Researchers at Berlin's Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience have created the ultimate gadget, a device that can read people's minds. The donut-shaped contraption is basically a souped up MRI that scans the prefrontal cortex region of your brain (which is where decisions are made) and then predicts actions before you make them. So far, the machine's been tested on 21 people and its been spot on 71% of the time. The creators say they invented the machine for practical purposes
Philips Drag and Draw: Radioactive Fun for Hyperactive Kids
If you have little ones at home who love to turn your walls into big works of Crayon art, hopefully this Drag and Draw technology from Philips will be available soon. “It consists of a multicolor ‘Brush’, an ‘Eraser’, and a ‘Magic Wand’ to bring their drawings to life and a ‘Bucket’ to project the virtual drawings onto the wall”. Philips have come up with a crazy idea to keep wannabe graffiti-artist kids AND their parents happy using Drag and Draw technology. No idea how the "brush", "eraser", "magic wand" and "bucket" work, but does it really matter? I reckon the kids will be crying in the corner while their parents monopolize the toy, covering their walls in (temporary) multi-coloured scribblings. Let's hope that the Dutch electronics firm can manage to get this out of concept territory and into the shops. Check the video after the jump.
If you have little ones at home who love to turn your walls into big works of Crayon art, hopefully this Drag and Draw technology from Philips will be available soon. “It consists of a multicolor ‘Brush’, an ‘Eraser’, and a ‘Magic Wand’ to bring their drawings to life and a ‘Bucket’ to project the virtual drawings onto the wall”.
Apparently being able to navigate through city streets and public transportation isn't enough … now seeing eye dogs are being trained to use ATMs for their disabled masters.
Wait a minute, what the hell? Dogs using ATM machines? What if they eat the money? And what about touchscreen ATMs, do those react well to paws? And can a dog really stick a card into the slot using just their mouths? So many questions, so few answers.
They might not be able to help if you forget your Pin, but these dogs can get your money out without paws-ing for thought.
The pooches are among an army of 'assistance dogs' who have been trained to withdraw money from cash machines for their disabled owners.
They are adept at inserting and withdrawing cards at ATMs to help owners in wheelchairs who are often not able to stretch far enough to do it themselves.
A spokesman for charity Canine Partners, which trains the dogs, said: 'They put in the card and take it out and take out the money and give it to the person in the wheelchair.
'They can't put in the Pin but a person in a wheelchair can go sideways on and do that.'
Up to 30 dogs are trained each year and the charity is hoping to double that figure next year. It takes two years to train them, in which time they also learn to load the washing and pick up items from shop shelves.
One of the graduates of the scheme is ten-year-old Endal, who helped start the ATM service by chance.
The labrador's owner is Allen Parton, a Gulf War veteran who lost the feeling down his right side after an accident in 1991 while serving as an officer in the Royal Navy.
Now in a wheelchair, he said that one day he was struggling to retrieve his cash from an ATM when Endal jumped up to reach for the card, money and receipt with his mouth.
Mr Parton said: 'It was amazing, as he had never been taught to do this.'
