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ICYMI: Robots want us to rely on them for daily tasks
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-2").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The latest servant robot to join the Pepper and Buddy crew is Big-I, a Kickstarter bot that uses 3D vision, motion tracking and facial recognition to help out the humans in their household. We say it looks like a rolling trashcan with a disturbingly large eye, but for those looking for an IoT hub that's more mobile than Alexa, it could certainly work.
ICYMI: Fast brain upload, mind-control monkeys & more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-222051{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-222051, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-222051{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-222051").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers at HRL Labs have developed a system to upload information to your brain using electrical signals already mapped from an expert's mind. Duke University is testing a wireless brain-machine interface that allows monkeys to steer a wheelchair with their mind, which they were able to do while also improving their skills over time. Cardiologists have a new tool to roto-rooter blood vessels filled with plague in the first FDA approved device that helps surgeons see inside vessels with a built-in camera.
Researchers train monkeys to mind-control a wheelchair
A team of scientists at Duke University have developed a wheelchair that is controlled exclusively by the thoughts of its user -- in this case, one of two lab monkeys -- and have published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports. The prototype system relies on an implanted Brain-Machine Interface (BMI), rather than the scalp-mounted EEG that similar devices use. The BMI, though more invasive, does allow for a higher degree of command with less lag. "We wanted to have something that is closer to the way we move for a human who is completely paralyzed," study leader Dr. Miguel Nicolelis told Business Insider, "because you can control each movement continuously."
Predator drones could soon hide under dielectric 'invisibility cloaks'
America's fleet of Predator UAVs could soon become even harder to shoot down (or even detect for that matter) thanks to a new kind of camouflage developed at UC San Diego. UCSD professor Boubacar Kante and his team published their findings last month in the journal Progress In Electromagnetics Research and will submit a separate report to the Department of Defense later this month, according to reports from the Army Times. The material, dubbed the "dielectric metasurface cloak," builds on earlier work from Duke University in 2006. It's essentially a thin layer of Teflon studded with ceramic particles and capable of modulating wavelengths of energy along the electromagnetic scale (including both visible light and radar).
Health trials using Apple's HealthKit about to start at two US hospitals
Apple's HealthKit is one of the most exciting aspects of iOS 8, but when it launches, the app's focus will be mainly on fitness rather than longterm health. HealthKit still has a long way to go before its full potential is realized, but work is already underway. Reuters is reporting that Stanford University Hospital and Duke University are starting trials that use the service to help treat patients. Stanford is developing a way to let doctors use the app to track blood sugar changes in diabetic children, while Duke's program aims to develop a way to track blood pressure, weight, and other metrics for heart disease and cancer patients. Apple has been clear since announcing HealthKit that its goal is for the service to serve as a medical aid for doctors, but this is the first time that details of medical trials involving the app have been released. Reuters was able to speak Stanford's CIO to get a better understanding of what the trials will be like: Stanford Children's Chief Medical Information Officer Christopher Longhurst told Reuters that Stanford and Duke were among the furthest along. Longhurst said that in the first Stanford trial, young patients with Type 1 diabetes will be sent home with an iPod touch to monitor blood sugar levels between doctor's visits. HealthKit makes a critical link between measuring devices, including those used at home by patients, and medical information services relied on by doctors, such as Epic Systems Corp, a partner already announced by Apple. You can read Reuters' complete report here, including an examination of the privacy issues that may arise from use of the app. We'll keep you updated when more information from the trials becomes available.
Here's how doctors will test Apple's new patient tracking features
Apple briefly hinted last week that hospitals would soon try out HealthKit's patient tracking technology, and we now know how those experiments are going to work. According to Reuters, both Duke University and Stanford University are weeks away from launching trial programs that will let doctors monitor vital stats with patients' permission. In the Stanford test, young Type 1 diabetes sufferers will carry both an iPod touch and a smart glucose meter to keep tabs on their blood sugar levels. There are fewer details surrounding Duke's pilot, but it will track the blood pressure and weight of those with cancer or heart disease.
