I found this item in a newsletter/quoi de neuf that the Canadian Science and Technology museum sends out. From the April 30, 2011 newsletter,
University of Ottawa uses Museum collection for Atomic Nation Seminar
Under the guidance of David Pantalony, curator of physical sciences and medicine, history students prepared this Prezi based on their research in the collections of the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
It’s outside my usual topic range. Still, I can make a case that atoms are related to nanotechnology so here’s the presentation (if you want to watch the autoplay version of the show, click on the arrow to start the show, then roll your cursor over the word More (to the right of the arrow start button) and select Autoplay from the menu that appears) :
Or you can go here for the full size version: http://prezi.com/dhnfebwi4qq7/atomic-nation-seminar-2011/?utm_source=Denise+A+List&utm_campaign=8c8279cc81-newsletter_april_294_29_2011&utm_medium=email
Mechanical engineering professor Sushanta Mitra wants to adapt a bioconversion process that occurs naturally over millions of years into a fast-moving production that breaks down coal and captures methane gas in storage tanks. Mitra says bioconversion of coal to methane has great potential for improving the environment globally.
“The standard practice of burning coal for power generation could be reduced and possibly eliminated,” said Mitra. “Bioconversion will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power generation by 25 per cent.”
The process by which coal is changed to methane is called methanogenesis. The researchers are experimenting with a variety of microbial materials, which will be mixed with water and piped underground into coal seams. The research could be applied to coal-based energy production anywhere in the world, says Mitra, and could be of special importance here in Alberta.
I was hoping for a few more details about the nanotechnology aspect of the project but there wasn’t anything more other than Mitra received a $1.92M grant from Carbon Management Canada and he’s hoping to be testing his methane conversion process in a underground coal seam by 2015.
This time I’ve decided to explore a few of the human/computer interface stories I’ve run across lately. So this posting is largely speculative and rambling as I’m not driving towards a conclusion.
My first item is a May 3, 2011 news item on physorg.com. It concerns an art installation at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The Ascent. From the news item,
A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students has created a system that pairs an EEG headset with a 3-D theatrical flying harness, allowing users to “fly” by controlling their thoughts. The “Infinity Simulator” will make its debut with an art installation [The Ascent] in which participants rise into the air – and trigger light, sound, and video effects – by calming their thoughts.
I’ve seen this a few times and it still absolutely blows me away.
If you should be near Rensselaer on May 12, 2011, you could have a chance to fly using your own thoughtpower, a harness, and an EEG helmet. From the event webpage,
Come ride The Ascent, a playful mash-up of theatrics, gaming and mind-control. The Ascent is a live-action, theatrical ride experience created for almost anyone to try. Individual riders wear an EEG headset, which reads brainwaves, along with a waist harness, and by marshaling their calm, focus, and concentration, try to levitate themselves thirty feet into the air as a small audience watches from below. The experience is full of obstacles-as a rider ascends via the power of concentration, sound and light also respond to brain activity, creating a storm of stimuli that conspires to distract the rider from achieving the goal: levitating into “transcendence.” The paradox is that in order to succeed, you need to release your desire for achievement, and contend with what might be the biggest obstacle: yourself.
Theater Artist and Experience Designer Yehuda Duenyas (XXXY) presents his MFA Thesis project The Ascent, and its operating platform the Infinity System, a new user driven experience created specifically for EMPAC’s automated rigging system.
The Infinity System is a new platform and user interface for 3D flying which combines aspects of thrill-ride, live-action video game, and interactive installation.
Using a unique and intuitive interface, the Infinity System uses 3D rigging to move bodies creatively through space, while employing wearable sensors to manipulate audio and visual content.
Like a live-action stunt-show crossed with a video game, the user is given the superhuman ability to safely and freely fly, leap, bound, flip, run up walls, fall from great heights, swoop, buzz, drop, soar, and otherwise creatively defy gravity.
“The effect is nothing short of movie magic.” – Sean Hollister, Engadget
Here’s a brief description of the technology behind this ‘Ascent’ (from the news item on physorg.com),
Ten computer programs running simultaneously link the commercially available EEG headset to the computer-controlled 3-D flying harness and various theater systems, said Todd. [Michael Todd, a Rensselaer 2010 graduate in computer science]
Within the theater, the rigging – including the harness – is controlled by a Stage Tech NOMAD console; lights are controlled by an ION console running MIDI show control; sound through MAX/MSP; and video through Isadora and Jitter. The “Infinity Simulator,” a series of three C programs written by Todd, acts as intermediary between the headset and the theater systems, connecting and conveying all input and output.
