Switched http://www.switched.com Switched http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Switched http://www.switched.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Scientists Blast Holes in Cells With Lasers for High-Tech Drug Injection]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/08/03/scientists-blow-holes-in-cells-with-lasers-for-high-tech-drug-in/http://www.switched.com/2010/08/03/scientists-blow-holes-in-cells-with-lasers-for-high-tech-drug-in/http://www.switched.com/2010/08/03/scientists-blow-holes-in-cells-with-lasers-for-high-tech-drug-in/#commentsFiled under:

Blasting holes in cells

Forget swallowing pills or being poked by a needle. According to ABC News, scientists at Georgia Tech University have developed a way to inject vaccines directly into cells by using a laser beam to blow holes into that most basic unit of life.

In this technique, scientists place blackened carbon nanoparticles (called "soot") next to the cells in question, which are then blasted with infrared light. As the nanoparticles heat up, a bubble is formed around the "soot." Then, when the laser is shut off, the bubble collapses, and the force blows a hole in the cell membrane. During the fraction of a second before the cell heals itself, doctors or researchers could inject drugs or other molecules, which might otherwise have a hard time penetrating the membrane.

Continue reading Scientists Blast Holes in Cells With Lasers for High-Tech Drug Injection

SwitchedScientists Blast Holes in Cells With Lasers for High-Tech Drug Injection originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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hayao miyazakiIn the visually illustrious world of Hayao Miyazaki, anything goes. Children fly, parents turn into pigs, and shadows cook udon. One thing that doesn't exist in his fantasy land, though, is the iPad.

It's a well known fact that Miyazaki is a staunch anti-techie. He owns no computer, DVD player or cell phone, and proudly communicates via handwritten letters whenever he feels the need to express his genius to anyone else. It should come as no surprise, then, that he doesn't think too highly of the iPad. At all. In a recent interview with his own Studio Ghibli's monthly publication, 'Neppuu,' Miyazaki pretty accurately vaguely referred to the new Apple tablet as a "game machine-type thing," and said he felt uneasy with the "strange gestures" that people use to interact with their iPads. "For me, there is no feeling of admiration or no excitement whatsoever. It's disgusting," the modern day legend explained. "On trains, the number of those people doing that strange masturbation-like gesture is multiplying."

Continue reading Anime Wizard Hayao Miyazaki Compares iPad Stroking to Masturbation

SwitchedAnime Wizard Hayao Miyazaki Compares iPad Stroking to Masturbation originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animeAppleapple ipadAppleIpadhayao miyazakiHayaoMiyazakiipadmasturbationmiyazakistudio ghibliStudioGhiblitablettechnologytopTue, 13 Jul 2010 09:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Internet's Birthplace Found, Right Next to the Large Hadron Collider]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/07/09/internets-birthplace-found-right-next-to-the-large-hadron-coll/http://www.switched.com/2010/07/09/internets-birthplace-found-right-next-to-the-large-hadron-coll/http://www.switched.com/2010/07/09/internets-birthplace-found-right-next-to-the-large-hadron-coll/#commentsFiled under: ,

birthplace of the internet
As it's widely argued that the Internet has depersonalized and globalized human communication, it's easy to forget that the Web was invented by a person, and in a place. With that thought in mind, Web entrepreneur and Yelp co-founder David Galbraith decided to find out, once and for all, where and by whom the Internet was brought to life. Over the course of an interview with Tim Berners-Lee, who is generally recognized as the father of the Internet (not, of course, Al Gore), Galbraith found his answer.

The Net as we know it sprung from Berners-Lee's mind in western Switzerland -- on the third floor of Building 31, at the main campus of CERN (currently known the world over for being the site of the Large Hadron Collider). Well, there you have it. It's no Independence Hall, but what did you expect? We're sure that plaque will look mighty nice sitting on the wall of a cubicle. [From: David Galbraith, via: Kottke.org]

SwitchedInternet's Birthplace Found, Right Next to the Large Hadron Collider originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'The Social Network' trailer
Nerds everywhere are wetting their pants in anticipation of 'The Social Network' -- David Fincher's upcoming flick about Mark Zuckerberg and the birth of Facebook -- so we had to post the brand new teaser trailer. The super-cut of disembodied sound-bytes from the first trailer have been given faces -- er, more like avatars -- as the whole thing is done in instant message format. Trent Reznor's score backs the imagery to, you know, make the whole thing seem DRAMATIC. (Is it just us, or does the IM-speak kind of deflate all that pathos?)