Duke Nukem 2 on its way to iOS
Duke Nukem 3D is already available to play on the App Store now, and just in time for the sequel's 20th anniversary, Duke Nukem 2 is coming to the App Store soon. Interceptor Entertainment (the folks behind the recent Rise of the Triad reboot announcement) has teamed up with 3D Realms to bring the second, side-scrolling Duke Nukem to iOS, as you can see in the reveal trailer, up now. They're working on a version that will contain all of the original's 32 levels, plus some new artwork and music, as well as touchscreen support (of course), and leaderboards. Interceptor says the game is due out on iOS in April for a price of US$1.99. We'll look for it then.
Duke Nukem 1 and 2 now available for Mac on GOG.com
Ever since they first announced that they'd be carrying Mac games, GOG.com has steadily added to the amount of retro titles on offer, making some really great old games available for our favorite platform. And today's edition is no slouch, either: They've put the original Duke Nukem and its sequel up for grabs for US$5.99 for the pair, complete with the original manual and soundtrack for both as well. That's a great deal, and who wouldn't want to have this gaming legend sitting on their Mac ready to play? Just like all of GOG.com's games, these are DRM-free, and I believe you also get the Windows versions as well. Pretty solid deal for two classic games, and another good offering in GOG.com's constantly growing Mac library.
Duke University creates 'perfect' one-directional microwave cloak, might lead to stealthier vehicles
Most attempts at cloaking, no matter the slice of spectrum, usually leave clues as to what's there -- even microwave cloaks can spoil the surprise through reflections. At Duke University, researchers have licked some of those past problems with the first instance of a flawless microwave cloaking scheme. By crafting a special diamond-shaped cloak where the light properties stay consistent at the corners, the school's Nathan Landy and David Smith have successfully shielded a 3-inch wide cylinder from microwave detection without a hint that something was amiss. The gotcha, as hinted by the shape, is a two-dimensional nature that gives away the secret at less than ideal angles. Duke suggests that it still has the groundwork for something that could be vital for communications or radar -- we can imagine a stealth aircraft or ship in the far-flung future that could actively mask itself from radar signals. It's not quite the optical illusion we're looking for, but a refined version of the Duke project might be enough for a rare practical use of cloaking when fantasies are much more common.
Alt-week 10.13.12: is the Universe a simulation, cloning dinosaurs and singing mice
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. Are you reading this? Seriously, are you? Sure, we know you think you are, but what if you're just a sub-feature of a complex computer program. A sprite, nothing more than the creation of software. The problem with this question is, how would you ever know? You wouldn't, right? Well, not so fast there. Turns out, maybe there is a way to unravel the matrix (if there is one). It'll come as no surprise, that this is one of the topics in this week's collection of alternative stories. Think that's all we got? Not even close. We'll explore the truth behind cloning dinosaurs, as well a rare performance by singing mice -- all before dinner. Or is it really dinner? This is alt-week.
University researchers develop AWARE-2 camera, hope it hits the mainstream in five years
Gigapixel cameras aren't exactly hot-off-the-presses, but a few wizards at Duke and the University of Arizona may be close to getting that sort of technology into your future point-and-shoot. Reportedly, electrical engineers with gobs of free time and an imagination the size of Coach K's ego have managed to synchronize 98 minuscule cameras -- each with a 14-megapixel sensor -- "grouped around a shared spherical lens". The real kicker here is the hope for the future: these same researchers feel that "within five years, as the electronic components of the cameras become miniaturized and more efficient, the next generation of gigapixel cameras should be available to the general public." The prototype itself measures a whopping 2.5-feet square and 20 inches deep, but only around 3 percent of it is made of optical elements; the vast majority is circuitry needed to calculate the stupefying amount of information captured with such a device.
Ditching DRM could reduce piracy, prices, inconvenience
This may run counter to what your common sense tells you but, a new paper out of Duke and Rice University says that ditching DRM could actually reduce piracy. The study, which relied on analytical modeling, showed that while copy protection made illegally sharing content more difficult it had a significantly negative impact on legal users. In fact, the researchers say, "only the legal users pay the price and suffer from the restrictions [of DRM]." Many consumers simply choose to pirate music and movies because doing simple things, like backing up a media collection, is difficult with DRMed content. Even the most effective DRM is eventually broken, and fails to deter those already determined to steal. Meanwhile, abandoning these restrictions could increase competition and drive down prices (as well as remove a serious inconvenience), encouraging more people to legitimately purchase content. You can check out the November-December issue of Marketing Science for more details.
