BrainGate neural interface system reaches 1,000-day performance milestone

From Brown University News and Events

Image Source: Brown Univ

An interesting milestone in machine/human integration. The system described is being used to replace functionality lost to tetraplegia, but as with any such system, it could someday be used to give unimpaired people extra abilities.

"An investigational implanted system being developed to translate brain signals toward control of assistive devices has allowed a woman with paralysis to accurately control a computer cursor at 2.7 years after implantation, providing a key demonstration that neural activity can be read out and converted into action for an unprecedented length of time."

"Under development since 2002, the investigational BrainGate system is a combination of hardware and software that directly senses electrical signals produced by neurons in the brain that control movement. By decoding those signals and translating them into digital instructions, the system is being evaluated for its ability to give people with paralysis control of external devices such as computers, robotic assistive devices, or wheelchairs. The BrainGate team is also engaged in research toward control of advanced prosthetic limbs and toward direct intracortical control of functional electrical stimulation devices for people with spinal cord injury, in collaboration with researchers at the Cleveland FES Center."

Good time for CS jobs

From NetworkWorld

"It's a good time to be a computer science major. Job prospects are rosy for today's graduates, who are entering the workforce at a time when tech hiring is on the rise and talent is hard to find.

'We've calculated that there are about two to three open jobs for every computer science grad this year,' says Alice Hill, managing director at job site Dice.com."

For anyone searching, build your online professional presence at LinkedIn; search for positions on Monster.com, and join the CIS-Messiah Facebook group.

Computer science tops list of best major for jobs

See original news item at Computer science tops list of best major for jobs.:

Good news for CS grads; actual results vary by state.

"July 8, 2011 — Computer science graduates now get more offers of employment than any other major. This is the first time since 2008 that computer science has topped the list: previously, accounting majors had the highest offer rate.

In 2011, 56.2% of computer science majors received job offers, compared to only 53.8% of accounting majors. The offer rate for computer science majors increased 13.8% this year from the previous year."

Integrating humans with machines

As prosthetics become more and more sophisticated, one of the major challenges is the mind-machine interface. In the past we've relied on rather crude signaling methods, but continuing advances bring us closer to true replacements. And once we can replace natural function, it's a short hop to enhancing natural function. Perhaps a boutique at the mall where you can pick out new arms and have them cut off your old ones?

Supercomputers transform science

See original at NYTimes.com

I often talk in class about how computing is transforming almost every discipline it touches. The article linked discusses how the process of scientific discovery is shifting into a computing-centric approach.

"The physical technology of scientific research is still here — the new electron microscopes, the telescopes, the particle colliders — but they are now inseparable from computing power, and it is the computers that let scientists find order and patterns in the raw information that the physical tools gather.

Computer power not only aids research, it defines the nature of that research: what can be studied, what new questions can be asked, and answered."

Augmented Reality App For Librarians - I love technology!

Source: http://www.popsci.com/

Augmented Reality App For Librarians Instantly Shows Which Books Are Misfiled:

"E-books, iPads and Kindles may be the way of the future, but most of the world's knowledge is still stored in millions of good old paper books on library shelves. So researchers at Miami University have created an augmented reality app that makes all those books easier to organize. ShelvAR instantly analyzes an entire shelf, spots any misplaced books, and shows librarians the quickest way to put the books back in order."

How about an app that helps you pick out the books you haven't read yet? Or books you're likely to enjoy? All kinds of possibilities!

Flying robots playing tennis

One thing I love about robotics -- it combines fun with seriously challenging computing.