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research posts

Microsoft messes with 'natural' user interface, featuring eye tracking, voice control and wild body gestures

by Paul Miller posted Nov 6th 2009 at 9:45AM

While today's Windows might not look completely out of place next to a Windows of yore, Microsoft Research certainly has some wild ideas for how to progress computer interaction. In a talk during Microsoft's college tour, Craig Mundle has been touting his research wares, including some pretty reasonable advances like auto completion of common concepts; automatic, intelligent sorting of large amounts of data; and a movable, modular work surface. One of the odder demos involves moving the LCD so it's flat on the desk and then using huge arm movements to manipulate a 3D model projected onto a piece of glass, and the demonstration of eye-tracking is intriguing while not altogether convincing. Of course, we've got a while before we'll see any of this stuff in real products, but perhaps we won't have to wait so long as ten years for that "2019" vision of the future to come to pass. Hit up the read link for the videos.

Researchers craft all-electric spintronics, vie for guest spot on Mindfreak

by Darren Murph posted Nov 4th 2009 at 11:01PM

Unfortunately for us, we've no certified rocket scientist on staff. That said, we're absolutely convinced that the whiz-kids over at the University of Cincinnati are more than up to the task of improving a science that may or may not actually be useful in real things before 3028. As we continue to hear more about spintronics (described as "transistors that function by controlling an electron's spin instead of its charge"), a team of UC researchers have stumbled upon a novel way to control an electron's spin orientation using purely electrical means. In fact, one member calls this discovery the "holy grail of semiconductor spintronics," though we're guessing it'll still be a few ~~years~~ centuries before our hard drives are fetching data 100,000x faster and our batteries last longer than our desire to use them.

Schools of robotic fish to collect data, stomp out human threat

by Joshua Topolsky posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 2:02PM

Robotic fish. The phrase alone sends shivers of excitement down our collective spines here at Engadget. Undoubtedly, Michigan State University assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering Xiaobo Tan feels similarly, as he has designs on creating an army of them. The researcher has developed a prototype of a droid fish intended to be used to collect data from various bodies of water. The fish will be especially effective in monitoring conditions over long periods of time; swimming in a manner similar to that of their organic counterparts, thus giving scientists a clearer view of ecosystem changes. Elena Litchman, an assistant professor of zoology at MSU working with Tan says, "With these patrolling fish we will be able to obtain information at an unprecedentedly high spatial and temporal resolution." To recreate realistic movement, Tan has constructed fins built from electro-active polymers, which bend when voltage is applied, mimicking muscle tissue. Tan also envisions a version of the robots with infrared sensors used as "eyes," and other variations with small, deadly lasers mounted on their backs, to protect their waterways from careless, polluting humans, who have been deduced as illogical and must be wiped out. We might have made that last part up, but we'll never tell. While you try and figure it out, enjoy a video of one of the protypes in action after the break.

[Via PhysOrg]

Continue reading Schools of robotic fish to collect data, stomp out human threat

NC State gurus develop new material to boost data storage, conserve energy

by Darren Murph posted Oct 25th 2009 at 10:57PM

We've all assumed that anything's possible when dabbling in the elusive realm of spintronics, and it seems as if a team at NC State University is out to prove just that. While using their newfound free time on Saturdays (you know, given that the football team has quit mid-season), Dr. Jagdish Narayan and company have utilized the process of selective doping in order to construct a new type of metallic ceramic that could be used to create a "fingernail-size computer chip to store the equivalent of 20 high-definition DVDs or 250 million pages of text." The material could also be used (in theory, anyway) to create a new generation of ceramic engines that could withstand twice the heat of normal engines and hit MPG ratings of 80. Granted, this all sounds like wishful thinking at the moment, but we wouldn't put it past the whiz kids in Raleigh to bring this stuff to market. Too bad the athletic director doesn't posses the same type of initiative.

[Thanks, Joel]

Sharp solar cell sets Conversion Efficiency record

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 23rd 2009 at 12:22PM

The kids at Sharp have a long history of solar power development and research -- something which is evident in the solar cells they've attached to everything from televisions to cellphones. Always moving onward and upwards, the company is now announcing that it's achieved a title-holding 35.8 percent cell conversion efficiency through the use of a triple-junction compound cell. Mainly used on satellites, the triple-junction cell uses three photo-absorption layers and materials (such as indium gallium arsenide) to boost efficiency. This is all good news indeed for both people anticipating better solar devices and fans of solar research in general -- and great news for the people that make those 18 foot tall "solar flowers." PR after the break.

