Oct 27

Archon Genomics X Prize offers up $10 million for sequencing 100 human genomes

Posted in: research, science, Today's Chili, video
Sure, we’ve come to love the X Prize for all of its crazy futuristic car building and moon racing contests, but the latest competition is decidedly smaller — at least in one sense. For the Archon Genomics X Prize, the foundation is asking teams to sequence “medical grade” human genomes — 100 of them, in fact — using the DNA of 100 centenarians (folks who’ve made it to the ripe old age of 100), referred to pithily as the “Medco 100 Over 100.” The centenarian DNA may contain secrets to overcoming disease — after all, they made it to 100 for a reason. The competition opens to teams on January 3rd of next year — once completed, the data gathered will be opened up to researchers. Press info can be unlocked after the break.

Continue reading Archon Genomics X Prize offers up $10 million for sequencing 100 human genomes

Archon Genomics X Prize offers up $10 million for sequencing 100 human genomes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Fast Company  |  sourceX Prize  | Email this | Comments

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Oct 27

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity gains DAN apparatus, new lust for water

Posted in: galaxy, NASA, science, space, Today's Chili, us, usa

“You can think of DAN as a reconnaissance instrument.” That’s a quote from Igor Mitrofanov of the Space Research Institute, Russia, who is being deemed the “principal investigator” of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons. Shortened to DAN for obvious reasons, this guy will soon be affixed to NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, with one primary purpose: to “check for any water that might be bound into shallow underground minerals along the rover’s path.” In total, ten instruments on Curiosity will be dedicated to investigating whether the area selected for the mission has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for life and favorable for preserving evidence about life. We’re told that while in active mode, it’s sensitive enough to detect water content as low as one-tenth of one percent in the ground beneath the rover, but there’s still no indication of when it’ll actually prove that Mars truly is the next major relocation hotspot. Something tells us Richard Branson will be ready, regardless.

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity gains DAN apparatus, new lust for water originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Physorg  |  sourceNASA  | Email this | Comments

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Oct 27

Future Nokia phones repellent, says water (video)

Posted in: hands-on, mobilepostcross, nanotechnology, nokia, science, Today's Chili, video, waterproof

Nokia’s latest “super” hydrophobic coating doesn’t take half-measures. This new technology binds a layer of nanotech magic to the surface of its devices that literally bounces liquids away. Although we’ve been told the nanotubes at work here are most effective with water, other liquids (and smudgy fingerprints) should also find the treated surface difficult to latch onto. Due to the thinness of this waterproofing solution, a spokesperson told us here at Nokia World that even the inner workings of a phone could be treated in the same way. No more incidents in the bathroom? Count us in. Check the video after the break for some slo-mo water slippage.

Gallery: Nokia’s super hydrophobic nanotechnology at Nokia World 2011

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Future Nokia phones repellent, says water (video)

Future Nokia phones repellent, says water (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 25

BlueBiped robot needs no power to walk for miles, as long as it’s downhill (video)

Posted in: Japan, robot, RobotApocalypse, robotics, Robots, science, Today's Chili, video

The robots; they’re walking — and this one’s doing it under its own steam. This passive robotic frame requires no energy input, and is instead powered by its own weight and a gentle slope. The BlueBiped can be adjusted to match the proportions of any user, and researchers plan to use it to assist people who find it difficult to walk and transport unwieldy sports equipment. It already holds the Guinness world record for the longest distance walked by a bi-pedal robot, plodding 15 kilometers (9.32 miles) in a single 13-hour stroll. Those fearing the impending Robopocalypse can at least breathe a sigh of relief that — like some other homocidal robots — stairs still remain out of bounds.

Continue reading BlueBiped robot needs no power to walk for miles, as long as it’s downhill (video)

BlueBiped robot needs no power to walk for miles, as long as it’s downhill (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDigInfo  | Email this | Comments

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Oct 25

Stanford builds super-stretchy skin sensor out of carbon nanotubes (video)

Posted in: multitouch, research, science, Today's Chili, touch, video
An artificial skin that senses pressure, pinches and touch sounds like a macguffin from The Outer Limits (the episode “Valerie 23” if we recall correctly), but that’s what a team from Stanford University has cooked up on the back of its pick-up truck. Sensors made of silicon films with a matrix of liquid carbon nanotubes ensure the material snaps back to its original shape no matter how frequently it’s pulled about. When compressed, the electrical conductivity of the skin changes, and by measuring where and by how much, it knows the location and pressure of where you jab your fingers. The team wants to combine this super stretchy film with a much more sensitive sensor and if it can do it, then the technology could end up as an artificial skin for burn victims, covering prosthetic limbs or even replacing your multitouch display — just be careful, you might hurt Siri if you pinch-to-zoom her too hard.