Monkeys control virtual arm with their brains, may herald breakthrough for paraplegics
Monkey mind-controlled arm: It sounds like the name of an awesomely terrible sci-fi film or a fledgling grindcore group, but it's a very real phenomenon, and one that could pay significant dividends for paraplegics everywhere. Neurobiology professor Miguel Nicolelis and his team of researchers at Duke University recently devised a method by which monkeys (and, perhaps one day, humans) can control a virtual arm using only their brains. It's a concept similar to what DARPA has been pursuing with its mind-controlled "Luke" arm, with one important difference: Nicolelis' system not only allows users to remotely execute motor functions, but provides them with near-instantaneous sensory feedback, as well. Most similar techniques use electrode implants to stimulate brain activity, but this can create confusion when a patient's brain sends and receives signals to and from a prosthetic arm. Nicolelis circumvented this problem with a new interface that can read and transmit brain signals to an artificial limb, before switching to a receptive mode in just milliseconds. After designing the technology, Nicolelis and his colleagues tested it on two, electrode-equipped rhesus monkeys. One set of electrodes was placed in the motor cortex of each animal, with the other implanted within their brains' sensory regions. They then trained the monkeys to look at a three identical objects on a computer screen and to "touch" each object with a virtual arm, controlled by signals sent from the brain electrodes. Only one of the three objects had a so-called "virtual texture," which, if selected with the on-screen arm, would send a sensory signal back to the monkey's brain (while triggering a tasty squirt of fruit juice for the lucky contestant). The two rhesus species ended up passing the test with flying colors, resulting in a "proof of principle" that Nicolelis' system can send tactile signals to the brain in almost real-time. The scientists have already developed a way for monkeys to control the arm wirelessly, and are now embedding their technology within a full-body, mind-controlled exoskeleton for paralyzed patients, as well. Of course, the technology still needs to be tested on actual humans, though Nicolelis seems confident that he and his team have already cleared the most difficult hurdle: "Since we cannot talk to the monkeys, I assume with human patients, it's going to be much easier."
Duke University's underwater invisibility cloak stills troubled waters
Everyone's jumping on the invisibility cloaking bandwagon these days, but no one's quite managed to fully deliver on the promise. The same goes for two Duke University researchers who believe their mesh casing could grant the gift of concealment to underwater craft -- submarines, anyone? According to the proposed model, a specially designed shell punctuated by complex patterns of permeability and millimeter-sized pumps would eliminate the drag and turbulent wake caused by an object as it moves through the water. Utilizing the penetrable gaps in the case, water would at first accelerate, and then decelerate to its original speed before exiting -- rendering the fluid around the object virtually undisturbed. Now for the bad news: the design doesn't quite work for large-scale, real-world implementations -- hello again, submarines -- since the tech can only cloak small structures, like "a vehicle one centimetre across... [moving] at speeds of less than one centimetre per second." It's a massive bummer, we know, but we're getting there folks -- you just won't see it when it actually happens.
Duke Nukem Forever coming to the Mac
Aspyr Media has posted on its blog that it will be bringing the long-awaited Duke Nukem sequel, titled Duke Nukem Forever, to the Mac. Known for its legendary development period, the game finally arrived on PC and consoles recently, and unfortunately, it didn't turn out very well, earning generally mediocre reviews across the board (not too surprising for a game with far too many cooks in a pot that's been sitting out for years). Still, this is basically a museum piece for how not to do game development, so it's only right that we see it get ported to the Mac after the fact, right? Aspyr's version will be out in August, and it's offering a 10% discount on pre-orders right now. I can't promise it'll be any good, but if you want to at least see what the final version of Duke Nukem Forever looks like running on your Mac, there you go. There's still no word of any version of the game coming to iOS -- we had spotted the App Store mentioned in that legal agreement a while back, but for all we know, that could just have been for the soundboard, which was released recently. After the reviews on DNF, it's hard to think the Duke franchise will recover, but you never know -- if some enterprising developer wants to make a top-down dual-stick Duke shooter for Apple's mobile devices, we can't say we'd be adverse to the prospect.
