experimental prototype.
Though initial attempts at a working exoskeleton were not successful, continued efforts in the field have resulted in some truly amazing devices.
Medical Uses
Rex Bionics
Rex is a robotic exoskeleton worn alongside the legs which is able to help mobility impaired users to walk again. The system is operated with a control pad and joystick thus allowing someone who has lost all movements in the lower limbs to use the device. It weighs 84 pounds and costs about $150,000 (ouch).
eLegs
eLegs is a similar device to the Rex except that in addition to the mechanical legs, a set of crutches containing sensors are used to control it's movements. In exchange for tying up both arms with crutches, it seems as if users are able to move much faster with eLegs than with Rex. It ways about 45 pounds and cost $100,000.
Military Uses HULC
The HULC (Human Universal Load Carrier) is a lower body exoskeleton which enables the user to carry up to 200 pounds with little effort and to run up to 10 mph (a 6 min mile) for short bursts. Like the above devices, HULC doesn't do anything to enhance arm strength but is still pretty cool.
XOS 2
Now we are getting to the really cool stuff. The XOS 2 by Raytheon is an impressive full body exoskeleton which essentially provides the wearer with superhuman strength and endurance. The suit enables a 17:1 lifting ratio, so lifting 200 pounds feel more like 12 pounds. As the video demonstrates, the suit seems quite responsive and maneuverable.
Mixed Use HAL
HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) developed by the Japanese company Cyberdyne, comes in two forms. The HAL 3 is strictly a lower body exoskeleton while the HAL 5 is a full body system. Sensors on the skin are used to control the suits fluid movements. Currently HAL 5 allows the user to lift and carry about 5 times as much weight as he or she normally could. The HAL 5 weighs about 50 pounds and depending on the source, I have seen it priced somewhere between $14,000 to $50,000 (substantially less than the other suits). Most important is that the suit looks very cool, but what would you expect from the Japanese.
Rumors afoot that Google has plans to announce the release of a pair of augmented reality glasses by the end of the year. The glasses will be able to provide the wearer with information about people, places and things viewed & entertainment such as, well, who knows what they will come up with.
Some articles indicate that the glasses will be used with the android smart phone while others believe it will be a stand alone item. Sources say that the glasses will look similar to the Oakley Thump glasses pictured below.
So what might it be like wearing augmented reality glasses? Maybe it will be similar to what is shown in this fictitious product advertisement video which was part of the Iron Man 2 marketing campaign.
Some time ago I posted this video showing the development of what has been referred to as a 3D printer.
Now LayerWise, a Belgium based company that specializes in selective laser melting to produce custom metal parts (3D printing), has built the world's first patient specific lower jaw using laser technology. The new jaw is made of Titanium and is custom made to fit the patient's bone structure, nerves and muscles. Quite remarkable use of this new technology.
I have been wanting to get one of these virtual keyboards for some time now, but I am waiting until the price drops a bit more.
This got me wondering, if the technology to create a virtual laser keyboard exists, why not a virtual projected tablet computer? I started to do some research and found this small UK company which has developed exactly this kind of technology. The company is called Light Blue Optics and the product is "an interactive projector that instantly transforms any flat surface into a touch
screen."
Though not yet available to the general public, it is an impressive demonstration of some very interesting technology. You can find more information at the company's website http://lightblueoptics.com/products/light-touch/
Honda's humanoid robot Asimo (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) is a project which has been in development now for over a decade. Below are some of the most recent videos I could find demonstrating it's current abilities.