Continue reading Stanford builds super-stretchy skin sensor out of carbon nanotubes (video)

Stanford builds super-stretchy skin sensor out of carbon nanotubes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink EurekAlert  |  sourceStanford University  | Email this | Comments

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Oct 22

Sharp FanLabs goes inside soccer fans’ minds, measures loyalty with brainwaves (video)

Posted in: science, Sharp, Sports, Today's Chili, video

No matter what country you’re in, you’ll find at least one body-painted sports nut willing to act a fool in the name of fandom. To figure out what makes these hooligans tick, Sharp’s setting up trucks outside EuroCup 2012 matches to measure fans’ brainwaves using biometric technology. Once inside these mobile FanLabs, volunteers will watch the game while wearing the company’s NeuroSky headsets — a super sensitive EEG that uses dry electrodes to measure cerebral activity. By looking at brainwaves, along with heart rate and vocal excitement, scientists hope to reveal what levels of attention, stress, relaxation and excitement a fan goes through while supporting a specific team. Even if you’re not lending your melon to science, you can still join in the fun online, and see how you stack up against fans from around the world. So, bust out the body paint, grab your foam fingers and check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Sharp FanLabs goes inside soccer fans’ minds, measures loyalty with brainwaves (video)

Sharp FanLabs goes inside soccer fans’ minds, measures loyalty with brainwaves (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Humans Invent  |  sourceSharp FanLabs  | Email this | Comments

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Oct 21

Cellphones Totally Don’t Cause Cancer, Says Danish Study

Posted in: Phones, science, Today's Chili

The only way a cellphone will kill you is if you use it to text while driving. Photo Charlie Sorrel

For those who dismiss mobile phone radiation studies because the sample groups are too small, prepare for some good news. New research says that cellphones don’t cause cancer. The sample size? All of Denmark.

Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen studies the entire adult population of Denmark (people 30 and over), going back to those born after 1925. They then compared the occurrence of tumors in non phone users, and cellphone subscribers.

Even when the longest subscription holders (those using phones for 13 years straight) were compared with non-subscribers, occurrences of cancer were almost equal.

Another followup study, running to 2007, showed the same results. The researchers’ conclusion:

In this update of a large nationwide cohort study of mobile phone use, there were no increased risks of tumours of the central nervous system, providing little evidence for a causal association

I particularly like that this study includes figures from before cellphones even existed, so the radiation worriers can’t even claim that the evil phone rays are in the air, affecting users and non-users alike.

Of course, there will surely be people who choose not to believe in the results, despite the fact that you can’t choose to “believe” in facts because they are, well, facts.

So there you go, people. Finally you can ditch that dorky Bluetooth headset. You brain isn’t being microwaved after all.

Use of mobile phones and risk of brain tumors: update of Danish cohort study [BMJ via The Guardian]

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Oct 18

Living on the Fringes of the Modern World

Posted in: Environment, science, Today's Chili, top

While most of us get cozier by the minute with the latest iGadgets, perfected work and play stations, and 1,500 thread count sheets, there are still actual nomads out in the world, roaming. More »

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Oct 18

OmniTouch projection interface makes the world your touchscreen (video)

Posted in: Microsoft, pico projector, PicoProjector, science, Today's Chili, touchscreen, video

Sometimes you just want to make notes on your forearm. Put that permanent marker down though, because PhD student Chris Harrison et al at Microsoft Research have created a new system that allows touchscreen interaction on hairy and uneven surfaces. It uses a short-range depth camera instead of the infrared sensor we’ve seen on similar devices, which allows it to gauge the viewing angle and other characteristics of surfaces being used — and it can even handle pinch-to-zoom. There’s a video after the break, if you fancy a bit of wall-based digital finger painting.

Continue reading OmniTouch projection interface makes the world your touchscreen (video)

OmniTouch projection interface makes the world your touchscreen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceChris Harrison  | Email this | Comments

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Oct 18

Microsoft’s PocketTouch prototype is like x-ray vision for your fingers (video)

Posted in: capacitive, Microsoft, multitouch, prototype, research, science, sensor, smartphone, Today's Chili, touch, video
Is it more gauche to pull out your phone in the middle of a date, or to draw a bunch of crop circles on your pants? That’s the question we were asking ourselves after coming across PocketTouch — a new Microsoft Research prototype that lets you manipulate your handset without ever removing it from your pocket. Developed by researchers Scott Saponas, Chris Harrison and Hrvoje Benko, the device essentially consists of a customized, multitouch capacitive sensor hooked on to the back of a smartphone. This sensor is capable of picking up gestures through fabric, allowing users to execute a wide array of eyes-free, gesture-based functions (including simple swipes and alphanumeric text) without ever having to actually whip out their phones. To do this, the team implemented what it calls an “orientation-defining unlock gesture,” which helps the prototype get its bearings, before testing the capacitive sensors across different fabrics. According to Microsoft, the outcome “exceeded expectations,” though there’s no word on when or if this Goliath of a device could ever hit the mainstream. Head past the break to see a video of a man playing tic-tac-toe on his pants.

Continue reading Microsoft’s PocketTouch prototype is like x-ray vision for your fingers (video)

Microsoft’s PocketTouch prototype is like x-ray vision for your fingers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GeekWire  |  sourceMicrosoft Research  | Email this | Comments

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