From the news release

The proper use of technology can improve the efficiency and quality of health care for our aging population, lower costs and perhaps improve senior citizens’ quality of life, according to a position recently adopted by IEEE-USA.

The oldest of the estimated 78.2 million baby boomers — the generation born between 1946 and 1964 — are turning 60 this year at the rate of 7,918 per day. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the United States’ over-60 population is expected to more than quadruple over the next decade, making it critical that geriatric healthcare providers take advantage of existing and emerging technologies to improve health care for this growing segment of society.

The IEEE has approved the 802.16e specification as the standard to be used for metropolitan area networks.

The new standard has been labeled Wi-MAN, for Wireless Metropolitan Area Network, or WiMAX, for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. The technology works with existing Wi-Fi networks, enabling users to shift between Wi-Fi and WiMAX connections.

From the press release

The IEEE 802.16 WirelessMAN standard continues its evolution as a platform upon which the broadband wireless industry can build high-performance, cost-effective fixed, and now mobile, broadband access systems,” said Roger B. Marks, Chair of the IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access. “The Working Group’s open consensus process attracted the dedicated participation of hundreds of technical experts from the world's leading service providers, system vendors, and semiconductor suppliers. The foundation for a global industry is now in place.”

Via smart mobs 

Ifomind was awarded the British Computer Society prize for machine intelligence

From the press release 

IFOMIND reacts initially in an 'instinctive' way to its first perception of an unknown object that it encounters; at first it is generally fearful. However, because the robot is equipped with a human-like capability of inquisitiveness, it realises that it can react in another way and does not have to be scared of something that may not be harmful to it. So, the robot observes the object from a distance and takes note of how it behaves and how it reacts to different approaches; the robot is then able to decide on the best approach– or whether to avoid it. This knowledge can then be retained by the robot as it carries on and meets many more objects. This is a remarkable leap forward in the domain of Machine Intelligence as IFOMIND is able to use logical thought processes in order to decide the best way to interact with the objects that it meets. The implications of this are huge, for example as David Bell from the IFOMIND team explains, "A system that can observe events in an unknown scenario, learn and participate as a child would is a major challenge in AI. We have not achieved this, but we think we've made a small advance." - David Bell

Via smart mobs

Reseachers at Fraunhofer Institute are working on a system, which should be capable of estimating human emotions. Taking advantages of latest developments in image analysis, sensors and psychophysiology, their ultimative goal is to train computers to interpret users' emotions and to respond accordingly.

Read the full press release from the Institute website 

Walking from thought

Brain Res. 2006 Jan 5;

Authors: Pfurtscheller G, Leeb R, Keinrath C, Friedman D, Neuper C, Guger C, Slater M

Online analysis and classification of single electroencephalogram (EEG) trials during motor imagery were used for navigation in the virtual environment (VE). The EEG was recorded bipolarly with electrode placement over the hand and foot representation areas. The aim of the study was to demonstrate for the first time that it is possible to move through a virtual street without muscular activity when the participant only imagines feet movements. This is achieved by exploiting a brain-computer interface (BCI) which transforms thought-modulated EEG signals into an output signal that controls events within the VE. The experiments were carried out in an immersive projection environment, commonly referred to as a "Cave" (Cruz-Neira, C., Sandin, D.J., DeFanti, T.A., Surround-screen projection-based virtual reality: the design and implementation of the CAVE. Proceedings of the 20th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques, ACM Press, 1993, pp. 135-142) where participants were able to move through a virtual street by foot imagery only. Prior to the final experiments in the Cave, the participants underwent an extensive BCI training.

Via Medgadget 

A Switzerland based company has announced that its new Learning Retinal Implant System was successfully implanted in two patients in December 2005. According to the company press release (.pdf), the system, containing a 50-electrode device,  is by far the most complex retinal implant tested in humans.

The System comprises three main components:

2. wears a pair of spectacles containing an integrated mini-camera and transmitter components for wireless signal and energy transmission ("The Visual Interface"). Via a cable, the spectacles are connected to:

3. "The Pocket Processor" worn at the patient's waist. This device replaces the information processing function of the formally healthy retina.

The use of a high-speed digital signal processor allows the provision of "intelligent information" to the implant (and the nerve cells) by using tuneable software to approximate the information processing normally carried out by the healthy retina. The entire process enables patients to optimize their visual perception during the learning phase. Indeed, using the patient's feedback on perception as an input for the tuning of The Pocket Processor is the unique, patent-protected feature of the System and constitutes the 'learning' capability of the Learning Retinal Implant System.

From the  website

CBMS 2006 will be hosted by Brigham Young University and held at the Red Lion Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. CBMS 2006 is co-sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society (Technical Committee on Computational Medicine, TCCM) and the College of Engineering at Texas Tech University.

CBMS 2006, the 19th IEEE International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems, provides an opportunity for discussion on many topics related to computer-based medical systems. Here you can find more of the who, what, when, where and how of the symposium.

CBMS 2006 will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah.