Positive Technology Journal

From Emerging Technology Trends 

 

Researchers from Illinois and Florida are developing a networking system which will create virtual representations of real people to improve our knowledge. They will use artificial intelligence and natural language processing software to enable us to interact with these avatars. The goal of the project, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is to give us the possibility to interact with these virtual representations as if they were the actual person, complete with the ability to understand and answer questions. We should see the results at the beginning of 2008 - if the researchers succeed.

From Future-Making Serious Games

 
Cognitive Informatics investigates usability and training effectiveness of a game-based training application in the domain of cyber-security education. They conducted a usability evaluation and described cognitive principles that may be used as part of a systematic process to design more effective serious games as resources in education and training. 

 

 

From Cognitive Informatics website

 

Cognitive Informatics is the multidisciplinary study of cognition and information sciences, which investigates human information processing mechanisms and processes and their engineering applications in computing:

To augment abilities to understand, remember, learn, and decide via new technologies custom-tailored for human-computer collaboration and symbiosis  Flier on Cognitive Informatics (PDF, 222Kb)

From Technology Review

 

Via IFTF's Future Now

 

Korean entrepreneurs are developing location-based services that are designed for people who actually live in an area:

Deliverymen from DHL and FedEx around the world keep records of their courier services in company-provided PDAs. From next month, South Korean laundry stores could keep records of laundry orders and delivery through the mobile Web by using mobile phones

SK Telecom, which is trying hard to find new business models in the lack of new voice users, says it has also developed similar services for other industries. Insurance salespeople, construction engineers and utility company service forces could all use cell phones instead of relying on specially-designed PDAs to get access to corporate Intranet to process customer data while they are on the go. SK hopes the new handsets will help Korean companies to take advantage of the country’s wireless broadband networks to free up their employees from their desks.

 

Full post at BusinessWeek Asia Online

 

 

 

An efficient P300-based brain-computer interface for disabled subjects.

J Neurosci Methods. 2007 Mar 13;

Authors: Hoffmann U, Vesin JM, Ebrahimi T, Diserens K

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a communication system that translates brain-activity into commands for a computer or other devices. In other words, a BCI allows users to act on their environment by using only brain-activity, without using peripheral nerves and muscles. In this paper, we present a BCI that achieves high classification accuracy and high bitrates for both disabled and able-bodied subjects. The system is based on the P300 evoked potential and is tested with five severely disabled and four able-bodied subjects. For four of the disabled subjects classification accuracies of 100% are obtained. The bitrates obtained for the disabled subjects range between 10 and 25bits/min. The effect of different electrode configurations and machine learning algorithms on classification accuracy is tested. Further factors that are possibly important for obtaining good classification accuracy in P300-based BCI systems for disabled subjects are discussed.

Seventh International Conference on Epigenetic Robotics: Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems

Call for Papers: Epigenetic Robotics 2007

5-7 November 2007, Piscataway, NJ, USA

Location: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA

Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) 

Applications are invited for a three-week summer workshop that will be held in Frankfurt, Germany from Saturday, August 4 to Sunday, August 26, 2007.

The application deadline is Monday, April 30.

A virtual reality environment for designing and fitting neural prosthetic limbs.

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2007 Mar;15(1):9-15

Authors: Hauschild M, Davoodi R, Loeb GE

Building and testing novel prosthetic limbs and control algorithms for functional electrical stimulation (FES) is expensive and risky. Here, we describe a virtual reality environment (VRE) to facilitate and accelerate the development of novel systems. In the VRE, subjects/patients can operate a simulated limb to interact with virtual objects. Realistic models of all relevant musculoskeletal and mechatronic components allow the development of entire prosthetic systems in VR before introducing them to the patient. The system is used both by engineers as a development tool and by clinicians to fit prosthetic devices to patients.

Graphical tactile displays for visually-impaired people.

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2007 Mar;15(1):119-30

Authors: Vidal-Verdú F, Hafez M

New technologies and concepts for rehabilitation in the acute phase of stroke: a collaborative matrix.

Neurodegener Dis. 2007;4(1):57-69

Authors: Siekierka EM, Eng K, Bassetti C, Blickenstorfer A, Cameirao MS, Dietz V, Duff A, Erol F, Ettlin T, Hermann DM, Keller T, Keisker B, Kesselring J, Kleiser R, Kollias S, Kool JP, Kurre A, Mangold S, Nef T, Pyk P, Riener R, Schuster C, Tosi F, Verschure PF, Zimmerli L

The process of developing a successful stroke rehabilitation methodology requires four key components: a good understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this brain disease, clear neuroscientific hypotheses to guide therapy, adequate clinical assessments of its efficacy on multiple timescales, and a systematic approach to the application of modern technologies to assist in the everyday work of therapists. Achieving this goal requires collaboration between neuroscientists, technologists and clinicians to develop well-founded systems and clinical protocols that are able to provide quantitatively validated improvements in patient rehabilitation outcomes. In this article we present three new applications of complementary technologies developed in an interdisciplinary matrix for acute-phase upper limb stroke rehabilitation - functional electrical stimulation, arm robot-assisted therapy and virtual reality-based cognitive therapy. We also outline the neuroscientific basis of our approach, present our detailed clinical assessment protocol and provide preliminary results from patient testing of each of the three systems showing their viability for patient use. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Virtual reality in mental health: A review of the literature.

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2007 Mar 12;

Authors: Gregg L, Tarrier N

BACKGROUND: Several virtual reality (VR) applications for the understanding, assessment and treatment of mental health problems have been developed in the last 10 years. The purpose of this review is to outline the current state of virtual reality research in the treatment of mental health problems. METHODS: PubMed and PsycINFO were searched for all articles containing the words "virtual reality". In addition a manual search of the references contained in the papers resulting from this search was conducted and relevant periodicals were searched. Studies reporting the results of treatment utilizing VR in the mental health field and involving at least one patient were identified. RESULTS: More than 50 studies using VR were identified, the majority of which were case studies. Seventeen employed a between groups design: 4 involved patients with fear of flying; 3 involved patients with fear of heights; 3 involved patients with social phobia/public speaking anxiety; 2 involved people with spider phobia; 2 involved patients with agoraphobia; 2 involved patients with body image disturbance and 1 involved obese patients. There are both advantages in terms of delivery and disadvantages in terms of side effects to using VR. Although virtual reality based therapy appears to be superior to no treatment the effectiveness of VR therapy over traditional therapeutic approaches is not supported by the research currently available. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of good quality research on the effectiveness of VR therapy. Before clinicians will be able to make effective use of this emerging technology greater emphasis must be placed on controlled trials with clinically identified populations.

Preliminary study on force feedback of acupuncture in virtual reality based on the visible human

Zhongguo Yi Liao Qi Xie Za Zhi. 2007 Jan;31(1):5-9

Authors: Cheng Z, Wang HS, Min YJ, Yan ZG, Hong ZT, Zhuang TG

This paper discusses the application of virtual reality technology in the 3-D visible human body and acupuncture research. Based on the 3-D visible human fused with the localization information and hierarchy of acupoints, the paper analyzes the force against the needle and haptic rendering during the needle manipulation according to the physical properties of different tissues. A haptic model is constructed to demonstrate the force behaviors during acupuncture, and the force will be produced and passed to the manipulator by a force feedback device. It enriches the contents of 3-D visible human project, provides a dynamic simulation instrument for acupuncture teaching, and supplies a platform for acupuncture research.

Via Medgadget

 

From the Press Release: InfraScan Announces First Patients Enroll in Clinical Trial in Brain Hematoma Detection (PDF)