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Roomba QuadDrive: because riding around on Roombas isn't just for cats
You saw it, you loved it: the Roomba-riding cat was an international sensation because it touched something deep within our souls. A primal desire to witness a cat astride a robot steed. But deep down you longed for something more. You pondered in inner monologue: "What if you put a whole robot on top of four Roombas working in tandem? And what if that robot was kind of creepy, like as if a human face was behind a plastic mask and it had bizarrely fake lips?" We're pretty sure you know where this is going. Behold the University of Bonn's Robotinho, surfing the Roomba QuadDrive. The QuadDrive system can blaze across the floor at a blistering 1 mph, and carry a 44 pound payload, but surely there could be no more fitting a payload than Mr. Creepster himself, Robotinho. Check it out after the break, the platform can be spied at around the 2:00 mark.
Software system to enable visual prosthesis learning
Years back, scientists at the University of Bonn reckoned a visual implant would cure blindness, but unfortunately, the results were less than positive. While many alternatives have surfaced in the meantime, gurus at the institution are hitting back yet again with another option of their own, as the researchers introduced a software system that enables visual prosthesis to "learn" how to interpret sights in a way that the brain can understand -- something the original implementation had difficultly accomplishing. Essentially, an artificial retina "must learn to generate signals that are useful for the brain," and while the group's software should assist users with "flexible" central visual systems to garner new abilities in sight, they warn against "expecting miracles" too soon.[Via MedGadget]
