For people with retinal diseases like acute macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa, vision is impared because the retina's photo-sensing cells become unreceptive to light; however, the nerves leading from the eye to the brain (the most Monster cables) are generally left in good shape. Implants like this one stimulate the sleepy retina cells with electric current, which is generated from the wirelessly-powered coil surrounding the iris and processed by a microcontroller in the tiny titanium case that sits on the outside of the eyeball.

This iteration is the first to have components small enough to be mostly external, which is less complicated from a bio-rejection standpoint. So to go where lasers can't, hopefully Eye 3.0 tech like this will pick up the slack. [Technology Review]

The report cites UN research that shows in most cases, the recycling services found in the most dumped-on countries—China, India, South Korea, Nigeria, Malaysia, Mexico, Vietnam and Brazil—often amount to little more than simple salvage yards, where old gear may never be properly processed. Something to keep in mind before you start feeling too great about yourself for recycling all your old tech. [GAO via Gadget Lab]

Kitson expounded upon the Laser projector, saying that it could be used for collaborative teleconferencing, and "social TV," where someone can insert themselves in a friend's video feed. Other prototypes include foldable, multi-part displays, as well as lego-style modular displays that are scalable in size and shape. E-paper was another technology Kitson admitted to working with, which seems odd for a cellphone in my opinion. Asked about when we might see some of this technology, all Kitson would say is that it's working in the lab now, and some of these will hopefully surface in the future. But hey, I'm just glad the StarTac 2 isn't their "next big thing" in the lab.

I'm tempted, nay, inclined here to call shennanigans on the simplicity with which the speech-processing algorithm analyzes actual speech:

The algorithm counts usage of first person nouns - "I" tends to indicate less spin than "we", for example. It also searches out phrases that offer qualifications or clarifications of more general statements, since speeches that contain few such amendments tend to be high on spin. Finally, increased rates of action verbs such as "go" and "going", and negatively charged words, such as "hate" and "enemy", also indicate greater levels of spin.

I'm more inclined to subscribe to the newsletter of voice analyst Branka Zei Pollermann of the Vox Institute in Geneva (ah, neutrality). "The voice analysis profile for McCain looks very much like someone who is clinically depressed," says Branka, after running Senator McCain's voice through her software that analyzes "pitch, modulation, volume, and fluency" to generate a unique profile. Obama's varying pitch and tone are on the opposite spectrum, but his furrowed brow tends to project an overly concerned stance.

Check out the research summarized and decide for yourself, but don't miss this gem:

Additionally, McCain's voice and facial movements often do not match up, says Pollermann, and he often smiles in a manner that commonly conveys sarcasm when addressing controversial statements. "That might lead to what I would call a lack of credibility."

[New Scientist via /.]

Now, I'm no scientist, but apparently this sort of image gives even the most seasoned electron microscopist a raging science boner. But it is not so much about the graphene as it is about the potential of the TEAM 0.5. One researcher noted that it "allows for the detection of every single atom from the Periodic Table provided that the sample under investigation can stand the radiation damage." Basically, it can study individual atoms in real time and produce high-resolution images of its subject. That will allow researchers to fully realize the potential of graphene by understanding how defects in the crystal structure can effect its properties. And they claim this is only the tip of the iceberg. Noooow I feel a science boner coming on. [Nanowerk and Science Daily]

The idea is to simulate a near-death experience for the bee at the hands (or 8 legs) of a crab spider. Bees fly into a room containing 16 floral yellow rectangles complete with a spider relief, sponge-covered pincers and a hole filled with sugar water. Bees that ignore the dangers are punished when the pincers are remotely triggered—immobilizing and infuriating them. What results is a form of bee post-traumatic stress. After training, many of the bees became a little paranoid—getting spooked even when they landed on "safe" rectangles with no spider. A video of the device in action is available in the following link, and you can almost hear the researchers laughing their ass off in the background. [Science News via Boing Boing]

That is just the kind of power needed to test the properties of high-temperature superconductors like iron oxyarsenide, which may result in better, cheaper MRI machines and high-voltage power lines. It could also be used for certain zero-gravity experiments and magnetic propulsion systems that could eliminate the need for traditional rockets down the line. Researchers have been able to create magnetic fields over 100 T for years, but if successful, this would be the first magnet that could repeatedly hold up to the strain. According to Greg Boebinger, director of the Magnet Lab, the magnet will have to resist Lorentz forces “equivalent to the explosive force of 200 sticks of dynamite packed into a volume of space the size of a marble.” [IEEE Spectrum Online via New Launches via Dvice]

As Cindy L. Van Dover, a marine biologist who has logged hundred of hours in Alvin, puts it:

“Depth is a big deal,” she said. “It’s hard to wax lyrical on the subject because we don’t know what’s there. So we can’t guarantee a discovery. Yet we know that every time we extend our ability to go somewhere, we discover new things about how the planet works, about how life on the planet is adapted.”