Duke University physicists test first air-based acoustic invisibility cloak
Firmly departing from the Stuff Of Dreams category, Duke University physicists have successfully tested an acoustic cloaking device that fools sound waves while looking nowhere near as scifi as you'd think. Layering nothing more than a bunch of hole-punched plastic sheets -- known as meta-materials, for those curious -- atop a ten centimeter long block of wood, highly-directed sound in the 1 - 4kHz range bounced right off the concealed object none the wiser. The cloaking tech owes some of its origin to the math behind transformation optics -- and maybe to the Duke team, too. Besides allowing defense department bunkers to erupt into silent applause, the research should prove useful in the construction of future concert halls. DIY hobbyists, let us know what you can rig up with some trash bags. [Thanks, Drew]
Original Xbox controller may return for Halo Anniversary demos
Duke Nukem returned this week, and is basically obsolete. Now, in honor of the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary remake, 343 Industries is considering resurrecting another long-dead Duke: the hulking, maligned original Xbox controller. Producer Alison Stroll told Giant Bomb that the studio is talking with expert modders (your Ben Heck types) about producing some working Xbox 360 controllers in original "Duke" controller shells. They won't be mass-produced or anything -- if you want to get your hands almost all the way around one, the controllers are planned to be hooked up to demo units at the Halo Fest being held in Seattle alongside PAX, and then sold at the annual Child's Play auction.
Duke study finds solar power cheaper than nuclear, Coach K stronger than Roy
Now, before you get all hot and bothered here, we should warn you that this study only uses information from within the great state of North Carolina (where Duke University is based, obviously), but the results are intriguing regardless. According to new data, the moment we're living in is a crossover one where the declining prices of solar panels may actually make sun-based energy more cost efficient to consider than nuclear. Duke found that the crossover price point was at around 16 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), and for the first time ever in NC, the cost of one kWh of electricity from solar energy sunk below that. Of course, these results are apt to be even more impressive in sun-rich states like Arizona, Nevada and Utah, but it's fairly clear what the real purpose of the investigation was: convincing the school to shell out for solar panels to energize Krzyzewskiville during week-long campouts for UNC vs. Duke tickets.
Study finds commercial-skipping DVRs don't affect purchases, 'TiVo effect' may not exist
Two years back, consumer research told us the vast majority of DVR users skipped commercials; now, statisticians at Duke University say that's not the case. More importantly, even those who do hit that oh-so-tempting skip button aren't necessarily spending less on advertised products as a result. Pulling data from over 1,200 TiVo boxes over the course of three years, Professor Carl Mela and colleagues found that a staggering 95 percent of television was watched live instead of recorded, giving viewers no opportunity to skip, and even when there was an opportunity, users took it only 6.5 percent of the time. Moreover, every attempt the researchers made to find a "TiVo effect" failed -- comparing those who had DVRs with those who didn't, they found no significant difference in the amount TV watchers spent on nine different goods (including cleaning and grooming products) advertised. This could be for a variety of reasons -- perhaps advertising doesn't work, period, or perhaps those without DVRs "skipped" commercials simply by walking out of the room -- but no matter the reason, it seems these days television advertisers don't have quite so much to fear.
Duke Nukem 3D brings classic carnage to iPhone gamers
Now playing on iPhones: the first-person shooter that armed a generation, Duke Nukem 3D [iTunes link], in all its crass and pixelated glory. While it may not be the best 13-year-old game on the platform, it's bound to be one of the more popular ones; the control system has been expanded for the touchscreen and early reviews on the App Store are positive [now followed by negative reviews in our comments below, particularly critical of the controls]. Duke Nukem 3D is currently selling for $2.99, billed as a "One Day Launch Special"; no word on what the price will rise to when the sale is over. If you're hankering to do some damage, check it out. [via AppShopper]
