Despite being totally blind, Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg, age 24, from Walton, Liverpool, can read words, identify shapes and walk unaided. Why? Well, it is all thanks to something called a BrainPort device. This young man lost his sight after being struck by a rocket-propelled grenade while serving in Basra in 2007, and he was was chosen by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to be the first person to trial a pioneering device.

How does this device work? In short, signals get sent to your tongue, and one uses his tongue to “see.” Essentially, it is a camera hooked up to a pair of sunglasses that is connected to a lollipop-like gadget that the user places on his tongue to read the electrical pulses. This whole set up converts visual images into a series of electrical pulses, which are sent to the tongue. The pulses and tingles can all be interpreted to mean different things so that the user can mentally visualize any surroundings and navigate around objects.

Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg says that, “”It feels like licking a nine volt battery or like popping candy…You get lines and shapes of things. It sees in black and white, so you get a two-dimensional image on your tongue – it’s a bit like a pins and needles sensation.”  I am not sure if that sounds like a comfortable sensation to me, but I certainly would trade tingles on my tongue in exchange for being able to “see” and walk without a guide.

Before using the BrainPort device, Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg had been planning on spending the rest of this life with a guide dog and a cane. However, now that this device has come into his life, things have turned around for him. It is not the end-all-be-all solution, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. When asked about whether he was going to keep his dog he replied, “There is no way I’m getting rid of my guide dog Hugo, though – I love him.”

For future work on this device, researchers hope to create a smaller version that would enable users to eat and speak while using the device.

Everyone out there has, at least once, wished for a robot to do at least one of his or her tasks, especially the undesirable ones.  Now, with modern technology, we have robots to carry out many of these tasks.

I was at my friend’s house one night, and I noticed that they had Roomba and Scooba robots.  We got into talking about them and how they work, thus leading into this rundown of what I consider the 5 coolest robots (real, not fictional):

1. I think that the ASIMO robot is just awesome.  Standing at 130 centimeters and weighing 54 kilograms, the robot resembles a small, white suited astronaut wearing a backpack and can walk or run on two feet at speeds up to 6 km/h .
2. In second place, Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment Vehicle (MULE).  Now maybe I have Ghost Recon on the brain, but this thing is cool.  It is an Unmanned Ground Vehicle  that will support ground troop and helicopter or airborne assaults.  There even may be a tank-killer variant.
3. Of the flying robots, the Sikorsky Cypher beats all.  It is essentially a robot with the rotor blade within the body, and is about 1.75 meters in diameter.
4. The Roomba/Scooba series are freaking awesome.  I want one to clean my room!  They have a few math algorithms that makes sure they cover the whole room and sensors to stop them from falling down the stairs!  The even have a portable charging dock.
5. The Japanese Paro robot.  It is a robotic baby Harp Seal designed for therapeutic purposes.  It is so cute…

My only worry is the creation of artificial intelligence.  Once this day comes, I  fear mankind will be wiped out in a Matrix or Terminator like fashion.  Also, a country with a robot military could be over-run with some simple hacking.  Or, of course, we could end up like the humans in the movie Wall-E, who are morbidly obese because of robots.

In all, I think that robot technology is cool and quite successful.  We have many options now, and much more to come, just don’t give them the ability to think!

Since a few Mondays ago, Waldo, an underwater robot, has been missing. So, yes, the biggest question at this point in time is actually “Where is Waldo?”

The robot is from the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, and went missing a few weeks ago. Waldo had been making reports every two hours, and then it suddenly stopped sending out signals. The scientist behind Waldo the robot was Gary Kirkpatrick. He stated that there are a few options as to why the robot went missing. One option was that there was a major leak in the machine. Another option was that there could have been a malfunction. Both of these options could have resulted in Waldo sinking to the bottom and sitting there. Another mistake that could have happened is that the computer that was in contact with Waldo could have had a malfunction. There could have been a problem with the communication system. The problem is that no one knows where Waldo is. Through all of these years of looking for Waldo in books, at costume parties, or on posters, we finally cannot find him.

What is Waldo’s purpose? It had been patrolling the waters in Florida for five days to look for signs of red tide. The robot had a cost of about $100,000. It also was equipped with a detector that would find red tide. This detector had a value of $30,000. Officials and scientists hope that it will turn up over Labor Day weekend, and Mote is offering a $500 “No-Questions-Asked” reward for the return of Waldo.

