A tear-jerking introduction of the technology

A cerebrally controlled robotic system is being developed by a team of researchers from Brown University, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and a host of others could give paralyzed people the ability to use robotic limbs to manipulate objects for themselves. Called ‘BrainGate’, the brain-controlled system allows the user to control a robotic limb through thought. To do this, the team implants a wireless microelectrode array (Neural Interface System) at 4 X 4mm directly on the motor cortex portion of the brain that controls motor function. The series of electrodes (100 in all) on the chip pick up the brain's activity associated with arm movement and sends the signals to a series of computers that use software (unknown at this time) to decode the brains activity. The computers then translate those signals into a series of instructions that tell a robotic arm to move and grasp an object based on the user’s desired intentions. The researchers are presently using two types of robotic arms, which are being continuously developed by DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics and DEKA Research and Development Corporation.

DLR robotic hand/arm concept

The bigger of the two robotic arms being used by the researchers is DLR’s Hand Arm System, which is an external robotic arm made for more robust applications where impacts with heavy objects are nonconsequential (factory and warehouse work?).  The arm consists of a series of mechatronic compliance actuators with 52 drives and over 100 position sensors. The units hand alone features 38 individual tendons with each connected to an individual motor to provide tension and stiffness. The fingers use a similar configuration that uses two separate motors for individual grasping and tension based on the object being manipulated. The arm is so robust that you can actually beat it with a baseball bat without damaging any of the electronics.

Deka arm system

The second arm that the team is working with is DEKA Research and Development’s ‘Luke’ Arm (named after Luke Skywalker's mechanical hand). The arm is actually a robotic prosthesis that was designed for amputee patients and was developed as a DARPA tetraplegia project. The titanium Arm was designed to be roughly the same size as a typical human appendage and houses all of its electronics, motors and actuators inside (exactly how and what technology was used is currently unknown). The prosthesis features 18 degrees of movement which was accomplished by using rigid-to-flex circuit boards that were folded into ‘origami’ shapes placed inside the titanium housing. A vibrational motor at the top of the arm lets the user know how much pressure is needed to grasp an object through varying degrees vibration depending if the wearer is holding an egg or a brick.

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(All images and video courtesy of Crown Institute for Brain Science)

Augmented reality give a new way to interact with technology, and ambitious companies are clamoring to be firsts in the field. One of those concepts being developed by the software giant is called MirageTable. The system lets the user interact with objects in both the real and virtual worlds on a table top.

For instance; a person could set up a series of virtual bowling pins that could then be knocked over with a virtual ball with only using one pin as a real model to clone the others. The researchers developed MirageTable with the idea that two people could interact with each other in the same space without actually being with one another (think of it as being like Star Trek’s Holodeck). To do this, the researchers used an Acer H5360 3D stereoscopic projector (1280 X 720) to display objects, as well as the other person, onto a curved screen. A Kinect is positioned on top of the screen and captures the objects that are being projected and also tracks the eye movements of each corresponding user. This is to give the corresponding user the correct perspective of what’s in front of them. To view the objects in an augmented reality 3D environment each user wears a pair of Nvidia 3D shutter glasses which makes them appear spatially registered in conjunction with the real world. Any object can be scanned and then cloned for interaction by either of the two parties in both the real and virtual space.

Virtual Bowling (via Microsoft)

Free-hand interaction (because no trackers, gloves or other hardware was implemented) with virtual objects in MirageTable was done by using software that takes all real-world objects and represents them as proxy particles, which are constantly updated and used for collision geometry in the virtual world. To process all of the dynamic physics constantly being updated the team relied on Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 580 along with their PhysX game software. This gives each person the ability to interact with both environments at the same time. The researchers admit that there are still limitations to overcome as the Kinect (at present) can only capture the front of an object and not all sides which leaves ‘gaps’ that make for bad texturing. Another problem the team faces is users can only scoop or catch objects from below instead of grasping or picking them up but hope to improve on these limitations with further development. I for one am very impressed at what they have already accomplished with MirageTable. What will its full capabilities be in the future if only as a gaming platform?

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Innovega/DARPA AR Contact Lens concept (via DARPA)

As if calling in air-strikes with augmented reality glasses wasn't enough, now every soldier will get the virtual-world overlay on their eyes. DARPA is funding Innovega, a company looking to change the way we look at our digital and real worlds. The Air Force and Army both presently use head-up display (HUD) units to superimpose information about enemies, their environment, and other status updates in front of their field of view. However, Innovega offers a new technology that increases their field of view of the projection and greatly decreases the size of the product.

Innovega's system, called iOptik, uses contact lenses that have two different zones. This works by two different filters, an outer one used to see objects in your surrounding environment, and one at the very center that allows you to focus on very near objects with precise resolution. This dual-focus system will allow light rays to pass through the eye to the retina with two images in focus. The human eye has the amazing ability to choose which image it would like to see depending upon the user.

The system will also use small projectors placed on the side of the head near the ears to display the image on the lenses. According to Innovega, the image projected will appear very wide, similar to the experience of viewing a movie at an Imax. Additionally, the system can be used in different applications outside military purposes. It has a very big potential for 3D movies due to its ability show the eyes two different images at once. It can also be used to create augmented reality video games or superimpose digital information into the real world.

There are some eye-experts who are skeptical about the whole system, stating that it may cause a condition similar to motion sickness. On the other hand, not all people get motion sickness and Google's Project Glass is going to need some competition.

