Scientists believe they may have taken the first steps towards making Matrix-style ‘instant learning’ a reality.

A team of researchers from HRL Laboratories in California conducted experiments in which they studied the brain signals of trained pilots and attempted to ‘transplant’ them into the brains of beginners who were using a flight simulator.

The technique is similar to that seen in 1999’s The Matrix, in which the protagonist, Neo, learns Kung Fu in a matter of seconds after the knowledge is uploaded directly into his brain.
Continue reading Matrix-style instant learning may become a reality soon →

How do we stop humans putting so much faith in technology?

When it comes robots, humans can be a little too trusting. In a series of experiments at Georgia Tech that simulated a building fire, people ignored the emergency exits and followed instructions from a robot — even though they’d been told it might be faulty.

The study involved a group of 42 volunteers who were asked to follow a “guidance robot” through an office to a conference room.They weren’t told the true nature of the test.
Continue reading People trusted this robot in an emergency, even when it led them astray →

New findings from a study by Drexel and Arizona State show a Taser shock can produce serious short-term impairment in a person’s ability to remember and process information. Some participants — otherwise healthy, active college students — showed cognitive declines comparable with dementia. This first-of-its-kind study is the first time the Taser has been submitted to a major randomized clinical trial that wasn’t an in-house venture, and its findings raise serious questions about the ability of tased subjects to understand their rights at the point of arrest.

The Drexel/ASU researchers found that receiving a shock from a Taser reliably produced a decrease in cognitive function from the just-above-average level of a fit, active college student to the average level of a 79-year-old adult. “The findings of this study have considerable implications for how the police administer Miranda warnings,” said Robert Kane, professor and director of the Criminology and Justice Studies Department at Drexel, and one of the study’s principal investigators. “We felt we had moral imperative to fully understand the Tasers’ potential impact on decision-making faculties in order to protect individuals’ due process rights.”
Continue reading Don’t tase me, bro: Study shows being shocked by a Taser disrupts brain function →

LAS VEGAS: A little exercise not only does your body good, it can charge up your smartphone. Evanston, Illinois-based Ampy showed off its Ampy Move, a wearable battery pack that charges with up and down motion that makes a couple of magnets bounce up and down inside coils.

That’s an electricity-creating process invented by Nikola Tesla in the late 1800s. And on a small scale, it’s good for a quick boost of energy that can get you to the end of the day with power.
Continue reading Jump up and down to charge your phone →

Car makers will also be able to develop custom Android Auto apps starting this year.

Google is positive about the road ahead for Android Auto, saying it will come to 40 car models and support more apps this year.

Android Auto brings messaging, mapping, entertainment, media playback and other apps to cars, but via a smartphone. The apps run on an Android smartphone, which plugs into an in-car display via a USB port.
Continue reading Android Auto is coming to 40 car models this year →

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University have created a robot, Nadine, (on the right) that has a personality, moods and emotions. The robot was built to look like its creator, roboticist Nadia Thalmann (on the left). Credit: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Researchers create robot that could act as a helper for the elderly or assistant in the office.

Scientists have built a robot that will recognize you and remember your name the second time it meets you.

The robot, named Nadine, has something else that makes her stand out from the robotic crowd.

Nadine, according to her creators, has a personality.

Continue reading Meet Nadine, a life-like robot with a personality of her own →

MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence startup Arya.ai claims to have created what could be the first system prototype within medicine and security, while exploring research solutions using drones within defence domains in India.

“80% of the world’s data is unstructured, we ideally want to create artificial intelligence assistants within every profession, by giving developers the option to do so,” says Vinay Sankarapu, IIT alumnus and founder of Arya.ai, the startup that got noticed after being selected for VentureNursery’s incubator and accelerator programme. Continue reading AI startup Arya creates the first system prototype within medicine and security →

BEIJING: Scientists from China’s Zhejiang province have developed a computer chip that works much like the brain, the media reported on Thursday.

Jointly developed by scientists from Hangzhou Dianzi University and Zhejiang University, the new chip, named “Darwin” was revealed earlier this week after more than a year of research, Xinhua news agency reported.

“It can perform intelligent computer tasks by simulating a human brain’s neural networks, in which neurons connect with one another via synapses,” said Ma De from Hangzhou Dianzi University.
Continue reading Brain-like computer chip developed by Chinese scientists →