Technology

Emotion Recognition Software

Facial recognition software works pretty well. It measures various parameters, such as the distance between the person's eyes, the height from lip to top of their nose and various other metrics and then compares it with photos of people in a database ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 16 2014 - 1:29pm

Do Those Wearable Activity Monitors Work?

Wearable electronic activity monitors are a popular fad. They constantly monitor activities and bodily responses and the information is organized into computer programs and mobile apps.  Given the large and quickly growing market for these devices, resear ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 16 2014 - 5:39pm

Google Wants You to Spend Money on a Useless Security Feature

I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories.  Yes, sometimes there are conspiracies, but the Internet seems to magnify discordant cynicism on an unbelievable scale.  I begin with this disclaimer because the conspiracy theorists have come out to explain w ...

Blog Post - Michael Martinez - Sep 17 2014 - 3:37am

The Future May Mean Carhacking Instead Of Carjacking

An older, mechanical car is a closed system- the only way to hack it is to be physically present. But as automobiles become increasingly chip-oriented, any way to update software remotely means the potential to be hacked.  You won't be carjacked, you ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 17 2014 - 10:48am

Blood Test To Diagnose Depression Uses 9 RNA Blood Markers

Northwestern Medicine researchers say they have developed the first blood test to diagnose major depression in adults, by measuring the levels of nine RNA blood markers. RNA molecules are the messengers that interpret the DNA genetic code and carry out it ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 17 2014 - 12:00pm

RepRap: Open Source Lab Equipment Makes Science Cheaper- And Faster

Research lab and hospital equipment are two areas where competition drives costs up- if Lab A has a need for a new piece of equipment, Lab B has to get it and that same goes for hospitals. Companies have no reason to undercut each other because the actual ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 17 2014 - 3:30pm

Science 2.0: There Is No Magic Genetic Bullet For Complex Traits, But Here Are 18 Approaches

Anyone who tells you they have a super food or a potion to impact a complex trait is sellinf you something. Life is rarely simple. The things we care about most, from crop yields to disease risks, are instead "complex traits." Human height is a ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 18 2014 - 10:41am

Second Skin: Skintight Spacesuits Leave The Bulk Behind

For future astronauts, the process of suiting up may go something like this: Instead of climbing into a conventional, bulky, gas-pressurized suit, an astronaut may don a lightweight, stretchy garment, lined with tiny, musclelike coils. She would then plug ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 19 2014 - 1:37pm

SideSwipe: Gesture Control Using Reflected Smartphone Transmissions

Mobile phones are in the hands of 80 percent of Americans so manufacturers are scrambling to find new ways to keep people buying the next model. Being able to use gestures in the space around the phone rather than needing a screen may be the next big thin ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 19 2014 - 1:08pm

GelSight: Fingertip Sensor Gives Robot Dexterity In Real Time

Researchers have equipped a robot with a novel tactile sensor that lets it grasp a USB cable draped freely over a hook and insert it into a USB port. Its processing algorithm is faster, so it can give the robot feedback in real time.  The sensor is an ada ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 19 2014 - 3:36pm