[Via Akihabara]

Continue reading Sharp solar cell sets Conversion Efficiency record

Optogenetics hold the key to future brain disease cures, still creep us out

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 21st 2009 at 10:26AM

Those mad neuroscientists, they'll never learn, but maybe in the end we'll all be better off for it. Wired has put together an extremely intriguing write-up of the short history of optogenetics -- featuring a German pond scum researcher, a Nobel Prize winner, and rat brains controlled by beams of light. Optogenetics is a relatively new technique for communicating with the brain, which involves the implantation of particular light-sensitive genes into animals with the purpose of repairing neurological ailments through light therapy (no, not that kind). By hooking up fiber-optic cables to the affected area of the brain, researchers have been able to completely restore movement in mice with Parkinson's disease and their current efforts revolve around developing a less invasive method that doesn't go deeper than the outer surface of the brain. Most revolutionary of all, perhaps, is the eventual possibility for two-way traffic (i.e. a machine being able to both send and receive information from the brain), which brings all those cyborg dreams of ours closer to becoming a reality than ever before. Hit up the read link for the full dish.

Physicists calculate the end of Moore's Law, clearly don't believe in Moore's Law

by Darren Murph posted Oct 20th 2009 at 6:01PM

If you're looking for pundits with an end date for Moore's Law, you don't have to look far. You also don't have to look far to find a gaggle of loonies who just knew the world was ending in Y2K, so make of that what you will. The latest duo looking to call the demise of the processor mantra that has held true for two score comes from Boston University, with physicists Lev Levitin and Tommaso Toffoli asserting that a quantum limit would be achieved in around 75 to 80 years. Scott Aaronson, an attention-getter at MIT, expects that very same limit to be hit in just 20 years. Of course, there's plenty of technobabble to explain the what's and how's behind all this, but considering that the brainiacs of the world can't even agree with Gordon Moore's own doomsday date, we're choosing to plug our ears and keep on believin' for now. Bonus video after the break.

[Via Slashdot]

Continue reading Physicists calculate the end of Moore's Law, clearly don't believe in Moore's Law

Samsung and Uni-Pixel team up for better, cheaper TMOS displays

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 19th 2009 at 11:41PM

Uni-Pixel has developed a new display technology that could succeed LCD and LED displays, and if all goes according to plan we might see something come to market as soon as next year. Opcuity uses one layer of MEMS film in in a TMOS (multiplexed optical shutter) device for results that are said to be ten times brighter and sixty percent cheaper to manufacture than LCDs (which use five layers). Since TMOS displays are very similar to LCDs, existing manufacturing lines can be used -- lowering start-up costs and rescuing older assembly lines in the process. According to the company's CFO, the manufacturing process "subtracts from existing LCD lines--you just need to remove some equipment that is no longer needed." Samsung and Uni-Pixel have teamed up to produce 4-inch displays using the technology, but who knows? Maybe Microsoft Research's interactive office will become a reality sooner than you think.

[Via OLED-Info]

Mad scientists figure out how to write memories to brains, take over Earth

by Darren Murph posted Oct 17th 2009 at 9:11PM

Call us crazy, but we're guessing one Gero Miesenböck of the University of Oxford has been watching just a wee bit too much Fringe. Gero here, along with a few of his over-anxious colleagues, has seemingly figured out a way to actually write memories onto a fruit fly's brain using only a laser pen and three-fourths of a Ouija board. We know what you're thinking, and we're thinking the same. But all terrifying thoughts aside, what if boffins could burn memories of hard lessons learned into our minds without us having to suffer through them first? You know, like upgrading to Snow Leopard.

Mice run through Quake, Princeton neuroscientists scan their brains for traces of evil (video)

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 15th 2009 at 8:54AM

Want to know just how prevalent technology has become in our lives? Now even lab mice get Quake-derived virtual reality playgrounds to navigate instead of their old school wooden mazes. In all honesty, this appears a significant and praiseworthy advancement, as the Princeton team have succeeded in mapping brain activity right down to the cellular level, with real-time tracking of single neurons now possible. The Orwellian-looking setup above is necessary in order to keep the mouse's head immobile, and thus capable of being studied, while the animal moves around and its brain performs motion-related tasks. Go past the break to see a schematic of the scanner and a quite unmissable video of it in action.

