Greenflame
Jottings on science, religion, technology, pop culture, photography and faith from the Aotearoa New Zealand
Category: Science & Technology
-
Article on the Economist web site observing the love for robots in Japan. Has a few religious points of contact too. See Japan’s humanoid robots | Better than people | Economist.com. Related to this is the Robotic Life group at MIT. Head over and have a look at their site. On their publications page they…
-
Area51 (A NZ site/blog focused on “up to date medical technology news with a New Zealand focus where possible.”) has a link to and a brief summary of an article in Nature about scientists using blogs and Wiki’s to share information and collaborate with others. See Wikis and Blogs by Scientists – a new way…
-
A nice short introduction to virtual reality technologies at the Virtual Reality Laboratory at the University of Michigan. See: UM-VRL: Virtual Reality: A Short Introduction. All you ever wanted to know (in summary) about CAVEs, BOOMs, HMDs and data gloves.
-
Back in April I posted Greenflame: Xenotransplantation public dialogue – animal-to-human transplants and the Bioethics Council’s call for public input. Some of their recommendations to the Government on that subject can be read at NZ Herald – Animal transplants into humans given go ahead – 13 Dec 2005 – National News.
-
Clothes that clean themselves, help reduce allergic reactions and skin conditions, and are wired for the digital life style may be closer than we think. See Wired News: Cyborg Suits Strut the Catwalk.
-
Related to the previous posting Wired Magazine has a three-part series out on reproductive technologies titled “Tempest in a Test Tube”. The articles are here: Wired News: Baby-Making Backlash Looms Wired News: Hunting for Good Human Eggs Wired News: Science Makes Sex Obsolete
-
The NZ Ministry of Health has just released a discussion document concerning the use of embryonic stem cells in research and is inviting submissions (by 3 March, 2006). You can get the information at the link below, including PDF files of the discussion paper and submission forms. Guidelines on Using Cells from Established Human Embryonic…
-
From the New Zealand Herald’s technology section – New Zealand Herald – Medical students learn on ‘breathing’ robots MEXICO CITY – Faced with a growing number of medical students and few training hospitals, a Mexican university is turning to robotic patients to better train future doctors.
-
Wow – this could make a lot of difference in developing robots (not just humanoid ones) that respond/react to the environment in ways that mimic humans. The sociable robotics crowd who see intelligence emerging out of human-like interaction with the world will be happy, I imagine. See: Humanlike robot skin developed | Betterhumans > News…
-
Another recent article on introducing technologies, formerly associated with therapeutic, to assist the unimpaired in new ways. Another example of intentional cyborgism. See Wired News: Hearing Aids for the Unimpaired. HearWear -Â The Future of Hearing, a new exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, shows off trendy deaf-tech prototypes like gadgets that can filter…