Technology

In 1970, a Japanese roboticist named Masahiro Mori described what he called the "uncanny valley" - a point on a graph relating human affinity for a machine to its likeness of humans themselves, where human affinity plummets as the likeness becomes nearly indistinguishable from ourselves. As robots become more humanlike, our fondness for them increases. But when machines reach a point where they look so much like us that we can barely tell they're different from us, Mori postulated that we'll feel repulsed instead of affectionate. Since we haven't been able to produce robots that are nearly…

Showing loved ones that you're thinking of them is still the main focus at Christmas time but are traditional cards becoming outmoded by technology?   Results of a survey published today conducted by Christmas video messaging site Christmasee.com shows that whilst cards remain popular, nearly one in four (23 per cent) of those surveyed intend to send fewer cards or no cards at all this Christmas. As daily use of the internet becomes more commonplace, almost a quarter (24 per cent) of under 45's quizzed view sending Christmas cards as old fashioned and believe that there are more…

It's classical music for the "Guitar Hero" generation - a way to compose and perform at the same time, with infinite variations.    That's right, you can be Ludwig van Beethoven (except not deaf) and perform his Ninth symphony, armed with a laptop and a midi system that samples different tones, processes them, and sends them back in ever-changing variations.  And an orchestra, if that helps. You can call it “Ode to Joy 2008” because the basic theme is instantly recognizable but you can alter it in real-time, with ever-changing variety. Unfortunately for old Ludwig himself, this…

You'd think if you won a Nobel Prize in Medicine for discoveries about modern magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) you wouldn't have a lot to offer the world of fashion, but you certainly would be wrong in the case of the brains behind Nobel Textiles. Atomic nuclei in a magnetic field rotate with a frequency dependent on the strength of the magnetic field - that's the basis of MRI - and their energy can be increased if they absorb radio waves at the same resonant frequency.   When those atomic nuclei return to their original energy level, radio waves are emitted.   It got the Nobel…

Canadian researchers have created a new protein patterning technique that's enabled them to reproduce complex cellular environments and a miniature version of a masterpiece painting. According to a new study published in the journal Lab on a Chip, scientists from Université de Montréal, the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute have developed a laser technology that can mimic the protein patterns that surround cells in vivo and that could lead to great advances in neuroscience. To illustrate the precision of their protein…

A team of researchers led by North Carolina State University has made a breakthrough that could lead to new dialysis devices and a host of other revolutionary medical implants. The researchers have found that the unique properties of a new material can be used to create new devices that can be implanted into the human body – including blood glucose sensors for diabetics and artificial hemo-dialysis membranes that can scrub impurities from the blood. Researchers have long sought to develop medical devices that could be implanted into patients for a variety of purposes, such as monitoring…

As airports become stretched to capacity and calls mount for new runways and terminals, a computer scientist in Greece has designed a system that could ensure as many seats as possible are filled on each flight and no one is left stranded at check-in.    If you're one of those people who has logged numerous free miles giving up your seat and getting a free ticket in return, that could be bad news. Dimitris Kanellopoulos of the Technological Educational Institute of Patras, explains how in recent years, the airline industry has become increasingly dependent on computers for its…

The Data Management Group (DAMA-UPC), led by Josep Lluís Larriba, has designed a system for searching for information in a network or graph that can complement Internet search engines and is of special interest to biomedicine, social networks, the Internet, fraud detection in different environments and advanced bibliographical searches. Searching and querying large volumes of networked data using a new technology patented by the UPC is now a reality with DEX. The system offers high-speed processing, configurable data input using heterogenous sources, and management of networks with billions…

AFS Trinity Power Corporation today announced it pulled its 150 MPG plug-in hybrid SUV prototypes out of the LA Auto Show but will independently exhibit and demonstrate the super fuel-efficient vehicles on their own elsewhere in downtown LA during the show. The company's decision followed actions by the LA Auto Show to muzzle AFS Trinity from highlighting the 150 miles per gallon fuel economy of its XH150 prototype vehicles. The suppression by the automakers of information about technologies such as this raises serious questions about the judgment, vision, intentions and capabilities of the…

Time Magazine did a poll for top invention of 2008 and the i-limb hand, created by Scottish company Touch Bionics, came in at number 14.   You can read about it here at It's i-LIMB Versus Fluidhand For The Prosthetic Hand World Title if you missed it the first time.   Why is it so great?  It can grasp thin objects but is also modular, so the whole hand doesn't need to go into the shop when things go awry. What came in first?   23andMe's retail DNA test - not a bad idea should Time need a cash infusion, owing to Anne Wojcicki's close relationship to husband and Google rich…