http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/ PhotonSwarm is a futurology site with future science and tech news and articles en-gb (C) 2005 D. Clayton Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:13:42 -0400 60 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=17 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=17 NASA: NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) has selected the proposals comprising phase 1 of its revolutionary space exploration concepts. Included in the awards, granted to people and organizations outside of the space agency, are technologies to extract antimatter from planetary magnetic fields, kilometer diameter space telescopes built from superconducting cables, and positron powered and propelled spacecraft. Thu, 16 Jun 2005 06:03:31 -0400 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=16 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=16 ISRAEL: In our world's oceans, wind, waves and underwater currents spread dissolved air through the water. At a depth of 200m below the sea, there is still about 1.5% dissolved air. Fish gills work comfortably with this amount of air, and now Israeli inventor Alon Bodner has designed a way for man to do the same, eliminating the need for cumbersome oxygen tanks and expensive air compression units. Tue, 07 Jun 2005 07:36:28 -0400 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=15 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=15 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: In an impressive speculative online multimedia presentation, the National Geographic magazine's official website takes a look at what life on other Earth-like planets might be like. Based on real scientific theories about life, the presentation features videos, 3D models, snapshots and fact files on hypothetical species living on two new worlds. Thu, 26 May 2005 05:57:32 -0400 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=14 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=14 LONDON: British futurologist Ian Pearson, head of the futurology unit at BT, predicts humans will be able to download the contents of their brain into computers by the mid 21st century. Pearson also believes machines will also be capable of feeling emotion in the future, and that the next computing goal is replicating consciousness. Mon, 23 May 2005 08:17:51 -0400 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=13 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=13 SINGAPORE: Researchers at the National University of Singapore's Mixed Reality Lab have developed a way to transmit tactile sensations over the Internet. The system allows remote physical interaction in real time, with initial trials conducted using chickens. The birds wear haptic jackets that transmit sensation through tiny vibration motors. Thu, 19 May 2005 06:52:42 -0400 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=12 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=12 MOTOROLA LABS: Today Motorola Labs unveiled a 5-inch color video display prototype based on their proprietary CNT technology. This breakthrough could be the beginning of large flat panel displays with superior quality and greater lifetimes than current offerings, with the possibility of lower cost to consumers. Optimized for large screen HDTV, it should allow screens under 1 inch thick. Tue, 10 May 2005 06:22:54 -0400 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=11 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=11 SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: South Korea's Defense Ministry is considering the use of armed robots to patrol the heavily fortified inter-Korean border. The measures have been proposed to deter North Korean infiltration and allow South Korean troops to focus more on combat training. S. Korea expects it to cost about 20 billion won (US$20 million) to set up 250 robots every 1 kilometer along the border. Sat, 09 Apr 2005 23:15:32 -0400 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=10 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=10 Baltimore, Maryland: Professor Gislin Dagnelie of John Hopkins University created a bionic eye that connects the brain to a small camera, with the hope of allowing blind people to see again. Tue, 05 Apr 2005 19:33:22 -0400 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=9 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=9 RHODE ISLAND: Progress in the development of neural prosthetics made another leap forwards today with the announcement of a brain-computer interface that allowed a paralyzed man to control a robotic arm. Matt Nagle, paralyzed from the neck down after a vicious knife attack four years ago, was able to open and close the hand of a prosthetic arm and use it to grab sweets from one person's hand then drop them in another. Scientists lead by Professor John Donahue, a world neurotechnology expert at Brown University in Rhode Island, hopes the interface, an implant called BrainGate, will allow paraplegics to regain the use of their limbs. Thu, 31 Mar 2005 19:58:03 -0500 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=8 http://photonswarm.com/tech-news/?news=8 NASA: Engineers working at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. took the first step towards developing "autonomous nanotechnology swarms" (ANTS) with the demonstration of a prototype component. The TETwalker is a robot made from a pyramid of telescopic struts that changes its shape to navigate any terrain. NASA plans to dramatically miniaturize the TETwalker, producing swarms of millions that act as a coherent whole, culminating with exploration missions to Mars by 2034. Thu, 31 Mar 2005 05:45:40 -0500