[Via Switched]

Continue reading Mice run through Quake, Princeton neuroscientists scan their brains for traces of evil (video)

Cheap netbook sales bringing down laptop revenues, no brainers require no brains

by Laura June posted Oct 11th 2009 at 7:21AM

Hey, this is probably surprising to no one, but here we go. A new market research report from DisplaySearch says that the overall mobile PC market is down about 5 percent over last year. The main reason cited for this decline? The increasing popularity of netbooks, which average around $300, and are much, much cheaper than traditional laptops. Netbook revenue is up 264 percent from last year, and have contributed to an overall lowering of the average PC cost by 19 percent. While this is certainly bad news for the PC industry itself, hooray for all of us, right?!

Mizzou's nuclear battery to power things smaller than your brain can imagine

by Darren Murph posted Oct 10th 2009 at 11:52AM

Oh yeah, everyone loves the extended battery, but are we really kosher with the added bulge? A team of boffins at the University of Missouri certainly aren't, as they've spent the last good while of their lives researching and developing a new nuclear battery that could be used to power devices much smaller than, well, most anything. The radioisotope cell, as it's called, can reportedly "provide power density that is six orders of magnitude higher than chemical batteries," and while some may question the safety of this potentially volatile device, the liquid semiconductor (used instead of a solid semiconductor) should help ease concerns. The current iteration of the device is about the size of a penny, and it's intended to power a variety of MEMS systems. Now, if only these guys could find a way to make a standard AA last longer than a week in our Wiimote, we'd be pleased as punch.

[Via BBC, thanks Jim]

HYPOLED develops mega-tiny VGA projector display, has a tiny coin in the photo to prove it

by Laura June posted Oct 5th 2009 at 10:01AM

HYPOLED, an 18-month-old project tasked with creating OLED microdisplays for upcoming pico projectors, has just released a report of its recent progress. Among the advances is a Fraunhofer IPMS-designed all digital VGA, full color OLED microdisplay backplane with matching pico projector optics. The display measures just 0.18-mm thick and is already in prototype manufacturing. The super miniscule display is connected to a MediaBox enabling it to operate via WiFi. Fraunhofer is now expected to begin developing a prototype of the full projector, meaning that with any luck, our picos should be getting a teensy, tiny bit cooler in the near future.

[Via About Projectors]

Researchers create Amazing X-Ray Wireless Network!

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 1st 2009 at 3:27PM

Don't freak out or anything, but those wireless signals you bask in everyday could be watching you. Or at least they might, someday, if the work from a group of researchers at the University of Utah makes it beyond the lab. As Technology Review's Physics arXiv blog reports, they've devised a means to modify a standard 802.15.4 wireless network (commonly used by home automation services like ZigBee) to actually "see" movement through walls, and with some degree of accuracy, no less. As you might expect, however, that's not quite as simple as a firmware upgrade, and currently requires a 34-node network to keep watch on a standard living room, which is apparently enough to pin down moving objects within a meter or so. To do that, the system essentially bombards the space with an array of wireless signals and keeps watch on any changes in signal strength, building up a "picture" of the room in the process. No promises on a commercial version just yet, but the researchers see plenty of potential for it, and are even talking about a portable, GPS-equipped version that police or emergency responders could use before entering a dangerous area.

Microsoft unveils Barrelfish multi-core optimized OS

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Sep 29th 2009 at 7:33PM

With current operating systems, as the number of cores increases efficiency decreases. Microsoft Research has just announced an experimental OS, called Barrelfish, that they're developing in conjunction with ETH Zurich, in the hopes that they'll learn how to buck that trend -- both with current and future hardware. Building upon lessons learned with projects including Midori and Singularity, Barrelfish eschews share memory schemes in favor of message passing and a kind of database that shuttles information between cores. Heady stuff, for sure -- but just the kind of thing that sets off our Geek Alarms. If you can't wait to check this one out for yourself, hit the read link for the first release snapshot, in all its Open Source glory. The rest of us will probably remain content waiting to see how this new-found knowledge will trickle down to Windows 7 users in the future.

[Via DailyTech]