Waldo is about 115 pounds and was sent out on Aug 26th. It is the only funded robot, but they are using other methods of detecting red tide until they find Waldo.

As more and more people go “green” with their autos and start driving hybrids and electric vehicles, there will become a much higher demand for charging posts of some sort that will allow users to charge their auto batteries. More than likely gas stations will have to implement charging posts to complement those drivers who don’t use gas anymore.

The only problem is, how do you bill users when you have no way of tracking individual electric use?

The EBConnect Elektrobay built by Elektromotive  will do just that!

The EBConnect device software will monitor the power consumption of each user that plugs in and will exchange the data via GSM and the Internet to the required source. Users can pay several different ways: a “pay-as-you-go” gift card, which allows users to purchase Elektrobay keyfob credits, a credit or debit card like at traditional gas pumps, or all as one lump sum included in their household utility bill.

EBConnect unveiled the first prototypes at the Norwegian zero-emissions exhibition, the International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS 24). The event is one of the single most popular attractions to display technology pertaining to hybrid or electric vehicles (if the event name didn’t already imply that).

The Elektrobay is already being used at over 140 charging areas in gas stations across the United Kingdom.

Although, technology is not always perfect, one can only wonder if the related customer service department will be helpful pertaining to “accidental” overcharges on said bill. Let’s hope this device IS as accurate as they say it is.

Are you familiar with FIRST?

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology was founded by NH-based inventor and entrepreneur, Dean Kamen.   Created in 1989, it now has 5 different programs in which students can participate.  These include:

• FIRST Robotics Competition – high school
• FIRST Tech Challenge – high school
• FIRST LEGO League – 9 to 14 year olds
• Junior FIRST LEGO League – 6 to 9 year olds
• FIRST place – 6 year old to adult

Mr. Kamen’s hope for this program is, “To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes.”

It seems that FIRST has made progress in transforming our culture.  Currently, there are almost 200,000 students involved in various FIRST programs.  Add to that over 50,000 mentors and more than 30,000 program volunteers, and FIRST appears to be engaging more students and adults in the field of science and technology.

This program includes not only US participants but also students from various countries throughout the globe.  Reviewing the reach of this program, the only continent not participating in one of the FIRST competitions would be Antarctica.

Whether you are interested in building a team, volunteering your time, or learning more about this program, visit their website.

Everybody wants to be a photographer and thanks to digital cameras, people can practice their craft without having to worry about burning through rolls of film or the cost of development. Of course, while we might all lust after the fancy, complicated, and expensive cameras that the professionals use, the truth is this: not everybody is ready for or even needs something so advanced.

When deciding on which digital camera is right for you, be honest with yourself: what kind of photography are you going to be doing? Snapshots? Art shots? Serious photography? The kind of photography you will do will dictate the kind of camera you get. For simple snapshots you don’t want something that requires a lot of fiddling with lenses.

The kind of photography you are going to be doing will determine how many megapixels you need and what kind of special features you should look for. For simple snapshots, you don’t need something with ten megapixels, a four or five megapixel camera will work just fine. On the other hand, the serious photographer probably won’t need to worry about facial recognition in their shots—something that is important for recording family memories.

Choosing the right digital camera can be a confusing process. There are dozens of popular brands, and each brand has a wide range of cameras from the simple point and shoot to the complicated, multi-lens professional camera. It will be tempting to opt for the fanciest camera you can afford, but don’t buy the first camera you see. Make sure that you do your research—look into the different brands and the kinds of cameras they offer. Read some consumer reports and talk to your friends to see what kind of cameras they like.

Once you have decided on the perfect camera, all that’s left is to take pictures of everything you see!

As you are reading the title of this article, perhaps you are wondering why an article about dogs is on this gadgets and technology Website. Did this article get posted to the wrong blog? Not at all. Because it turns out that whether man’s best friend is a live dog or a robotic toy, it provides relief from loneliness.

Researchers at St. Louis University School of Medicine recently completed a study that analyzed the benefits of companionship of live and robotic dogs for people living in long-term care facilities. Whether the participants had a living dog or AIBO, Artificial Intelligence RoBOt, results were similar. According to the report, which can be found in the March 2008 issue of Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, “both the Dog and AIBO groups had statistically significant improvements in their levels of loneliness.”

These results provide some helpful insight. While one does not want to fill his or her senior family member’s days with a robot as his or her only sources of company, it is nice to know that some loneliness can be assuaged with AIBO.

To read the full report, click here.