Once the robot was programmed, 32 undergrad students interacted with it during a series of three-minute sessions. Using a robotics tool called optimal control theory, it was possible for the scientists to essentially reverse-engineer the behavior – they could establish what the babies’ goals were, based on the modeled behavior.

 

Essentially, it was found that babies (and the robot) carefully timed their smiles, in order to get smiles back from the mothers or students. In … Read More → "Baby-faced robot used to analyze why infants smile"

Typing six words per minute may not sound very impressive. But for paralyzed people typing via a brain-computer interface (BCI), it’s a new world record. 

To pull off this feat, two paralyzed people used prosthetics implanted in their brains to control computer cursors with unprecedented accuracy and speed. The experiment, reported today in Nature Medicine, was the latest from a team testing a neural system called BrainGate2.  … Read More → "Neural implant enables paralyzed ALS patient to type six words per minute"

Scientists have caught Mars crying salty tears.

Photos from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show dark streaks flowing down Martian slopes. The streaks appear in sunny spots or when the weather is warm, and they fade when the temperature drops.

Water was suspected to be involved, but now scientists have confirmed its presence. The new analysis, published in Nature Geoscience, shows salts mixed with water when the streaks are darkest. The water disappears when the … Read More → "Scientists confirm there’s water in the dark streaks on Mars"

The design team at WASP (World’s Advanced Saving Project) will unveil what is being billed as the world’s largest 3D printer on Friday in Rieti, Italy. Dubbed the “Big Delta,” this enormous device stands roughly 40 feet tall with a 20 foot diameter. But despite its size, the Big Delta is extremely efficient and uses only 100 watts of power. Its oversized design allows the Big Delta to quickly and easily print low-cost disaster-relief housing. What’s more, … Read More → "The ‘world’s biggest’ 3D printer will build emergency houses"

Sitting on our butts all day isn’t doing us any favors. A seated existence has been tied to a slower metabolism, cholesterol and weight gain, and higher rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Luckily, even the tiniest movements will make a difference: sedentary people who fidget live longer than those who don’t, according to the UK Women& … Read More → "Fidget more, live longer, a new study finds"

Much of the recent research into shark bycatch reduction technology has focused on the unusual sensory abilities of these animals. Sharks and their relatives can detect electromagnetic fields, which can be exploited to keep sharks away from baited fishing hooks.

“Laboratory and field experiments have demonstrated that magnets and electropositive metals can have a repellent effect on sharks,” says Aurelie Cosandey-Godin, a … Read More → "Sharks can sense electricity, and that might save them from extinction"

This picture, circa 1853, may be the first photobomb. Just look at that person in the upper left-hand corner, ruining a perfectly good shot:

As improbable as it sounds, there’s a chance it really was the first photobomb (though the term “photobomb” itself, defined as the prank of popping up in someone else’s photo, is firmly part of the 21st century).

The photograph’s creator, Mary Dillwyn, was one of the earliest … Read More → "This 1853 image might show the first photobomb"

Area 51, everyone’s favorite military test site turned alien conspiracy theorist hub, is growing—whether its neighbors like it or not.

The Associated Press reports that the huge and ostensibly top-secret base in Nevada plans to take over a 400-acre patch of former mining land that the base has come to encircle following a number of expansions over the decades. The owners of the land have been offered $5.4 million to give it up. … Read More → "A short history of Area 51’s shady expansion"

Haddington Dynamics showed off at MakerCon a new, under $2,000, 5-axis robot arm kit called the Dexter. The arm will be able to lift up 1kg over a reach radius of 670mm (about 26 inches), the company said, with extremely high precision.

The kit’s components are carbon fiber-imbued plastic. The company says it’s a durable and strong construction, but should also be easy to upgrade or repair.
… Read More → "$2000 Robot Arm Kit offers trainability, ultra high precision"

A man suffering complete paralysis in both legs has regained the ability to walk again using electrical signals generated by his own brain. Unlike similar efforts that have seen paralyzed subjects walk again by using their own brainwaves to manually control robotic limbs, the researchers say this is the first time a person with complete paralysis in both legs due to spinal cord injury was able to walk again under their own power and demonstrates the potential for … Read More → "Paralyzed man uses own brainwaves to walk again – no exoskeleton required"