It's not that Zuckerberg's rise to billionaire CEO didn't have its tense moments. Supposedly awesome books have even been written about the whole ordeal, and every facet of his normal-guy life has been endlessly detailed, dissected, etc. But we wonder if Fincher -- whose films 'Benjamin Button' and 'Panic Room' were a little stale -- isn't murdering his career with this potentially overwrought fanboy biopic. Jesse Eisenberg, the lovely young actor cast as Zuckerberg, seems to be pumping up the melodrama with an even more intense version of his frenetic/neurotic Woody Allen impression that shot him to fame in 'The Squid and the Whale.' And Fincher has really broken the mold by tapping none other than Justin Timberlake to play former Facebook president Sean Parker. We... are at a loss for words. Check out the vid after the break, and let us know if you'd rather shoot yourself than see this thing. "MARK!!!" [From: TechCrunch]

UPDATE: Sony yanked the clip from YouTube, citing a "copyright claim." But the original video (not a YouTube vid) on TechCrunch was shared directly from Sony, which is distributing the film. It is a fake? Did Sony put up the new teaser by mistake? Who cares? If we find one that works, we'll put it up. (Another update: Gawker's got it.)

Continue reading Like or Dislike? New 'Social Network' Teaser Milks High Drama With Instant Messaging

SwitchedLike or Dislike? New 'Social Network' Teaser Milks High Drama With Instant Messaging originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DavidFincherfacebookJesseEisenbergJustinTimberlakeMarkZuckerbergmoviesSocialNetworkingteaserTheSocialNetworktoptrailerwebThu, 08 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA['Lung-on-a-Chip' Capable of Accurately Replicating Natural Lung]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/06/25/lung-on-a-chip-capable-of-accurately-replicating-natural-lung/http://www.switched.com/2010/06/25/lung-on-a-chip-capable-of-accurately-replicating-natural-lung/http://www.switched.com/2010/06/25/lung-on-a-chip-capable-of-accurately-replicating-natural-lung/#commentsFiled under: ,

Researchers at Harvard and the Children's Hospital in Boston recently combined lung and blood vessel cells with microchip technology to create what they've dubbed a "lung-on-a-chip." It may sound like the name of a cannibalistic afternoon snack, but the new gadget reportedly behaves and reacts like real lung tissue, and could radically change the way in which medical researchers study human lungs.

David Ingber, the vascular biologist leading the work at Harvard, told the Guardian that his team's device could accurately mimic the inflammatory response triggered by pathogens, and that it could fully absorb airborne nanoparticles. Researchers are hopeful, then, that they'll be able to use the lung-on-a-chip to study the effects that drugs and toxins have on the respiratory system without ever having to open up a human body. Ingber even predicts that the device, and those like it, "could replace many animal studies in the future."

Continue reading 'Lung-on-a-Chip' Capable of Accurately Replicating Natural Lung

Switched'Lung-on-a-Chip' Capable of Accurately Replicating Natural Lung originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Biofuell cell implant
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Everyone's worried about energy, right? Whether it's the thought of a peak-oil catastrophe (while a zillion gallons fester in the Gulf), or just an ecological desire to go green, we've become a country that frets about our future power sources. And what about pacemakers, or artificial kidneys? We can't very well expect those to go solar, but it turns out that a sugary diet might be able to fuel the medical devices that keep you going.

Researchers at Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France have successfully implanted the first glucose-based biofuel cell (GBFC) in an animal. Current devices operate on batteries, which must be surgically removed when they run out of juice. Not so with these GBFCs, which are about the size of a couple of pennies stuck back-to-back (much smaller than current batteries). The graphite-based cell is wrapped in a clear dialysis bag, and contains on each side different enzymes that digest oxygen from air and sugar from food, respectively. As the enzymes break down those molecules, they create an electrical charge.