“We’ve built a software system on top of the rigging control board and now have control of it through an iPad, and since we have the iPad control, we can have anything control it,” said Duenyas. “The ‘Infinity Simulator’ is the center; everything talks to the ‘Infinity Simulator.’”
This May 3, 2011 article (Mystery Man Gives Mind-Reading Tech More Early Cash Than Facebook, Google Combined) by Kit Eaton on Fast Company also concerns itself with a brain/computer interface. From the article,
Imagine the money that could be made by a drug company that accurately predicted and treated the onset of Alzheimer’s before any symptoms surfaced. That may give us an idea why NeuroVigil, a company specializing in non-invasive, wireless brain-recording tech, just got a cash injection that puts it at a valuation “twice the combined seed valuations of Google’s and Facebook’s first rounds,” according to a company announcement
…
NeuroVigil’s key product at the moment is the iBrain, a slim device in a flexible head-cap that’s designed to be worn for continuous EEG monitoring of a patient’s brain function–mainly during sleep. It’s non-invasive, and replaces older technology that could only access these kind of brain functions via critically implanted electrodes actually on the brain itself. The idea is, first, to record how brain function changes over time, perhaps as a particular combination of drugs is administered or to help diagnose particular brain pathologies–such as epilepsy.
…
But the other half of the potentailly lucrative equation is the ability to analyze the trove of data coming from iBrain. And that’s where NeuroVigil’s SPEARS algorithm enters the picture. Not only is the company simplifying collection of brain data with a device that can be relatively comfortably worn during all sorts of tasks–sleeping, driving, watching advertising–but the combination of iBrain and SPEARS multiplies the efficiency of data analysis [emphasis mine].
I assume it’s the notion of combining the two technologies (iBrian and SPEARS) that spawned the ‘mind-reading’ part of this article’s title. The technology could be used for early detection and diagnosis, as well as, other possibilities as Eaton notes,
It’s also possible it could develop its technology into non-medicinal uses such as human-computer interfaces–in an earlier announcement, NeuroVigil noted, “We plan to make these kinds of devices available to the transportation industry, biofeedback, and defense. Applications regarding pandemics and bioterrorism are being considered but cannot be shared in this format.” And there’s even a popular line of kid’s toys that use an essentially similar technique, powered by NeuroSky sensors–themselves destined for future uses as games console controllers or even input devices for computers.
What these two technologies have in common is that, in some fashion or other, they have (shy of implanting a computer chip) a relatively direct interface with our brains, which means (to me anyway) a very different relationship between humans and computers.
In the next couple of items I’m going to profile a couple of very similar to each other technologies that allow for more traditional human/computer interactions, one of which I’ve posted about previously, the Nokia Morph (most recently in my Sept. 29, 2010 posting).
It was first introduced as a type of flexible phone with other capabilities. Since then, they seem to have elaborated on those capabilities. Here’s a description of what they now call the ‘Morph concept’ in a [ETA May 12, 2011: inserted correct link information] May 4, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,
Morph is a joint nanotechnology concept developed by Nokia Research Center (NRC) and the University of Cambridge (UK). Morph is a concept that demonstrates how future mobile devices might be stretchable and flexible, allowing the user to transform their mobile device into radically different shapes. It demonstrates the ultimate functionality that nanotechnology might be capable of delivering: flexible materials, transparent electronics and self-cleaning surfaces.
Morph, will act as a gateway. It will connect the user to the local environment as well as the global internet. It is an attentive device that adapts to the context – it shapes according to the context. The device can change its form from rigid to flexible and stretchable. Buttons of the user interface can grow up from a flat surface when needed. User will never have to worry about the battery life. It is a device that will help us in our everyday life, to keep our self connected and in shape. It is one significant piece of a system that will help us to look after the environment.
Without the new materials, i.e. new structures enabled by the novel materials and manufacturing methods it would be impossible to build Morph kind of device. Graphene has an important role in different components of the new device and the ecosystem needed to make the gateway and context awareness possible in an energy efficient way.
Graphene will enable evolution of the current technology e.g. continuation of the ever increasing computing power when the performance of the computing would require sub nanometer scale transistors by using conventional materials.
For someone who’s been following news of the Morph for the last few years, this news item doesn’t give you any new information. Still, it’s nice to be reminded of the Morph project. Here’s a video produced by the University of Cambridge that illustrates some of the project’s hopes for the Morph concept,
While the folks at the Nokia Research Centre and University of Cambridge have been working on their project, it appears the team at the Human Media Lab at the School of Computing at Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) in cooperation with a team from Arizona State University and E Ink Corporation have been able to produce a prototype of something remarkably similar, albeit with fewer functions. The PaperPhone is being introduced at the Association of Computing Machinery’s CHI 2011 (Computer Human Interaction) conference in Vancouver, Canada next Tuesday, May 10, 2011.
