Positive Technology Journal

From the website.

Touch is a research project at the Interaction Design department at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, looking at user-centred applications for Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC is a technology that enables connections between mobile phones and real-world objects:bridging the gap between the real and the virtual

Event Date: 5 April 2006 to 7 April 2006

Symposium Chairs
• Tom Rodden - University of Nottingham
• Richard Harper - Microsoft Research

Program Committee:
• Emile Aarts – Philips Research
• Alan Blackwell - University of Cambridge
• Alex Brandle – Microsoft Research
• Yang Cai - Carnegie Mellon University
• Luca Chittaro - University of Udine
• Gillian Crampton Smith - CONVIVIO
• Bernard Burdek - HFG Offenback
• Geraldine Fitzpatrick - University of Sussex
• David Frohlich - University of Surrey
• Matt Jones – Swansea University
• Kristina Höök - SICS Sweden
• Hani Hagras - University of Essex
• Wendy MacKay - INRIA
• Ryohei Nakatsu - Kwansei Gakuin University
• Matthias Rauterberg - University of Eindhoven
• Albrecht Schmidt - University of Munich
• Naoko Tosa - Kyoto University
• Ken Wood - Microsoft Research

Urology. 2005 Dec;66(6):1320

Authors: Wright JL, Hoffman HG, Sweet RM

The management of pain during clinic transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) can be challenging. Pain can lead to increased pelvic blood flow, which dissipates the energy delivered, limiting the amount of heat delivered to the prostate. In this report, we describe the novel use of virtual reality distraction as an adjunctive mechanism for local anesthesia during TUMT in a 67-year-old man. This report is novel in being, to our knowledge, the first to demonstrate the efficacy of virtual reality in an elderly patient and the first documented use for a urologic clinic procedure. We believe it is also the first to demonstrate efficacy for the control of thermally induced pain.

Brain. 2005 Dec 19;

Authors: Kühn AA, Doyle L, Pogosyan A, Yarrow K, Kupsch A, Schneider GH, Hariz MI, Trottenberg T, Brown P

Activation of the basal ganglia has been shown during the preparation and execution of movement. However, the extent to which the activation during movement is related to efferent processes or feedback-related motor control remains unclear. We used motor imagery (MI), which eliminates peripheral feedback, to further investigate the role of the subthalamic area in the feedforward organization of movement. We recorded local field potential (LPF) activity from the region of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in eight patients with Parkinson's disease off dopaminergic medication during performance of a warned reaction time task. Patients were instructed to either extend the wrist [motor execution (ME)], to imagine performing the same task without any overt movement (MI), or, in a subgroup, to perform a non-motor visual imagery (VI) task. MI led to event-related desynchronization (ERD) of oscillatory beta activity in the region of the STN in all patients that was similar in frequency, time course and degree to the ERD occurring during ME. The degree of ERD during MI correlated with the ERD in trials of ME and, like ME, was accompanied by a decrease in cortico-STN coherence, so that STN LFP activity during MI was similar to that in ME. The ERD in ME and MI were both significantly larger than the ERD in VI. In contrast, event-related synchronization (ERS) was significantly smaller in trials of MI, and even smaller in trials of VI, than during ME. The data suggest that the activity in the region of the human STN indexed by the ERD during movement is related to the feedforward organization of movement and is relatively independent of peripheral feedback. In contrast, sensorimotor feedback is an important factor in the ERS occurring in the STN area after completion of movement, consistent with a role for this region in trial-to-trial motor learning or the re-establishment of postural set following movements.

Via Pasta and Vinegar

amBX is a Philips project for a system that should provide gamers with a full ‘sensory surround experience’ allowing them to use light, colour, sound, heat and even airflow in the real world during gameplay.

A light year leap in ambient experience – to the world of computer gaming, spotlighting a technology that will revolutionize the game play experience and extend the gaming world out of the screen and into the real world.

Due for release in May 2006 and coming from the Surrey-based Philips amBX Group, amBX is a step towards a full ‘sensory surround experience’ and enabled games will provide gamers with the ability to use light, colour, sound, heat and even airflow in the real world during gameplay.

The University of Plymouth invites applications for a PhD Studentship (stipend to cover living expenses plus UK/EU fees) in the areas of Computational Neuroscience and/or Interactive Intelligent Systems. There are about twelve academic staff in the two Centres, and their work was awarded a rating of 5 (International Excellence) in the 2001 UK Research Assessment Exercise.

The primary areas of interest and expertise within the CTCN and CIIS include:

- Audition

- Biophysics and modelling of temporal brain dynamics

- Mathematical neuroscience

- Neural computation

- Sensorimotor control

- Vision

- Artificial life models of cognition

- Interactive robotics

- Information visualisation

- Computer music

- Semantic web

 
Applicants should have, or expect to obtain, a high grade Bachelors or Masters degree in computing, neuroscience, psychology/cognitive science, physics, mathematics or an allied discipline. The candidate should ideally possess good computational skills and must have a strong motivation for research.

For more information on the activity of the CTCN and CIIS, visit:

http://www.plymneuro.org.uk/

http://neuromusic.soc.plymouth.ac.uk/ciis.html

For informal enquiries contact Professor Mike Denham (m.denham@plymouth.ac.uk) or Dr. Angelo Cangelosi (a.cangelosi@plymouth.ac.uk). Applications should be sent via email to Mrs. Carole Watson (c.watson@plymouth.ac.uk; tel. +44 1752 233329), Senior Research Administrator, Faculty of Technology, University of Plymouth. Closing deadline for applications is March 20th, 2006. PhD will start in October 2006. Each application should include (1) detailed CV and (2) cover letter and (3) application form. The PhD application form can be downloaded here:

http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=5731