Despite similar concepts and design, two new robotic exoskeletons designed to assist humans are intended for very different audiences and very different purposes. The first is designed to enhance a person’s strength while preserving mobility. The second is designed to provide mobility to those in which it has been severely restricted. HULC, or Human Universal [...]
Posts under ‘New Abilities’
Engineering synesthetic flies to “smell” light
I’ve long been fascinated with synesthesia, a condition in which”the real information of one sense is accompanied by a perception of another sense.” Humans have reported the ability to perceive sounds as having certain colors (sometimes even the ability to “see” music) or “taste” certain words. More commonly, synesthetes perceive numbers and letters as having [...]
Baby hears for first time with Cochlear implant
This video has gone viral, but it’s worth linking here. The expression on eight-month old Jonathan’s face when he hears for the first time, due to a Cochlear implant, is priceless. A reminder of how technology enhances our lives – and a promise of what’s to come. (Via Neatorama)
R.U. Sirius offers his utopian vision for a transhuman future
One of my favorite blogs, io9, has been running a series of posts on “posthumanity” from both fiction and real-life. Today R.U. Sirius of h+ Magazine has a great post up about his “best-case scenario for posthumanity.” In it, he describes what his ideal vision of the future might look like, which includes open-source style [...]
Bionic eye may restore sight for patients with progressive vision loss
My grandfather suffered from age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), which causes loss of vision over time. By the time he passed away in his late 70s, he was almost blind. ARMD progresses from the “inside” of your visual field to the outside, so those affected are unable to see that which they are looking at directly. [...]
New technology enables blind man to interpret images with his tongue
Lance-Corporal Craig Lundberg was blinded while serving in Iraq when he sustained injuries from a rocket propelled grenade (RPG). Although he said he felt lucky make it home, he returned without his sight. Because Lundberg had been normal sighted before losing his vision, the British Ministry of Defense recognized him as an ideal candidate for an [...]
Human body used as conduit for transmitting data
Researchers in South Korea have successfully transmitted data at broadband speeds between two points on a person’s arm using the body itself as a conduit. The technology is very energy efficient when compared to alternatives like wireless data transfer, and therefore may lend itself to health applications: It is difficult to monitor vital signs, such [...]
Wearable camera system may aid those with failing memory
In the movie Memento, protagonist Leonard Shelby (portrayed by Guy Pierce) has anterograde amnesia, which prevents him from creating new memories. Shelby is able to cope with his disability through an extensive system of post-it notes, Polaroid photos and tattoos of “facts” he must be reminded of on a regular basis. While Memento was a stellar work [...]
Researchers discover how Ritalin increases cognitive function
The drug Ritalin is commonly prescribed for use in treating ADHD, but researchers also know that Ritalin boosts cognitive function in people without the disorder. How? The drug works in two ways. First, Ritalin increases dopamine activity in the brain, which enhances attention and learning. Second, it enhances neural plasticity – “changes in strength of [...]
Control your avatar in Second Life – with your mind!
This video of someone controlling Second Life through a brain-computer interface looks like fun, but surely it’s no brain controlled pinball. (Via Edge of Tomorrow)