The world’s first interactive paper computer is set to revolutionize the world of interactive computing.
“This is the future. Everything is going to look and feel like this within five years,” says creator Roel Vertegaal, the director of Queen’s University Human Media Lab,. “This computer looks, feels and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper. You interact with it by bending it into a cell phone, flipping the corner to turn pages, or writing on it with a pen.”
The smartphone prototype, called PaperPhone is best described as a flexible iPhone – it does everything a smartphone does, like store books, play music or make phone calls. But its display consists of a 9.5 cm diagonal thin film flexible E Ink display. The flexible form of the display makes it much more portable that any current mobile computer: it will shape with your pocket.
For anyone who knows the novel, it’s very Diamond Age (by Neal Stephenson). On a more technical note, I would have liked more information about the display’s technology. What is E Ink using? Graphene? Carbon nanotubes?
(That does not look like to paper to me but I suppose you could call it ‘paperlike’.)
In reviewing all these news items, it seems to me there are two themes, the computer as bodywear and the computer as an extension of our thoughts. Both of these are more intimate relationships, the latter far more so than the former, than we’ve had with the computer till now. If any of you have any thoughts on this, please do leave a comment as I would be delighted to engage on some discussion about this.
You can get more information about the Association of Computing Machinery’s CHI 2011 (Computer Human Interaction) conference where Dr. Vertegaal will be presenting here.
You can find more about Dr. Vertegaal and the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University here.
The academic paper being presented at the Vancouver conference is here.
Also, if you are interested in the hardware end of things, you can check out E Ink Corporation, the company that partnered with the team from Queen’s and Arizona State University to create the PaperPhone. Interestingly, E Ink is a spin off company from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Baba Brinkman and Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara will be appearing at the 2011 World Science Festival (WSF), June 1 – 5, 2011, in New York City. Brinkman, a Vancouver-based rapper (he has a performance tonight, May 5, 2011, in Vancouver and more about that later), will be part of the ‘Cool Jobs’ presentation (from the presentation webpage),
Imagine hanging out with some of the world’s kookiest critters in the jungle’s tallest trees, building a robot that does stand-up comedy, inventing a device that propels you into the air like Batman, or traveling back in a DNA time machine to study ancient animals! Meet the scientists who make it possible. They include ecologist and explorer Mark Moffett, aka “Dr. Bugs,” roboticist Heather Knight, mechanical engineer and daredevil Nathan Ball, and evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro. Find out what they do, how they do it, and how they got the coolest and weirdest jobs on the planet. Together, we’ll step into a world that will feed your imagination.
I’m not sure why Baba’s not mentioned in the description but he does get this biographical note on the same page,
Canadian rap artist, writer, and former tree-planter Baba Brinkman has worked in the Rocky Mountains every summer for over ten years, personally planting more than one million trees. A scholar with a M.A. in comparative literature, he began his career as a rap troubadour after graduating in 2003.
To date, Brinkman has released seven solo albums and written or co-written five hip-hop theatre shows—winning three awards and entertaining thousands of people during his six seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
His lyrical masterpiece, The Rap Guide to Evolution, won the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award in Edinburgh in 2009. It has been performed on tour in the USA, Australia, and the UK, as well as showcased in two appearances at regional TEDx conferences and on The Rachel Maddow Show on U.S. national television. When he is not touring, Baba Brinkman resides in his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.
As I mentioned earlier, Baba will be retelling Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and Chaucer’s Merchant’s Tale in a performance spiced with music tonight in Vancouver at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway, nr. Commercial Drive) at 9:30 pm. Tickets for $8 can be purchased here.
(Baba was supposed to be opening an off Broadway show featuring his ‘Rap Guide to Evolution’ in New York around this time but had a snowboarding accident [a broken bone or two] and has had to recuperate in Vancouver. Thankfully, he’s been able to fit it in this show before he leaves. You can check Baba’s website for more information about his work and performances.)
I may have exaggerated by calling Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara a Canuck. A founding member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada, where she has worked for some years, I don’t think she’d mind the designation too much. She will be participating in the ‘Rebooting the Cosmos: Is the Universe the Ultimate Computer?’ presentation. From the presentation webpage,
As computers become progressively faster and more powerful, they’ve gained the impressive capacity to simulate increasingly realistic environments. Which raises a question familiar to aficionados of The Matrix—might life and the world as we know it be a simulation on a super advanced computer? “Digital physicists” have developed this idea well beyond the sci-fi possibilities, suggesting a new scientific paradigm in which computation is not just a tool for approximating reality, but is also the basis of reality itself. In place of elementary particles, think bits; in place of fundamental laws of physics, think computer algorithms. But is this a viable approach? Is the universe the ultimate computer running some grand cosmic code? Join a discussion among the brightest minds in digital physics to explore math, computer science, theories of consciousness, the origin of life, and free will—and delve into a world of information that may underlie everything.
