Wearable devices are increasingly bought to track and measure health and sports performance: from the number of steps walked each day to a person’s metabolic efficiency, from the quality of brain function to the quantity of oxygen inhaled while asleep. But the truth is we know very little about how well these sensors and machines […]
Breakthrough In Construction Of Computers For Mimicking Human Brain
A computer built to mimic the brain’s neural networks produces similar results to that of the best brain-simulation supercomputer software currently used for neural-signaling research, finds a new study published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. Tested for accuracy, speed and energy efficiency, this custom-built computer named SpiNNaker, has the potential to overcome the speed […]
Researchers Find Algorithm for Large-Scale Brain Simulations
An international group of researchers has made a decisive step towards creating the technology to achieve simulations of brain-scale networks on future supercomputers of the exascale class. The breakthrough, published in Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, allows larger parts of the human brain to be represented, using the same amount of computer memory. Simultaneously, the new algorithm significantly […]
Why Humans Find Faulty Robots More Likeable
It has been argued that the ability of humans to recognize social signals is crucial to mastering social intelligence – but can robots learn to read human social cues and adapt or correct their own behavior accordingly? In a recent study, researchers examined how people react to robots that exhibit faulty behavior compared to perfectly […]
Self-Driving Cars May Soon Be Able To Make Moral And Ethical Decisions As Humans Do
Can a self-driving vehicle be moral, act like humans do, or act like humans expect humans to? Contrary to previous thinking, a ground-breaking new study has found for the first time that human morality can be modelled meaning that machine based moral decisions are, in principle, possible. The research, Virtual Reality experiments investigating human behavior and […]
Robot Epigenetics: Adding Complexity to Embodied Robot Evolution
Can A Brain-Computer Interface Convert Your Thoughts To Text?
Ever wonder what it would be like if a device could decode your thoughts into actual speech or written words? While this might enhance the capabilities of already existing speech interfaces with devices, it could be a potential game-changer for those with speech pathologies, and even more so for “locked-in” patients who lack any speech […]
Robotic Tutors For Primary School Children
The use of robotic tutors in primary school classrooms is one step closer according to research recently published in the open access journal Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience. Dr Imbernòn Cuadrado and his co-workers at the Department of Artificial Intelligence in Madrid have developed an integrated computational architecture (ARTIE) for use with software applications in schools. “The […]
Your Next Nurse Could Be A Robot
The nursing assistant for your next trip to the hospital might be a robot. This is the implication of research recently publishedby Dr. Elena De Momi and colleagues in the open access journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI (Artificial Intelligence). Dr. De Momi, of the Politecnico di Milano (Italy), led an international team that trained a robot […]
Touchscreens May Boost Motor Skills in Toddlers
Does your toddler use a touchscreen tablet? A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychologyhas shown that early touchscreen use, and in particular actively scrolling the screen, correlates with increased fine motor control in toddlers. Smartphones and tablets are now commonplace at work and in the home. If you are reading this on your morning commute […]