Unfortunately and as one might expect, the project's budget has ballooned (titanium alone has had a 5x increase in cost since work began), and researchers are having to get creative to scrape up the necessary funding. So 2015 is now the still somewhat shaky current target date for the bigger, badder sub's first dive. But before then, old Alvin may get some of its successor's new gear (like its titanium crew sphere) until the whole thing comes together. [NY Times]

The display itself gets programmed by just placing an illustration under a camera, which captures the basic structure and animates it in random patterns. Since each tile is intelligent—they know each other's position at any give time—the animation spreads through the tiles seamlessly. Putting the tile together is as easy as that: just place it next to the edge you want and it will stick thanks to very powerful magnets.

Says Rajiv Mongia, an Intel engineer:

"The fact that they've been able to develop a polymer-type material that can be used in a relatively thin film is worth a second look [compared with previous ceramic heatsinks that worked the same way]," Mongia says. "Also, it's working in a temperature range that is of interest to us."

[Technology Review]

The system works by linking the individual pixels of the sensor with flexible wires, which allow the sensor itself to take any shape necessary. This will result in more efficient and compact lenses for endoscopes and, potentially, the aforementioned artificial eyes. Right now the biggest sensor they've made only has 256 pixels, but apparently the manufacturing process is similar to current sensors so the researchers are confident they can scale it up quickly. [Medgadgets]

The team says its new cathode, made of a conductive plastic called PEDOT, could be manufactured for just several hundred dollars. Even better, PEDOT is much more stable than platinum and doesn't have platinum's pesky clumping problems or aversion to carbon monoxide.

The researchers are now planning on building fuel cells with the cathode in 3D, to maximize the surface area available to generate a current. With this new breakthrough and the solar-charged process engineered by MIT scientists a few days ago, it's been kind of an awesome week for fuel cell science. [ABC via Treehugger]

The team created these animations to demonstrate what happens when various percentages of meeting crowds are drunk:

All Sober:

Half Drunk:

All Drunk:

As you can see, the "laminar flow" (people lining up behind others to navigate passages) of the drunken crowd is a bit off. "Drunks become irritants because they slow people's progress towards their goal," says lead researcher Simon Moore, which means "they may then become targets of violence." For once, someone protecting drunken louts themselves from violence, and not the innocent bystanders that usually get in the way of their fists.

[New Scientist (sub required); image: Flickr]

According to Ikeda, the material is not very efficient at converting light into energy, but he is confident that it will improve in time. He also noted that the material is about 4 times more elastic than human muscle, and it maintained its strength during a test despite contracting and expanding every 7 seconds for 30 hours. He hopes that one day the technology will come of age to the point that we will all be driving around in light-powered plastic automobiles. Maybe—if by "we" he means our grandchildren and great grandchildren. [Pink Tentacle via DVICE]

The idea of making fabrics germ-resistant is nothing new, but it is obvious that applying this technology to Kevlar products has more practical applications than simply servicing the world's hypochondriacs. Further tests are needed, but so far Kevlar and acyclic N-Halamine seem to be getting along quite nicely. [LiveScience]

The algorithms the team develops will allow hovering 'bots like STARMAC to navigate, deal with collisions or avoidance and even to work as a team, sharing info on their environment and navigating around each other.

That has all sorts of cool implications for things like future automated search and rescue drones, able to search large areas efficiently and quickly. But it also means spy 'bots. And when you've watched the video, you'll have to agree that the way the things move reminds you of the flying cameras in (insert name of sci-fi movie of your choice). [Danger Room]

Even more amazing is the fact that this mish-mash of nanowires has the look and feel of paper, but sucks up only oil, leaving every ounce of water behind. Based on that, you know what comes next, right? Water filtration, said Jing Kong, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.And unlike most nanotechnology, the mesh is inexpensive to produce, since the nanowires can be fabricated in larger quantities than other nanomaterials. Great. Let's get huge sheets of this stuff manufactured and distributed to every oil rig, developing nation and tanker like, yesterday. [MIT News]

The SnoMotes will use their cameras and sensors to navigate across terrain, and they'll be able to communicate with each other to ensure they collect the necessary research data most efficiently. The trick is getting the system to work in difficult icy white-out conditions, and one possible solution is to allow the robots to "bid" on a particular destination, based on how far away they are from it, and how healthy they are, mechanically and electronically speaking.

