I recently came across news of a device that geeked me out. Its a neckband that can detect and analyze neural firings when we think about saying something, and translate them into audible words via speech synthesizer. Beyond the obvious use of bettering the lives of people who’ve lost their ability to speak, it could enable us to make phonecalls without having to actually talk (as is demonstrated in a video in this article). The creators of the device mention that they’ll have a product by the end of the year for people with ALS (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

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Here’s a project I sincerely hope Nintendo’s big chiefs have seen. Write a bit of code, put the Wii remote on the TV and the sensor bar on your head and what do you get? Correct 3D perspective of the objects presented on screen. Like looking through a window.

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Scientists at the University of Washington have created contact lenses with embedded electronic circuitry and lights. The lenses have been successfully and safely worn by rabbits and do not obstruct vision. This development brings us a step closer to lenses that could enable us, for example, to zoom in on distant objects or lenses that can superimpose information on the external environment (augmented reality).

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Last year I had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Miguel A. L. Nicolelis do a lecture at Reykjavik University about his research on mind-controlled robotics. His previous efforts have put him in the spotlight more than once which include enabling a monkey to control a robotic arm with his mind. Now Nicolelis and his team has pushed the bar by enabling a monkey to move robotic legs in a walking pattern.

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As much as I’d love a brain-computer interface for controlling game characters or avatars in virtual worlds, there are still a few years until they’ll be able to analyze our body’s every move and translate them in real time to machines. In the meantime, there are other options. Small and cheap sensors have promise for new machine interfaces that monitor your entire body.

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You must have noticed that Leopard made it’s debut a few days back. It isn’t as obviously revolutionary as the first version of OS X, but introduces some nifty improvements. What’s gone relatively unnoticed is that Leopard sports what could be the most impressive practical use of artificial intelligence in OS history. Don’t believe me? I don’t blame you. After all, there’s been absolutely no mention of “AI” anywhere … here’s the rundown and the reasons.

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There was once a time when two buttons were added to remote controls for every TV feature. That worked fine … when all TVs had were channels and volume. But with today’s TVs that have tuners for everything from reception to feeding your dog, it should be a hint that more buttons are NOT the way to go! (Perceptive readers will sense that I’m frustrated over modern thousand-button remotes). Thankfully some companies realize this, and I recently came across a lovely example of that. It’s a simple design called “The Loop”: It has two buttons, a scrollwheel and … that’s it! A built in motion system tracks your movements, allowing you to select from menus on screen. No overflow of buttons! Beautiful. [Continue reading for video]

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A new school semester has dawned and once again I find myself scuttering about to prepare for what’s ahead. It’s funny, nevermind the fact that it happens every year, surprise never fails to rear its horns when I suddenly realize it’s almost winter again. Jump started by the usual strong cup of coffee and inhalation of deadly nicotine, my day is now full of people with bad English accents pimping out Powerpoint slides. And I’m sitting there thinking how the learning process could be different.

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What’s cheaper than a miniaturized, flying insect-like robot controlled by artificial intelligence? A miniaturized computer chip embedded as a control device in a natural organism. One of DARPAs projects involves injecting a chip into a Moth during the larva stage, the larva effectively adapting to the chip as part of its body. Once the moth hatches, machine learning is used to control it — to translate the signals and responses from the moth’s organic body — and effectively making it a mechorganic hybrid spy device; a cyborg moth.

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When I was young I read Stephenson’s Snow Crash, and as I’ve mentioned before, that story was real gasoline on an already visionary-bent mind. Since then, I’ve watched the babysteps of online virtual worlds enthusiastically. I’ve also been haunted by a childlike desire for a head mounted display (HMD), for several reasons. Most notably the immersion these displays add to the computing experience, but also the comfort of not having to accommodate myself to the screen but having the screen accommodate me. Today I seem to have finally found one that might be worth buying.

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