Eavesdropper

ECG shirt (via Ashraf Kodsky)

Getting an ECG (Electrocardiography) test done is stressful, to say the least. Not to mention the fact all the wires taped to your body make you look like some kind of cyborg which is very unfashionable. Ashraf Kodsy is looking to simplify the whole ordeal of getting an ECG with his design of the ‘ECG box.' The compact design was developed using Solidworks 3D CAD software in conjunction with the PCB board he intended to use.

Alongside the ECG-board box is an enclosure for a peltier-cell that provides power to the unit by converting body heat to electricity. The final design was then sent to a manufacturer where copies were made of both the peltier-casing as well as ECG box using a 3D-printing process. Once the copies were returned, Ashraf coated the assemblies with a type of resin (type unknown) and sanded the surfaces to get rid of the rough edges and provide a smooth finish. The ECG box was then sewn into a double-layered tight-fitting shirt that is wired with pre-positioned electrodes. The information gathered is then stored onto a USB drive which can then be seen on monitors that take advantage of the drive. While the t-shirt design isn’t really all that fashionable (perhaps the next revision will be ‘Gucci’), anything that can minimize annoying ECG tests is a plus.

Eavesdropper

Car technology has advanced so much within the last decade most people probably do not recognize automobiles are edging close to autonomous. Cars have subtly took over more driving tasks starting with simple cruise control to automatic parallel parking and braking systems that can detect objects that the driver may not see. It is only a matter of time before cars that are fully capable of driving themselves are commonplace.

A perfect example of these new cars is Google's self-driving fleet. The cars use an array of sensors and complex algorithms to navigate the road safely. The heart of the system is Velodyne's HDL-64 LiDAR sensor. The sensor currently sits on top of the hood and spins at 10 revolutions per second constantly collecting data from the environment. It generates 1.3 million data points (750 Mbytes per second through an ethernet interface) that allows software to analyze and map obstacles and potential hazards. The laser sensors can create a 3D view of the environment up to 40 meters, and it collects centimeter resolution data from 80 to 100 meters away.

The biggest obstacle facing the robot-car is liability. There can be major discrepancies over who is at fault when an accident occurs, or if a user is to be ticketed for some reason. However, the cars promise improved safety and fuel-efficiency and many politicians are working to help legalize the cars. For example, Nevada allows driverless cars. However, the owners must pay a $1-$3 million insurance bond per vehicle. If you are ever out in the desert state, look for cars with a red license plate... those are autonomous.

Currently, many states and other countries are working on systems that will allow these cars to freely roam the roads. Many people may fear leaving total control of their cars up to computers; what if the computer makes a mistake? Google's autonomous fleet had one accident in 160,000 miles driven. For the record, it was when a human took the wheel. (Most people have had more accidents in less miles, also for the record.)

Steve Mahan is legally blind (95%), but thanks to Google's autonomous cars he was able to take a trip to a local fast food restaurant. Mahan explained, "There are some places you cannot go, some things that you really cannot do... Where this would change my life, is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go to the places I both want to go and need to go when I need to do those things." Google has labeled Mahan the first user of the technology; "Self-Driving Car User #0000000001."

Although there is more testing a work to be done on the autonomous car before wide-spread adoption, they are on the road now. Who doesn't want smooth moving computer-controlled traffic?

Eavesdropper

While many speech recognition and voice translator programs exist today, Microsoft has demonstrated its new one that is well ahead of its competition. They have showcased their new software at Microsoft's TechFest 2012, and have named it Monolingual TTS. (TTS, Text To Speech)

Unlike most translators, this one has the capability to output the translation in a voice that sounds just like your own and also includes a 3D image of your face. Additionally, it simulates movements of your facial expressions such as your lips and eyebrows while it speaks and can currently support 26 different languages. However, their software is not completely ideal yet as it will take up to an hour of audio-visual 2D video recording to create the avatar simulation. During the process, a 2D-to-3D reconstruction algorithm is used to create the face simulation and data is collected for the speech synthesis.

The Monolingual TTS voice translator can have many useful applications when fully completed. Microsoft suggests it can be used in applications such as a voice-agent, telepresence, gaming, and speech translation. If it is possible to create an app for smart phones out of this software, it can be a very valuable tool for people who like to travel to foreign countries. Without a doubt, it will change the way we all do business internationally.

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Most new computer hardware that comes out creates better speed, memory, or graphics. It is rarer to find hardware that will revolutionize the way we use computers. We are burgeoning on an era of complete connectivity. Touchscreens has taken us to a new level. Microsoft's Kinect opens up 3D space. Now the company Tobbi wishes to make our eyes control our futures.

Tobii IS-2 (via Tobii)

Tobbi, the world's leading creators of eye tracking and eye control technology, has announced its introduction of next generation products. The new IS-2 is 75% smaller in design than its predecessor, and it consumes 40% less power (3W total power drain). It is a fully integrated eye tracking component with an embedded processor allowing it synthesize smoothly into many commonly manufactured products today. Regardless of light levels, the IS-2 can still track the user. Tracking can still take place up to 31.5 inches (80 cm) away from the base.

The eye tracking component can create many innovations in the computing world along with progress studies in fields such as psychology and marketing research. One of the greatest features it possesses is the ability to track eye movement despite the eye color, orientation, or eyewear being used. It also has the potential to create numerous applications for the handicapped.

Currently, the IS-2 is being sold exclusively on a manufacturer to manufacturer basis. The effort is to have the tracker embedded into multiple company's products. If anyone chooses to become a Tobii partner, they will receive a Gaze Interaction and Analytics SDK. I can only hope this will be part of the next version of the Microsoft Kinect. Combining all connectivity options together is the only way to arrive at complete emersion.

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