Bionic Eye Implants Could Help Blind People See

16 02 2007

Image via BBC NEWS

A bionic eye implant that could help restore the sight of millions of blind people could be available to patients within two years.

US researchers have been given the go-ahead to implant the prototype device in 50 to 75 patients.

The Argus II system uses a spectacle-mounted camera to feed visual information to electrodes in the eye.

Patients who tested less-advanced versions of the retinal implant were able to see light, shapes and movement.

“What we are trying to do is take real-time images from a camera and convert them into tiny electrical pulses that would jump-start the otherwise blind eye and allow patients to see,” said Professor Mark Humayun, from the University of Southern California.

original article at BBC



A Portable Refinery Powered by Garbage

14 02 2007

From Technology Review:

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“Researchers at Purdue University have led development of a portable “tactical” biorefinery for the U.S. Army that turns a variety of waste streams into a mixture of ethanol and methane gas, which are burned in a modified diesel engine to produce electricity. The unique hybrid design–part gasifier, part bioreactor, part generator–limits the need for diesel fuel while reducing the waste produced by soldiers in the field. Two prototypes will take part in a six-month demonstration later this year. Civilian applications are also being considered.”



Some news…

5 02 2007

Printing in 3 dimension- EoPlex is developing a revolutionary way to print objects in three dimensions: mass-produce tiny gears and switches using a process that builds 3-D objects by layering materials on top of each other, over and over, until a third dimension takes shape.

“Electric Slide” on slippery DMCA Slope- The inventor of the “Electric Slide,” an iconic dance created in 1976, is fighting back against what he believes are copyright violations and, more importantly, examples of bad dancing.

Google sought to silence politicians while seeking tax breaks- A blog entry by Michael Kanellos at ZDNet links to and expands upon an article in the Charlotte Observer. Last year Google was apparently throwing its weight around in North Carolina, seeking tax breaks from state and local legislators.

Single-Pixel Camera- Researchers in the US are developing a single-pixel camera to capture high-quality images without the expense of traditional digital photography. The camera was created, according to Dr Kelly and his colleague Richard Baraniuk, because digital cameras are very wasteful. They require expensive microprocessors and massive battery power to capture an image - most of which will not be used in displaying the picture.

Military Builds Robotic Insects- Israel is developing a robot the size of a hornet to attack terrorists. And although the prototype will not fly for three years, killer Micro Air Vehicles, or MAVs, are much closer than that.