Recently unveiled at IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, and funded by NASA, when functional the robots will be able to collect data in Greenland and Antarctica that will aid research into the effects on ice-masses caused by climate change. [Gizmag]

This composite material is made of hollow fibers that are filled with an epoxy resin that will leak out if damaged. The researchers claim that this resin can return the structure to 80-90% of its original strength when dried. It is also colored so that ground crews have an easy visual on areas where repair is needed. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of this technology is confined to minor damage, so any major cracks could still send you plummeting towards the Earth. Still, it would be a tremendous improvement that could result in lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft down the road. And the best part is that we probably won't have to wait forever to see it implemented. Researchers believe that the self-healing technology could go commercial in as little as four years. [Press Release via Wired]

To test the nanotubes, one lab injected the material into human-lung-like rat stomach lining and found the area inflamed after a week. So at this point we're fairly certain that inhaling nanotubes would be bad news. What we aren't certain about is whether or not nanotubes in their commercial form (like baseball bats) could ever become breathable, or even airborne in the first place.

Further study is needed, but this isn't the sort of news we wanted to hear about a very promising facet of nanotechnology. [Project On Emerging Nanotechnologies and SFGate]

Plus, the solar charging properties of the compounds means that there would be no need for a traditional power source. When applied to a surface, the OLED screen could run under the power that it generates for an indefinite amount of time. It could even be applied to the back of cellphones to provide a constant charge. Again, this sort of technology seems seriously out there, but the researchers believe that they can have a working prototype up and running within two years. I'll believe it when I see it. [Tech Radar via OLED-info]

So how to get metal bits to cancer cells? This is where the big corporate research comes in: nanotechnology. Thousands of nano-particles composed of metal bits can fit in a cancer cell. So far, they've conducted successful cancer extermination trials using the Kanzius machine and metal nano-particles at both M.D. Anderson and Pittsburgh. The catch is that it's only been tested on solid tumors—hitting cancer that's spread around the body is what they're working toward, and if they can't hunt down the individual cancer cells with the nano-particles, this will only have limited applications.

Human trials are also still four years away, which unfortunately might not be in time for the machine's inventor to cure himself. [CBS via Medgadget]

P.S. On a lighter note, if you really liked the CGI in the video, the guys at Hybrid Medical Animation emailed us to let you know it was all them, baby.

Trident is just a set of graphics and database tech common in lots of Microsoft products meant for everyday people and businesses, and handing it to academics. The tools are being run on standard PCs, so academics can collect their data using automated drones and process it in real time. Before, data had to be collected by hand and viewed much later. This is not something you can see any of Microsoft's competitors reaching for any time soon.

Trident: a Workflow Workbench for Oceanography

Redmond lab: Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington, U.S.Science is undergoing a sea change. Instead of the small, private, periodic data sets currently being used, large, sophisticated, remote-sensor systems soon will bring enormous amounts of real-time data to be shared by multidisciplinary scientists. One such example is Project Neptune for oceanography. To cope with this shift from data-poor to data-rich science, new tools are needed to help scientists work effectively with these systems and with the enormous amount of data that they will generate. Trident is a collaborative scientific and engineering partnership between the University of Washington, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Microsoft's Technical Computing Initiative to provide Project Neptune with a scientific-workflow workbench for oceanography. The Trident workbench is built atop the Windows Workflow Foundation. Trident enables users to automate, explore, and visualize data; to compose, run, and catalog experiments; to create a workflow starter kit that makes it easy for users to extend the functionality of Trident; and to learn by exploring and visualizing ocean and model data. We will illustrate how Trident can be used to author workflows through a visual interface, store workflows in a library for easy reuse, and execute oceanographic workflows to create on-demand visualizations. Our booth will include posters that provide context for both the Neptune project and the Trident workflow workbench.

As you can see in the video, it actually sounds pretty good, and you can adjust the sliders to make the piano part happier, sadder, jazzier, or not quite so jazzy. The bad news is that this is just a Microsoft Research project, not an actual package you can buy. Maybe in a few years? [IStartedSomething via Geekologie via Dvice]

The system is being developed in direct response to the huge number of songs people carry around on their media players, and specifically the millions of songs a Zune library can stock using a Zune pass. The system automatically recommends new songs based on songs played, and the logic is continuously "steered" by voting tracks up and down.

