Bionic Vision Australia’s Bionic Eye Gives New Sight to People Blinded by Retinitis Pigmentosa
This study is critically important to the continuation of our research efforts and the results exceeded all our expectations,” Professor Mark Hargreaves, Chair of the BVA board, said in a statement. “We have demonstrated clearly that our suprachoroidal implants are safe to insert surgically and cause no adverse events once in place. Significantly, we have also been able to observe that our device prototype was able to evoke meaningful visual perception in patients with profound visual loss.”Here’s one of the study participants using the bionic eye: (Source: Positive Technology Journal)
Source: Positive Technology Journal - October 6, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Brain-computer interface Cognitive Informatics Neurotechnology & neuroinformatics Wearable mobile Source Type: blogs
First direct brain-to-brain communication between human subjects
Via KurzweilAI.netAn international team of neuroscientists and robotics engineers have demonstrated the first direct remote brain-to-brain communication between two humans located 5,000 miles away from each other and communicating via the Internet, as reported in a paper recently published in PLOS ONE (open access).Emitter and receiver subjects with non-invasive devices supporting, respectively, a brain-computer interface (BCI), based on EEG changes, driven by motor imagery (left) and a computer-brain interface (CBI) based on the reception of phosphenes elicited by neuro-navigated TMS (right) (credit: Carles Grau et al./PL...
Source: Positive Technology Journal - October 6, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Brain stimulation Brain-computer interface ICT and complexity Neurotechnology & neuroinformatics Physiological Computing Telepresence virtual presence Wearable mobile Source Type: blogs
Google Glass can now display captions for hard-of-hearing users
Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have created a speech-to-text Android app for Google Glass that displays captions for hard-of-hearing persons when someone is talking to them in person.“This system allows wearers like me to focus on the speaker’s lips and facial gestures, “said School of Interactive Computing Professor Jim Foley.“If hard-of-hearing people understand the speech, the conversation can continue immediately without waiting for the caption. However, if I miss a word, I can glance at the transcription, get the word or two I need and get back into the conversation.”Captioning on Glass display ...
Source: Positive Technology Journal - October 6, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Augmented/mixed reality Neurotechnology & neuroinformatics Positive Technology events Wearable mobile Source Type: blogs
With Cyberith's Virtualizer, you can run around wearing an Oculus Rift
(Source: Positive Technology Journal)
Source: Positive Technology Journal - September 24, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Telepresence & virtual presence Virtual worlds Source Type: blogs
First hands-on: Crescent Bay demo
I just tested the Oculus Crescent Bay prototype at the Oculus Connect event in LA.I still can't close my mouth.The demo lasted about 10 min, during which several scenes were presented. The resolution and framerate are astounding, you can turn completely around. I can say this is the first time in my life I can really say I was there.I believe this is really the begin of a new era for VR, and I am sure I won't sleep tonight thinking about the infinite possibilities and applications of this technology. and I don't think I am exaggerating - if anything, I am underestimating (Source: Positive Technology Journal)
Source: Positive Technology Journal - September 21, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Telepresence & virtual presence Virtual worlds Wearable mobile Source Type: blogs
Information Entropy
Information – Entropy by Oliver Reichenstein Will information technology affect our minds the same way the environment was affected by our analogue technology? Designers hold a key position in dealing with ever increasing data pollution. We are mostly focussed on speeding things up, on making sharing easier, faster, more accessible. But speed, usability, accessibility are not the main issue anymore. The main issues are not technological, they are structural, processual. What we lack is clarity, correctness, depth, time. Are there counter-techniques we can employ to turn data into information, information into knowl...
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 31, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Creativity and computers Future interfaces ICT and complexity Information visualization Positive Technology events Research tools Technostress Source Type: blogs
Self-regulation of human brain activity using simultaneous real-time fMRI and EEG neurofeedback
.Zotev V1,Phillips R, Yuan H, Misaki M, Bodurka J. Neuroimage. 2014 Jan 15;85 Pt 3:985-95. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.04.126. Epub 2013 May 11.Abstract. Neurofeedback is a promising approach for non-invasive modulation of human brain activity with applications for treatment of mental disorders and enhancement of brain performance. Neurofeedback techniques are commonly based on either electroencephalography (EEG) or real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI). Advances in simultaneous EEG-fMRI have made it possible to combine the two approaches. Here we report the first implementation of simultaneous multim...