Here’s the biographical note for Dr. Markopoulou-Kalamara,
A founding member and faculty at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, a research institute devoted to foundational issues in theoretical physics, Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara is a leading researcher in the problem of quantum gravity. Her investigations include the microscopic structure of space-time and the role of causality at very high energies.
Born in Athens, Greece, she received her Ph.D. in theoretical physics from London’s Imperial College, and has held postdoctoral positions at Pennsylvania State University, Imperial College, and the Albert Einstein/Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Berlin.
This is the third year for the World Science Festival.
The product is called the Simatic IPC227D Nanobox PC and it’s from Siemens. Of course, the ‘nano’ is what caught my attention. For the record, I could find no mention of this being a nanotechnology-enabled product; it appears that this is purely an advertising/marketing ploy. From the May 3, 2011 news item on physorg.com,
The nano-format PC uses new, high-performance Atom [emphasis mine] processors from Intel. These processors consume little energy and generate almost no heat, which is why the computer doesn’t need a fan and can be installed practically anywhere. In its basic configuration, the computer measures only 19 x 10 x 6 centimeters and is completely maintenance-free. Instead of a hard disk, it has temperature-resistant CompactFlash cards with up to eight gigabytes of capacity or solid-state drives (SSDs) of at least 50 gigabytes. What’s more, the BIOS setup data is magnetically stored so that no batteries are needed as a safeguard.
The compact computer is also available for display and operating systems. Known as the Simatic HMI IPC277D Nanopanel PC, this version is embedded with 7-inch, 9-inch, or 12-inch high-resolution industrial touch displays. The displays consume very little power, thanks to LED backlighting that can be dimmed by up to 100 percent.
The Atom processor from Intel is not a single atom processor, this too is an advertising/marketing ploy.
A data memory can hardly be any smaller: researchers working with Gerhard Rempe at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching have stored quantum information in a single atom. The researchers wrote the quantum state of single photons, i.e. particles of light, into a rubidium atom and read it out again after a certain storage time (“A single-atom quantum memory”). This technique can be used in principle to design powerful quantum computers and to network them with each other across large distances.
I do find it a bit confusing when companies use terms for marketing purposes in ways that could be construed as misleading. Or perhaps it’s only misleading for someone like me, not really scientific but not really ‘general public’ material either.
In the wake of last night’s (May 2, 2011) victory for the Conservative party, I decided to take another look at their platform (the part dealing with science) for this election. Here are excerpts from what it had to say about science,
[SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT]
Building on our support for world-class research, a re-elected Steven Haper government will make new investments to:
• establish 10 additional Canada Excellence
Research Chairs;
• support the outstanding work of the Institut national d’optique;
• invest in strengthening the Perimeter Institute’s position as a world-leading research centre for theoretical physics; and
• leverage funding to support Brain Canada’s efforts to develop new diagnostics, treatments and cures for brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.
In 2010 we launched an independent expert panel to conduct a comprehensive review of all federal business research and development initiatives and to recommend ways to ensure our investments
deliver results.
We will take action on the findings of the Research and Development Review Panel, when it submits its report later this year.
DIGITAL ECONOMY STRATEGY
… Our purpose is to build on our actions
so far in this area – for example:
• our plan to extend broadband coverage to 200,000 additional households in rural and remote regions; and
• our successful efforts to increase competition and choice and to lower costs for wireless consumers.
Later this spring, a re-elected Stephen Harper Government will announce and begin implementing a Digital Economy Strategy, focused five priorities:
• building world-class digital infrastructure;
• encouraging businesses to adopt digital technologies;
• supporting digital skills development;
• fostering the growth of Canadian companies supplying digital technologies to global markets; and
• creating made-in-Canada content across all platforms, to bring Canada to the world.
To achieve these goals, among other specific actions we will:
• support collaborative projects between colleges and small- and medium-sized businesses to accelerate the adoption of information and communications technologies;
• promote enrolment in post-secondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs; and
• build Canada’s digital content through additional support for the Canada Media Fund.
A Stephen Harper-led majority Government will also reintroduce and pass the Copyright Modernization Act, [emphasis mine] a key pillar in our commitment to make Canada a leader in the global digital economy.
