Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Carbon Nanotube Thread Developed

As strong as carbon fiber but able to conduct electricity:

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/145446-rice-creates-first-long-strong-flexible-and-conductive-carbon-nanotube-thread?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rice-creates-first-long-strong-flexible-and-conductive-carbon-nanotube-thread

Still...it's not nearly as strong as carbon nanotube thread should be because it's made of trillions of short bundles of nanotubes assembled like cotton thread, rather than made of massively long single fibers...I think.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Building a Supercomputer Replica of the Human Brain

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/neurologist-markam-human-brain/all/

And here's the TED Conference talk by Henry Markram:

http://blog.ted.com/2009/10/15/supercomputing/

"In hype-driven contexts (such as his 2009 TED talk), Markram has hinted at the possibility that a sim embodied in a robot might become conscious. Hardwired with Markram’s model and given sufficient experience of the world, the machine could actually start thinking (à la Skynet and HAL 9000). While that has gained him a following among sci-fi enthusiasts, he separates such speculations from the hard work of doing real science. When pressed, he shows a rare touch of modesty. “A simulation is not the real thing,” he says. “I mean, it’s a set of mathematical equations that are being executed to re-create a particular phenomenon.” Markram’s job, simply put, is to get those equations right.

He plans to give the EU an early working prototype of this system within just 18 months—and vows to “open up this new telescope to the scientific community” within two and a half years—though he estimates that he’ll need a supercomputer 100,000 times faster than the one he’s got to build the premium version. Ever the optimist, he believes that Moore’s law (and the European Union) will deliver him that raw power in about a decade."

Robot Learns to Write

Siri has nothing to worry about, but it's still another step:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hqNi2S4rlM

Friday, May 3, 2013

New Robotic Hand is Strong, Dexterous, Robust and Inexpensive

Down from typical prices of $50,000 per hand, this $3,000 robotic hand is surprisingly capable:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvhCk6BvLBE

My favorite bit? The hand picking up tweezers to pick up a toothpick....

Active ingredient in Viagra tied to lower Alzheimer's risk — but don't get too excited

More links between the little head and the big head: https://www.livescience.com/health/alzheimers-dementia/active-ingredient-in-viagra-tied...