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 31, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Biofeedback & neurofeedback Source Type: blogs
Biofeedback-based training for stress management in daily hassles: an intervention study.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that our BFT is effective against the GM structures vulnerable to stress. (Source: Positive Technology Journal)
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 31, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Biofeedback & neurofeedback Source Type: blogs
Improving memory with transcranial magnetic stimulation
A new Northwestern Medicine study reports stimulating a particular region in the brain via non-invasive delivery of electrical current using magnetic pulses, called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, improves memory. (Source: Positive Technology Journal)
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 31, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Brain stimulation Brain training & cognitive enhancement Neurotechnology neuroinformatics Source Type: blogs
Life's a beach at work for Japanese company
A Japanese company has recreated a tropical beach in the very reception area they also use as their employee meeting space and staff lounge. (Source: Positive Technology Journal)
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 5, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Creativity and computers Virtual worlds Source Type: blogs
JIBO: The World's First Family Robot
Jibo is a new robot from MIT roboticist Cynthia Breazeal. It is designed to be a social robot that you interact with like it’s another person in your home. The 28-centimetre, 3-kilogram “sociable robot” snaps family photos, handles video calling and acts as a digital concierge. Connected wirelessly to the Internet, Jibo sifts through messages, organizes your itinerary and orders takeout.What people say about Jibo:"JIBO's potential extends far beyond engaging in casual conversation and completing daily tasks." - Katie Couric, Yahoo News "A Robot with a Little Humanity" - John Markoff, New York Times "JIBO isn't an app...
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 3, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: AI & robotics Source Type: blogs
Detecting awareness in patients with disorders of consciousness using a hybrid brain-computer interface
In this study, we proposed a visual hybrid brain-computer interface (BCI) combining P300 and steady-state evoked potential (SSVEP) responses to detect awareness in severely brain injured patients. Approach. Four healthy subjects, seven DOC patients who were in a vegetative state (VS, n = 4) or minimally conscious state (MCS, n = 3), and one locked-in syndrome (LIS) patient attempted a command-following experiment. In each experimental trial, two photos were presented to each patient; one was the patient's own photo, and the other photo was unfamiliar. The patients were instructed to focus on their own or the unfamiliar pho...
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 3, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Brain-computer interface Cybertherapy Research tools Source Type: blogs
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Stress Management Intervention for Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review
Authors: Sharma M, Rush SE Stress is a global public health problem with several negative health consequences, including anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, and suicide. Mindfulness-based stress reduction offers an effective way of reducing stress by combining mindfulness meditation and yoga in an 8-week training program. The purpose of this study was to look at studies from January 2009 to January 2014 and examine whether mindfulness-based stress reduction is a potentially viable method for managing stress. A systematic search from Medline, CINAHL, and Alt HealthWatch databases was conducted for all types of quan...
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 3, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Meditation & brain Research tools Source Type: blogs
Modulation of functional network with real-time fMRI feedback training of right premotor cortex activity
In this study, we investigated the changes in the motor network engaged in both ME and MI task induced by real-time neurofeedback training of the right PMA. The neurofeedback training induced changes in activity of the ME-related motor network as well as alterations in the functional connectivity of both the ME-related and MI-related motor networks. Especially, the percent signal change of the right PMA in the last training run was found to be significantly correlated with the connectivity between the right PMA and the left posterior parietal lobe (PPL) during the pre-training MI run, post-training MI run and the last trai...
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 3, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Biofeedback & neurofeedback Virtual worlds Source Type: blogs
Fly like a Birdly
Birdly is a full body, fully immersive, Virtual Reality flight simulator developed at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). With Birdly, you can embody an avian creature, the Red Kite, visualized through Oculus Rift, as it soars over the 3D virtual city of San Francisco, heightened by sonic, olfactory, and wind feedback. (Source: Positive Technology Journal)
Source: Positive Technology Journal - August 3, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Tags: Blue sky Creativity and computers Telepresence & virtual presence Virtual worlds Source Type: blogs