Continue reading Biofuel Cells Power Pacemakers With Sugar and Air

SwitchedBiofuel Cells Power Pacemakers With Sugar and Air originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 26 May 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Barclays ATMWe all take it for granted now, but there once was a time, not too long ago, when withdrawing cash from your bank account meant waiting in lengthy lines at your local bank. Everything radically changed, of course, with the birth of the ATM. On Saturday, John Shepherd-Barron, the man widely acknowledged as responsible for creating the cash dispenser, passed away in Scotland at the age of 84.

Although the cause of Shepherd-Barron's death was not immediately known, the New York Times reports the Scotsman died after a brief illness. At a time when people were scrambling to be the first to create a cash-dispensing machine, Shepherd-Barron beat them all to the punch back in 1967, when his machine was installed at a Barclay's bank outside London. For obvious reasons, the device caught fire around the world, to the point where there are now over 1.7 million ATMs installed across the globe, according to figures from the ATM Industry Association (though, not everyone uses them).

Continue reading John Shepherd-Barron, Father of the ATM, Dies at 84

SwitchedJohn Shepherd-Barron, Father of the ATM, Dies at 84 originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 21 May 2010 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Albert Einstein first postulated the possibility of amplifying protons to create "masers" in 1917, but the theory wouldn't produce effective technology until the post-World War II period. The science of masers continued to evolve over the following decade, and, in 1958, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow of Bell Labs published a seminal report that would spark a scientific revolution. The paper proposed that, by incorporating maser properties with the light spectrum, researchers could emit an intense optical beam.

Theodore Maiman of Hughes Labs would finally bring that research to fruition when he constructed the first functional laser and fired the first blast on May 16th of 1960. For those keeping score, that means the laser is officially turning 50 this very day. According to CNET's Daniel Terdiman, Hughes Labs (which would later become Raytheon) initially developed lasers that were primarily used by the military for guidance and targeting operations, a system which would prove significant and highly effective during the Vietnam War. The beams have since diverged into a multitude of directions, as the technology has been applied to a seemingly infinite array of endeavors -- even if it's just a cheap method for kids to annoy their pets, teachers and classmates.

Continue reading The Laser Celebrates Its 50th Frickin' Birthday

SwitchedThe Laser Celebrates Its 50th Frickin' Birthday originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 14 May 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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smart dust monitorsDon't look now, but soon HP could know about every move you make. According to CNN, HP will start depositing "smart dust" around the globe in the next two years. The term was coined in the 1990s by UC Berkeley researcher Kris Pister, who envisioned "smart dust" spreading rice-grain sized sensors across the Earth (think a more mobile version of Helen Hunt's tornado trackers in 'Twister'). These sensors would gather loads of environmental data, and then send it all back to a central server.

While based on Pister's particles, HP's matchbox-sized sensors are definitely not grains of dust. Housed in a case the size of a videocassette, the sensors have a long battery life and could monitor everything from ecosystems to energy use.

Continue reading HP's 'Smart Dust' Sensors to Monitor the Earth

SwitchedHP's 'Smart Dust' Sensors to Monitor the Earth originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 06 May 2010 07:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to Fox News, Japan will launch a spacecraft called Ikaros (or, Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun) on May 18th on a mission to Venus. The Ikaros propulsion system uses a 46-foot sail to harness the pressure created by solar particles bouncing off the material, similar to the principle of using sails to catch wind. In fact, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is calling the spacecraft a "space yacht" (although we doubt it's a particularly comfortable or luxurious vessel, despite its $16 million price tag).

