August 3, 2009 -
Artificial brain '10 years away' -
A detailed, functional artificial human brain can be built within the next 10 years, a leading scientist says. The Blue
Brain project was launched in 2005 and aims to reverse engineer the mammalian brain from laboratory data. A
synthetic human brain would be of particular use finding treatments for mental illnesses.
Around two billion people are thought to suffer some kind of brain impairment.
By pooling all the world's neuroscience data on animals - to create a "Noah's Ark", researchers may be able to build
animal models. "We cannot keep on doing animal experiments forever."
Phone gadget to diagnose disease - Researchers have developed an add-on to a mobile phone that can take
detailed images and analyse them to diagnose diseases such as tuberculosis.
The CellScope works as a so-called fluorescence microscope that can identify the markers of disease.
It is hoped the device will be useful in the developing world, where such medical diagnostics are rare but mobile
ownership and coverage are common.
Clothes could one day take photos of everything happening around whoever is wearing them.
US researchers have made smart fabric that can detect the wavelength and direction of light falling on it.
The research team has found a way to accurately place sensors in each fibre and co-ordinate the electrical signals
they send when light falls on them.
New army robots - Australia has launched a multi-million dollar competition to build a new generation of military
robots.
The winning design must help soldiers fight by remote control in urban combat zones.
The aim is to reduce casualties in urban areas where fighting is unpredictable and treacherous.
The ultimate plan is for groups of these sophisticated machines to be sent into battle to help neutralise the enemy.
The competition is being run by Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation in partnership with the
US military. Research grants of $1.6m (£984,000) have been offered in this competition. Five shortlisted applicants
will be invited to present their ideas at a Land Warfare Conference in Brisbane in November in 2010.
Before they get to that stage they will have to prove that their prototypes can do the job at a defence base in South
Australia, where they will be judged by an international panel of military experts.
Robot planes took to the skies in March of 2009 -
The British Ministry of Defence showcased current and next-generation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
Military use of UAVs has been growing fast. Twenty years ago, they were a bonus item for the armed forces, now
they are seen as an essential part of the modern warrior's arsenal.
UAVs are mainly used for reconnaissance, although some of the larger models can also drop weapons.
On show was equipment currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as prototypes and models of new
technology that could be in service in the next few years.
The role of unmanned vehicles is to do "dull, dirty, and dangerous work and lessen the risk to the troops." Built by
Honeywell, a 8kg HOVERING air vehicle carries a regular and night vision camera, enabling troops to get a stable
eye-in-the-sky. The Reaper, originally called Predator B, has been designed to perform high-altitude surveillance,
reconnaissance and so-called hunter-killer missions.
While the Predator could operate up to an altitude of 25,000ft (7620m) and a speed of 120mph (193kph), Reaper
can go up to 50,000 feet at speeds of over 240 mph. It can also carry a weapon payload in excess of 1.3 tonnes.
Desert Hawk III is a hand-launched drone that is used by troops to carry out surveillance. The device fits inside a
backpack carried by troops. Mantis is a large pilotless aircraft, with a wingspan of 22m, can stay airborne for more
than 24 hours and operate at more than 40,000 feet. "With Mantis, you can cover an area with almost regular
monotony, which means not only constant coverage, but you can spot if anything in that area has changed. Taranis
is an unmanned, stealth, deep-strike aircraft.
Initial ground trials are scheduled for late 2009, with a maiden flight scheduled for 2010.
A "grenade" camera, that would enable soldiers to look into hazardous areas, is being developed for UK troops.
Dubbed the I-Ball the wireless device is robust enough to survive being thrown onto a battlefield.
The I-Ball's internal camera gives a 360 degree view, with images being sent from the instant it is launched.
Underwater robots - the military wants autonomous underwater vehicles to tackle some of the most
dangerous scenarios encountered during naval operations.
Sonar-equipped AUVs could be used for such purposes as mine clearance, as well as defending and patrolling
harbours.
There are countless real-world applications - in industry and the military - for underwater robots that can operate
independently of human control.
Upcoming military robot could feed on dead bodies -
It could be a combination of 19th-century mechanics, 21st-century
technology - and a 20th-century horror movie.
A Maryland company under contract to the Pentagon is
working on
a steam-powered robot that would fuel itself by gobbling up whatever
organic material it can find — grass, wood, old furniture, even dead bodies.
Robotic Technology Inc.'s
Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot — that's right, "EATR" — "can
find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment (and other
organically-based energy sources), as well as use conventional and
alternative fuels (such as gasoline, heavy fuel, kerosene, diesel, propane,
coal, cooking oil, and solar) when suitable."
That "biomass" and "other organically-based energy sources" wouldn't
necessarily be limited to plant material — animal and human corpses contain
plenty of energy, and they'd be plentiful in a war zone.
The advantages to the military are that the robot would be extremely
flexible in fuel sources and could roam on its own for months, even years,
without having to be refueled or serviced.
Upon the EATR platform, the Pentagon could build all sorts of things — a
transport, an ambulance, a communications center, even a
mobile gunship.
[Cyclone Power Technologies
says its robotic technology "is strictly vegetarian." ]
---------------------------
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