This balanced, commonsense legislation [emphasis mine] recognizes the practical priorities of teachers, students, artists, families, and technology companies, among others, while aligning Canada with international standards. It respects both the rights of creators and the interests of consumers.
It will ensure that Canada’s copyright law will be responsive in a fast changing digital world, while protecting and creating jobs, promoting innovation, and attracting investment to Canada.
Also, as part of the next wireless spectrum auction, we will set aside spectrum for emergency responders.
PROMOTE CANADA’S WORLD-CLASS AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
Canada’s export-oriented space agency world – the fifth largest in the world – employs more than 80,000 Canadians in well-paid, highly skilled jobs in almost every region of the country. It is also one of
the top investors in industrial research and development – high-tech innovation that attracts talent to Canada and creates more good new jobs for Canadians.
…
Through a consultative process involving the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada and their member firms we will conduct a comprehensive review of policies and programs to develop a federal
policy framework to maximize the competitiveness of Canada’s aerospace and space industry.
We will also ensure stable funding is provided ensure stable funding is provided for the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative. (pp. 14-16)
There are some good things here. The last time I looked at a Conservative party platform, a few years after the election, and read over the basic research and development section, I noticed that too was mostly bullet points and that they had followed through on all but one of the four bullet points. Given the modest ambitions expressed in this document, 10 more Excellence Research chairs, etc., I imagine they will be able to follow through on everything they’ve promised in that regard.
In including the other sections, Digital Economy and Aerospace Industry, I wanted to redress an oversight on my part as I have largely ignored these sections in favour of commenting on research and development issues in regard to science policy.
I have to admit to being a bit miffed about the references to a Steven Harper government as opposed to a Conservative Party government. It’s something I found disturbing a few month’s back when the PMO’s (Prime Minister’s Office) did declare that references to the government should be written as Steven Harper’s government and not the Conservative government.
The Nanoinformatics 2010: A Collaborative Roadmapping Workshop which was held in November 2010 and which I noted in my Sept. 27, 2010 posting has published a roadmap. According to the April 13, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,
The National Nanomanufacturing Network is very pleased to announce that the Nanoinformatics 2020 Roadmap, a guidance document written by and intended for the broader nanoinformatics community, is now publicly available. Nanoinformatics encompasses the acquisition of information relevant to the nanoscale science and engineering community and the implementation of effective mechanisms for working with that information.
The Nanoinformatics 2020 Roadmap is the first broad-based community effort to articulate the comprehensive needs and goals in nanoinformatics.
ETA May 10, 2011: There was a May 4, 2011 news item about the Nanoinformatics Roadmap on Nanowerk which does a better job of explaining the purpose of the roadmap (from the news item),
Imagine hearing every day about useful health- and labor-saving devices invented in nearby towns, but knowing no highway or road to reach them. A map would help dramatically, in much the same way a recently published “Nanoinformatics 2020 Roadmap” is expected to enable and enhance connections among nanotechnology science and engineering researchers, manufacturers and interested government agencies.
I found this to be the most approachable description of the work.
This is a classic public relations ploy: RTI is hosting a workshop of experts to discuss nanotechnology regulation at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on May 4, 2011. From the April 28, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,
Leading experts will gather at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., May 4 to discuss the challenges of regulating nanotechnologies.
The policy forum, titled Nanotechnology: the Huge Challenge of Regulating Tiny Technologies, will bring together thought leaders who represent public, private and academic communities to discuss the issues, concerns and public policies needed to maximize the benefits of this emerging technology while minimizing the risks and encouraging further development and scientific exploration.
The event, held from 9 to 10:30 a.m., is being hosted by RTI International. Speakers include Michele Ostraat, Ph.D. senior director of the Center for Aerosol and Nanomaterials Engineering at RTI; Sally Tinkle, Ph.D., deputy director, National Nanotechnology Coordination Office; Jim Alwood, Toxic Substances Control Act Nanotechnology Coordinator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Cole Matson, Ph.D., executive director at the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology at Duke University.
RTI (trade name for Research Triangle Institute) is not a speaker’s agency as you might have thought after reading this item. From RTI’s About page,
RTI International is one of the world’s leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our staff of more than 2,800 provides research and technical services to governments and businesses in more than 40 countries in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy and the environment, and laboratory testing and chemical analysis.
This is really quite well done. It’s being held at an impressive venue, the National Press Club, which associates this event with journalism in a subtle way. Three of the speakers are impressive due to their reputations and association with the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Duke University, respectively. Additionally, someone from RTI is moderating the event and one of their senior directors is a speaker so the event is wrapped within the RTI brand. On a personal note, my hat’s off to whoever organized this panel for managing to get gender parity. That can be tough to achieve when it’s a science-related topic.