The sail, thinner than a human hair, is composed of solar panels that not only propel the spacecraft, but also trap solar energy and create electricity. "The availability of electricity would enable us to navigate farther and more effectively in the solar system," Yuichi Tsuda, a JAXA space-systems expert, told Fox News. Unfortunately, Japan is a little late to this solar space party. NASA unfurled a couple solar sails in outer space during the summer of 2008, almost two years ago. [From: Fox News]

SwitchedJapan's Ikaros 'Space Yacht' Sails on Solar Particles originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wired reports that scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have created an ultrathin brain implant made from silk that could revolutionize brain-computer interface (BCI) design. BCI implants are used to record paralyzed patients' brain signals, which can be translated into computer or robotic movements. By printing electrodes onto a thin and flexible silk film, doctors could monitor parts of the brain that have never before been reached, and do it with more accuracy too.

The silk BCI is just 2.5-microns thick, or about 1/40th the thickness of a sheet of paper. A typical silicone-based BCI, on the other hand, is about 30-times thicker and much more rigid -- so much so, in fact, that it can even damage brain tissue. Once the silk-based BCI is placed on the brain tissue, scientists soak the device with a saline solution. That causes the silk to safely dissolve, and causes the electrodes to mold, and stick, to the surface of the brain. "This will significantly improve recording by conforming the electrode array to the surface of the brain," Barclay Morrison, a biomedical engineer at Columbia University, told Wired.

Continue reading Silk-Printed Circuits Dissolve into Your Brain, Improve Neural Recording

SwitchedSilk-Printed Circuits Dissolve into Your Brain, Improve Neural Recording originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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winscape window
For tech geeks, searching through old sci-fi books and films for their prescient predictions and monumental failures provides unceasing possibilities for both effusive praise and snarky ridicule. Ray Bradbury's ominous 'Fahrenheit 451' offers an assortment of such once futuristic and now modern creations, and, thanks to Ryan Hoagland, we now seem to be approaching the successful realization of yet one more foretold device -- the interactive "parlour" wall.

Hoagland integrated a Wiimote, an infrared sensor, two plasma screens and a Mac Pro with a remarkably complacent baby in order to create a head-tracking, DIY virtual window. The gizmos follow the movements of the IR-adorned babe, and transmit RED ONE 1080 HD footage to the plasma screens, creating an absolutely breathtaking spectacle. The accompanying video simply demonstrates how the hardware and software operate, and it provides several examples of amazing virtual environments, including a serene uderwater seascape and an outer space adventure. The Wiimote-window system costs $3,000, and, while awesome Wiimote hacks do currently abound, Hoagland's metaphysical masterpiece may be the most astounding yet. [From: Engadget]

Continue reading Winscape Interactive Windows Bring 'Farenheit 451' Closer to Fruition

SwitchedWinscape Interactive Windows Bring 'Farenheit 451' Closer to Fruition originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Fahrenheit451head-trackingMacProraybradburyRedOneRyanHoaglandsci-fitoptvwiimotewiimotehackwinscapeSun, 18 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Stanford Researchers Tap Algae as a 'Green' Electricity Source]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/04/18/stanford-researchers-tap-algae-as-a-green-electricity-source/http://www.switched.com/2010/04/18/stanford-researchers-tap-algae-as-a-green-electricity-source/http://www.switched.com/2010/04/18/stanford-researchers-tap-algae-as-a-green-electricity-source/#commentsFiled under: ,

green electricity algae
Researchers at Stanford University have found a way to harvest 'green' electricity from algae. WonHyoung Ryu and her team enveloped a gold electrode in an algae cell membrane, and used it to trap electrons created during photosynthesis. This is 'green' energy in its purest form (and color), since only protons and oxygen are released during this process. "This is potentially one of the cleanest energy sources for energy generation," Ryu said in a press release.

Of course, the research is dealing with single cells at this point. That means it'll be quite a while before this process moves from the pond to powering your house -- if it ever does. Ryu says they could only harvest 1-picoampere of electricity during the experiment. This means the researchers would need 1 trillion cells photosynthesizing for an hour to produce the amount of energy stored in just a single AA battery. Nonetheless, the breakthrough does give us justification for not cleaning the pool. Just imagine how much electricity we would be wasting! [From: Engadget and Stanford University]

SwitchedStanford Researchers Tap Algae as a 'Green' Electricity Source originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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skin cell printer
We wrote about Organovo's game-changing human tissue printer back in January, and the company's endeavor has gained a ton of attention since then. But organs are rather complex chunks of meat, and we've got a while to go before we see freshly printed livers shooting out of tissue machines in operating rooms. Skin, by comparison, is relatively simple stuff. Researchers at the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine have teamed with researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and have developed a human skin printer out of a regular old inkjet.

