SaitamaUniversity
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Visualized: a fish brain lights up while on the prowl (video)
Ever wonder what's going through a fish's mind? While we won't develop underwater telepathy anytime soon, Saitama University can now show us the raw activity. Researchers have learned that injecting zebrafish larvae with green fluorescent protein puts on a light show whenever their neurons fire, illustrating very clearly just which brain regions are active in a given situation, such as chasing down a paramecium for food. The method is more effective and longer-lasting than using dye, and also provides further insight: scientists can clearly spot the neural path when the zebrafish spots and reacts to its prey. As the protein is relevant to humans as well, its longevity could lead to better, longer-term drug testing that shows the cause-and-effect link. Just don't expect as much in the way of mental fireworks.
Japanese researchers develop robotic wheelchair that can follow humans
We've already seen robotic wheelchairs designed to navigate autonomously, but it looks like some researchers at Saitama University's Human-Robot Interaction Center are taking a slightly different approach with their latest project. They've developed a wheelchair equipped with a camera and a laser sensor that instead of tracking its surroundings, simply locks onto a nearby human companion and follows them around. It can even apparently anticipate the direction the person is going to go by using a distance sensor to check which way their shoulders are facing. Still no word on a commercial version, but the wheelchair is already being field-tested in care centers, where the researchers say it could be particularly useful if the facilities are short-staffed. Head on past the break to check it out in action.