Well, we can't really say. The iCub will undergo pretty basic tests, such as shape analysis, nesting different sized cups and stacking wooden blocks, as well as speech development tasks, meaning iCub will be able to name actions it carries out, which will lead to a commentary of its routine. The overall goal was laid out by Angelo Cangelosi, Professor in Artificial Intelligence;

"The outcome of the research will define the scientific and technological requirements for the design of humanoid robots able to develop complex behavioral, thinking and communication skills through individual and social learning."

The Ulysses was the first spacecraft to ever pass over the north and south poles of the Sun, but amazing feats of pole to pole traveling were nothing compared to the three comet tails it successfully navigated. The lessons scientists have learnt regarding solar wind and interstellar dust have proven to be invaluable. Unfortunately then, the circuitry has now become defective, which means there is no way to supply power to the machinery that prevents the hydrazine power source from freezing. Once the hydrazine falls below the 2° Celsius freezing point, it's going to be game over for old Ulysses, as there will be no way to control the sky skipper. We imagine it's showing a RROD as we speak, which makes us unbearably sad. We just wanted to say thanks for all the indispensable scientific information, great times, good laughs and the terrific name. Cheers, you will be missed, Ulysses. [New Scientist]

Essentially just laser-etched plastic sandwiched between layers of glass, when massive amounts of voltage are applied—9 kilovolts, to be exact—viewers can enjoy a true, all-red 3D display. With sizes up to only 4 inches, write times of 3 minutes and a shelf life of just a few hours, you won't be seeing these holograms around anytime soon. But your dreams of absurdly tacky monochromatic 3D photoframes are not in vain. [uanews via newscientist]

The team are quick to point out that their ideas are far from reaching fruition, and up to this point they are relying on simulations to form strategies that can be used for such shape-changing, or "claytronic," robots. The pocket-sized prototypes they are experimenting with are able to use electromagnetic forces to manoeuvre, communicate and share power. If you haven't already, check out the video above to see a simulation of what the overall concept will be able to do, as well as some footage of the prototypes in action. If that was not enough to keep you entertained, there is even a dorky-sounding narrator to guide you along the way. Gosh, you guys are spoiled. [New Scientist via Newlaunches]

Hooking up through the internet, the two teams were able to share these monkey brain walking signals—for lack of a better term—in real time, streaming the neural impulses halfway across the world to a pair of robot legs that were programmed with corresponding movements.

While researchers have been doing similar studies since 2000, giving monkeys control of robot legs (as opposed to what seems to be some more simple arm motions) is a breakthrough in the inevitable monkeys-teaming-with-robots for human overthrow scenario or just the dominance of an advanced mechanical intelligence sure to thieve all man's bananas without mercy. [newscientist and image]

Researchers hope to use the technology to help paralysis victims to regain the ability to move. Team this buggy robot up with that thought-controlled wheelchair, and now we're getting somewhere. But we're thinking some precautions might need to be taken if they're using moths—don't turn on any bright lights, or the robot will go nuts. [LA Times]

The trick here is to develop a special engine they're calling Scimitar, capable of thrusting the craft to those rocket-like speeds. It will be a rocket engine with a turbo compressor added, without needing liquid oxygen like those used in the boosters that send spacecraft into orbit. Such an engine is also capable of slower flight, allowing the aircraft to fly over land where supersonic speeds aren't permitted because of sonic booms.

The researchers are proposing a big plane, too. Check out the A2's size next to the gigantic Airbus A380 in the graphic above. This A2 hyperliner is big enough for 300 passengers, and the engineers are hoping to make it cost-effective enough for tickets to ride on the huge plane to cost about the same as a normal business class seat does today. [The Register, via Ecotality Life]

This soaring hubcap has a problem with fuel efficiency, though, say the tinkering flyboys. It starts running out of battery power quickly because of all the air it needs to push to stay aloft. Back to the old drawing board?

To hell with pushing air like some kind of reverse upside-down vacuum cleaner—we want an antigravity flying saucer. Until then, this craft, like helicopters albeit to a lesser extent, is a collection of lawnmower parts flying in close formation. [Discovery, via Spluch]

When you can magically combine two of those positronium suckers, you get a molecule that sounds like it's made by Sony, called PS2. When PS2 decays, that's when super-powerful bursts of those awesome gamma rays are released, capable of smacking down anything in sight. So this must be that all-powerful and dangerous ray gun running through science fiction stories for the past 100 years. Or is it more like a phaser? Either way, yeah, it's all working with positronium. We're not making this up. [NewScientistTech]