Since traditional inkjet cartridges dispense a drop of ink roughly the size of a skin cell, it doesn't take much, tech-wise, to turn your old HP Deskjet into a Frankenstein-style life machine. (Of course, technicians thoroughly clean and sanitize old cartridges before loading them with cellular matter.) The team has had success so far with mice, but have yet to move to human trials. The potential for this kind of device, however, is enormous. The Armed Forces is interested because battle casualties frequently include severe burns, and those soldiers may have little untouched skin from which to graft. Check out the video after the break to see an explanation by one of the researchers himself.

Continue reading My Printer's Jammed With... Skin Cells?

SwitchedMy Printer's Jammed With... Skin Cells? originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Muscles aren't exactly the most complex machines in the world, even if they do happen to reside within the most complex machine. As giant rubber bands, our muscles simply expand and contract to create locomotion. And yet we've relied, for the most part, on a different kind of physics for the artificial machines that we create -- typically based on simple machines (pulleys, levers, wheels and axles, etc.) that multiply force. Researchers at MIT, however, have been working on a project that investigates the potential of mechanical muscles called shape-memory alloy actuators.

At only a fraction of a millimeter thick, the actuators are cut from a sheet of metal with notches removed from the edges to create more electrical resistance. That resistance makes the actuator bend and fold, creating motion with a torque three to six times more powerful than electric motors -- while only coming in at a fraction of the weight. And the actuators can, in fact, make enough force to move or lift an object 160 times their own weight, making them fearsome little scraps of metal, indeed. Researchers hope to use these actuators for surgical implementations or in quake-proofing buildings, but for now they're relegated to adorable little rolling bots that could give any piston-powered foe a run for its mechanical money. [From: PopSci]

SwitchedMIT Manufactures Mech-Muscles for Our Future Robots originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If Gartner is to be believed, we are nearing the end of the keyboard and mouse age and entering one ruled by touch screens. According to Gartner, 50-percent of all the computers purchased between now and 2015 by children currently 15 and younger will have touchscreens. The study goes on to say that consumers and educational markets will be the first big adopters of the technology, as older workers and businesses will surely struggle to adopt such a new and unfamiliar tool. Schools, however, will embrace them, as they are a perfect medium for introducing young children, still very much accustomed to pencils and crayons, to the digital world.

ReadWriteWeb's Sarah Perez is concerned with what this change might mean. She argues that when we use mice and keyboards, the computer is just a tool -- perhaps one integral to our daily lives, sure, but purely a means to an end. A more intuitive way of interacting with a computer, touchscreens can be made to replicate actions like turning the pages of a book or scribbling notes on a pad. Perez worries that, one day, such screens will replace bookshelves filled with well-worn children's tomes, crayons, coloring books and board games.

Continue reading Analysts Suggest Keyboards and Mice Heading for Extinction

SwitchedAnalysts Suggest Keyboards and Mice Heading for Extinction originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The folks at Hitachi and Hitachi Kokusai Denki Engineering recently showed off a new brain analyzer that wraps around your noggin. It seems like scientists are always finding new ways to dig deeper into our heads, but this device is unique because it's so compact -- even if it does look like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. According to DVICE, the encephalometer (a fancy word for brain reader) has a built-in battery and can be operated via wireless LAN. The headset relays data from the brain to a control box, which records it and then displays the readings on a monitor.

