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Researchers fake sense of touch in monkey brains, hope to build a better prosthetic
Medical prosthetics have come a long way in recent years, but with a few exceptions, artificial limbs still lack the tactility of their fleshy counterparts. Scientists at the University of Chicago are looking to plug those sensory gaps by researching how to simulate touch sensations within the brain, via electrical impulses. By implanting electrodes into the area of the brain that governs the five senses, scientists used electrical stimulation to artificially create feelings of touch and pressure in test monkeys. The Phoenixes posit that this could increase the dexterity of upper-limb neuroprosthetics without extensive patient training and that this is an important step toward restoring touch to those who've lost it, like those with spinal cord injuries. While the scientists realize these operations require incredibly invasive surgery, they believe the procedure's potential could eventually justify the risk for those who don't have other options.
EU sets aside €6.4b for research and innovation grants
For all its foibles, the European Union does fancy itself as quite the progressive supranational body and you need look no further than its gigantic €50.5 billion (to be spent between 2007 and 2013) R&D stimulus program for evidence. Over the next 14 months, the Euro bureau will distribute €6.4 billion to universities, SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and other research organizations that seek to pursue its stated goals. Those include tackling the problems of climate change, the Union's greying population, food and energy source security and sustainability, as well as more generic health and quality of life challenges. The primary goal is stated as "translating research into new technologies, products and services" -- in other words, less vaporware -- though we imagine the biggest justifier for this sizable injection de dinero will be the 165,000 new jobs that it's expected to create. Full PR after the break.
US government lays out cash for wall-based, in-home 'smart meters'
Google has its PowerMeter, Microsoft has its Hohm and Obama has his "smart meters." Got it? Good. Around two years after UK taxpayers began footing the bill for in-home energy monitors, it seems as if America's current administration is looking to follow suit. While visiting the now-open solar facility in Arcadia, Florida today, the Pres announced that $3.4 billion in cash that the US doesn't actually have has just been set aside for a number of things, namely an intelligent power grid and a whole bundle of smart power meters. Aside from boring apparatuses like new digital transformers and grid sensors (both of which are designed to modernize the nation's "dilapidated" electric network), 18 million smart meters and 1 million "other in-home devices" will be installed in select abodes. The idea here is to give individuals a better way to monitor their electricity usage, with the eventual goal set at 40 million installed meters over the next few years. Great idea, guys -- or you know, you could just advise people to turn stuff off when they aren't using it, or not use energy they can't afford. Just sayin'.
$2.4 billion US electric vehicle plan revealed, jetpack solution ignored again
You asked for it, now here comes the change... $2.4 billion dollars of it stuffed into giant sacks for those hoping to produce electric vehicles in the US. The plan unveiled by president Obama Thursday allocates $1.5B to US manufacturers to produce batteries, $400M to evaluate plug-in hybrids and to implement the infrastructure (e.g., charging stations, technician training, etc) required to support them, and another $500M for related components. As for you, the plan (now law under the $787 billion stimulus package) allocates a $7,500 tax credit to people who buy plug-in hybrid vehicles. The goal is to help the US catch up to foreign competition with regards to electric vehicle technology and to put a million "environmentally friendly" vehicles onto US roads by 2015. As Obama puts it, "The nation that leads on energy will be the nation that leads the world in the 21st century." That's why we're investing all our dough in a sure thing like Steorn.[Original Image courtesy of Cammeraydave]
Broadband stimulus plan comes to life, rural teens 'psyched'
The broadband stimulus project is moving forwards in the manner most familiar to our federal bureaucracy: meetings. Lots and lots of meetings. The inaugural soiree was recently held at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's swank Washington, D.C. headquarters, and included bon mots such as this one by acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps: "Where's the policy for broadband? Where's the action? Where's the beef?" Ouch. Among the first items of business, the group must figure out exactly which connectivity solution to back, with several companies weighing in -- most of 'em (including Spaceway and Wild Blue) going the pure broadband route, while an outfit called AlphaStar has a hybrid satellite / terrestrial service (where the satellite backbone connects to homes over terrestrial wireless systems). Also to be debated is the wisdom of privately owned vs. municipally owned wireless broadband. Either way, we sure hope that our nation's unwired get some help soon -- why should Boxxy have all the fun?
Stimulus bill seeks plan to ensure all Americans have broadband access
As we've seen in the decidedly botched digital TV transition, nothing involving government and technology is ever straightforward. With that in mind, let us present to you the most germane portion of the recently passed economic stimulus package with respect to gadgets and the overall nerd kingdom: $7.2 billion. That amount is what President Obama has set aside for "broadband grant and loan programs," though things get confusing right from the start. $4.7 billion will be distributed through a program run by the Commerce Department, while $2.5 billion is handed out by the Agriculture Department. In theory, at least, that latter chunk would go specifically to rural and underserved areas, but having one goal with two masters just seems like trouble waiting to happen. Oh, and then there's the mandate to the FCC that instructs it to create (within one year, mind you) a "national broadband plan to ensure that everyone in the US has broadband access." Granted, these aren't entirely unheard of -- Britain just did the same sort of thing a few weeks ago, and South Korea's already aiming at 1Gbps for all. We appreciate that the money's there, but only time will tell if leads to anything meaningful.
CTIA: get open-access language out of stimulus package
Included in the near-trillion dollar stimulus package kicking around Congress right now is a grand total of $6 billion earmarked for broadband initiatives, wireless included -- and while we're sure the CTIA's totally cool with that, there's some pesky language they'd rather not see. It seems any deployments undertaken with that taxpayer money must be done so with open access in mind, which -- let's be honest -- seems like a totally fair policy considering public cash is getting dropped into this, but CTIA prez Steve Largent thinks that it's "saddling the stimulus measure with an ambiguous government mandate that will deter providers from taking advantage of the grant program." In other words, carriers are going to take one look at the strings attached to the cash, turn, and run in the other direction. Open access (or the illusion thereof) seems to be working out alright for Verizon so far -- though we won't really know how that whole sitch plays out until the 700MHz spectrum goes live -- but either way, can't the CTIA see why the feds aren't interested in handing out a blank check here?