The gadget is supposed to help scientists further their research of the brain, and to assist companies with neuromarketing. The former strikes us as a much more noble use than the latter, which only serves to worry us when we think about all the commercials we watch every day. The currently unnamed device will become available sometime this year for around $107,000. So, no, you won't be able to purchase one at Best Buy and test it out on your little brother. [From: DVICE and Nikkei/Tech On]

SwitchedHitachi Shows Off Wearable Brain Analyzer That Operates Wirelessly originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By incorporating boron carbide, the third hardest material on Earth, into cotton t-shirts, scientists may have discovered a new way to create tough, durable and flexible body armor that would change the way soldiers protect themselves on the battlefield. According to Popular Science, the research team, composed of scientists from the U.S., China and Switzerland, soaked some cotton t-shirts in a solution of boron powder and a nickel-based catalyst. Next, they heated the material up to about 2,012 degrees Fahrenheit (and used a "stream of argon" to keep it from burning). During this process, the cotton fibers reacted with the other elements to become carbon fibers, which then changed to boron carbide. According to Chemistry World, boron carbide is already found in some body armor plates.

This breakthrough is big news because the pores in cotton t-shirts allow the elements to be trapped without losing any of the fabric's best properties, such as being lightweight and flexible. The only noticeable change during the process was that the cotton turned black in color. You won't see soldiers walking around in what looks like a black cotton tee soon (or, probably, ever), but this research could change the way body armor is manufactured. Better yet, it could give soldiers the protection they need without hampering movement. [From: Popular Science and Chemistry World]

[Ed. Note: The t-shirts weren't heated by argon as we'd originally reported. Instead, argon is used in the process to keep the t-shirts from overheating. Thanks for catching, kaminar!]

SwitchedBoron Carbide T-Shirt Process Could Redefine 'Under Armour' originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>armorBodyArmorbreakthroughclothingcottonKevlarmilitaryresearchtextilestoptshirtWed, 07 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Nerve-Hacking Researchers Plug into the Best Machine of Them All: Your Body]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/04/03/nerve-hacking-researchers-plug-into-the-best-machine-of-them-all/http://www.switched.com/2010/04/03/nerve-hacking-researchers-plug-into-the-best-machine-of-them-all/http://www.switched.com/2010/04/03/nerve-hacking-researchers-plug-into-the-best-machine-of-them-all/#commentsFiled under:

While it is the stuff of 'Johnny Mnemonic,' 'eXistenZ' and a host of other cyberpunk cyborg films, hacking nerves might actually emerge as one of the next great advances in the study of neuropathy. In a study from 2006, researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland gave one unidentified paraplegic patient the ability to move their normally motionless knee at the touch of a button. By literally digging into the bundle of nerve fibers that control patellar movement, and then wrapping a bundle of those nerves with a round electrode cuff, the 2006 clinicians were even able to transmit enough electricity to stimulate the flexion needed to allow the patient to stand for two minutes.

But a new clinical trial, also out of Case Western, is trying to improve on that study. Since motor nerves are bundled, a wrapped electrode can only stimulate so many individual fibers. By somewhat flattening the bundle and increasing its surface area, clinicians can grant the electrodes a better connection -- and that is integral to stimulating the nerves that allow us to move from sitting to standing.

Continue reading Nerve-Hacking Researchers Plug into the Best Machine of Them All: Your Body

SwitchedNerve-Hacking Researchers Plug into the Best Machine of Them All: Your Body originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The man who gave Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen their respective first jobs with computers has died. According to the BBC News, Dr. Henry Edward Roberts, dubbed 'The Father of the PC,' passed away yesterday after a long battle with pneumonia. "Ed was willing to take a chance on us -- two young guys interested in computers long before they were commonplace -- and we have always been grateful to him," Gates and Allen said in a joint statement.

In the mid-'70s, Roberts' struggling electronics company began to make computer kits for hobbyists. The company's first, the Altair 8800, caught the eye of a couple young nerds who saw it on the cover of Popular Electronics. Gates and Allen met with Roberts, and asked for jobs writing code for his new machine, which was operated by switches and had no display screen. At the Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) offices, the duo wrote an early version of the Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) and started their own software company, then named Micro-Soft.

Roberts eventually sold his company, but his impact on the future of computers might be greater than that of any other single person. What would've happened if MITS simply went under before releasing the Altair 8800? Gates and Allen might have never realized their remarkable respective futures. [From: BBC News]

SwitchedMicrosoft's Bill Gates and Paul Allen Pay Respects to 'Father of the PC' originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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