Single Neuron Un-Paralyzes Monkeys in Test

Research are finding that rerouting nerve signals in primates may be surprisingly easy

DailyTech previously covered how monkeys had been wired with brain probes to a mechanical arm, which they learned to control.  Now another experiment has taken such concepts, much farther, reversing paralysis in monkeys through neuron implantation.

Eberhard Fetz, a professor of physiology and biophysics at the University of Washington, led the research.  The researchers began by paralyzing the nerves leading to the monkeys' arms.  They then placed a single wire on a neuron in the monkeys’ neural cortexes.  From there they routed the signal to a single neuron implanted in the monkeys' arm muscles.  The computer detected a specific firing pattern in the brain neuron and would then signal the neuron in the arm.

The electric "re-routing" working surprisingly well and the monkeys regained control of their wrists.  Their new capability was assessed by a simple video game.  The game was controlled by the monkeys' wrist motions.  By moving their wrists, they could move a cursor onscreen and by moving it to a box on the side, they could earn a reward.  With the incentive of the reward the monkeys soon learned to move their wrists, even though the motor cortex neuron was selected at random.

Chet Moritz, a senior research fellow at the University of Washington and coauthor of the researchers' paper states, "We found, remarkably, that nearly every neuron that we tested in the brain could be used to control this type of stimulation.  Even neurons which were unrelated to the movement of the wrist before the nerve block could be brought under control and co-opted."

The research is published in the latest online version of the journal Nature.

Most previous research had focused on complex firing patterns.  This is because typically even moving one arm muscle results from the firing of multiple neurons in a coordinated pattern.  The success of the single neuron approach raises new questions about how exactly the primate nervous system processes signals.

Regardless of the mechanics, the approach works, and Moritz says that it will be very useful as it requires less computing power.  In order to apply the new research to paralyzed patients, more work remains to be done.  Most importantly, the researchers will have to learn to make multiple rerouted muscles fire coordinately as they would in the body in a complex motion such as walking, or picking up an object.

For this reason, Andrew Schwartz, a professor of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh, remains a skeptic of the new efforts.  He states, "If your intention is to generate a movement, you have to somehow calculate the effect of all these forces across the arm.  It's not just, 'Activate a muscle and the arm goes where you want.' There's a lot of math involved."

Still, the University of Washington Researchers have moved forward to where one neuron controls two different wrists motions with different firing patterns mapped to each motion and another scenario in which two rerouted neurons each controlled a single muscle (direction of motion) and worked together.  Also they say one spinal cord cell, rerouted, can activate multiple arm muscles.  Moritz states, "Stimulating a single location in the spinal cord will often activate 10 to 15 different muscles in a precise balance."

The risks are also significant.  The electrodes wear down over time.  Also if they protrude out of the skin, there's major risk of infection and disruption in a normal daily environment.  The ultimate goal, the University of Washington researchers say, is miniaturization.  Says Moritz, "We think we may be one step closer to low-power, fully implantable systems."

DailyTech - Single Neuron Un-Paralyzes Monkeys in Test

Fuel Cells Powered by Hydrogen from Sewage

Researchers at the Oregon State University College of Engineering have discovered an efficient way to produce hydrogen from different types of biowaste, including municipal sewage.

The process uses 75% less energy than the traditional water electrolysis method of producing hydrogen, and can be done at a much lower cost, making it a good candidate for hydrogen fuel production.  In the lab, researchers are already close to the Department of Energy’s goal of $2 to $3 per gasoline gallon equivalent for hydrogen fuel.

The university describes the process like this:

“In these systems, naturally occurring microorganisms from sewage attach to the surface of an anode and degrade the waste in the sewage, in a device that is something like a battery. The waste decomposes, eventually leaving protons that migrate to the cathode, combine with electrons and generate hydrogen.”

In addition to producing hydrogen, this process also cleans the water, so, ideally, treatment plants could be developed to take in sewage and send out hydrogen fuel and clean water.  Imagine sewage becoming a valuable resource.  The system can also be adapted to generate electricity directly instead of producing hydrogen.

Beyond hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, this technology could find practical use in developing countries or remote locations where waste treatment and power production are scarce.

EcoGeek - Clean Technology

The Scarab, a robotic rover that will explore the dark craters of the Moon

Carnegie Mellon University loves robots and, more than that, a challenge: How do you get at possible minerals around the Moon's crater-studded south pole where there's no light for energy, or to see what you're doing? The CMU team's solution is the Scarab, a fully autonomous prospector 'bot, that'll carry out its work using laser scanners to navigate the harsh terrain and a radioactive power source to keep itself going.

It needs to be able to core through a meter of possibly hard, icy soil to get at the pockets of hydrogen concentrations for study — and its wheels are the key. The dynamic platform allows the Scarab to move over slopes and jagged landforms, and acts as a stabilizer when the 'bot goes belly-down to drill. The Scarab will move along slowly, as its radioactive isotope power source only produces about 100 watts — or the power of your average light bulb — to keep the robotic rover moving and thinking. The good news? That source also lasts about 10 years, so it'll have plenty of time to do what it needs to do.

The Scarab is about to undergo field testing at a volcanic range in Hawaii to see if it's up to the task of exploring dark lunar craters. If it does well, it may win a golden ticket from NASA to head to the moon and start its studies. Click Continue for a snippet from the Discovery Channel detailing CMU's Scarab autonomous prospector.

DVICE: The Scarab, a robotic rover that will explore the dark craters of the Moon

First public Firefox 3.1 Beta 1 builds now downloadable

Though official word has yet to come from Mozilla on the subject, a public version of Firefox 3.1 Beta 1 was posted to the organization's servers, and BetaNews has confirmed its authenticity.

One user interface change we noticed almost immediately was a big green "+" button on the right side of the tabs bar, that enables the user to open a new tab. What we are not noticing -- at least not yet -- is any clear indication of Private Browsing mode, a feature that is slated for the final version 3.1 and continues to be the topic of much discussion among Mozilla's community of developers.

A Mozilla spokesperson told BetaNews this afternoon that the organization does not have a specific time for the public announcement of version 3.1 Beta 1. However, if history is any indication, Mozilla typically makes a public proclamation within 48 hours of the installation file's appearance on the organization's servers.

It's been a busy day, so our tests with Beta 1 have only just begun. However, we did have time to check out Beta 1's performance with the Acid3 standards compliance test. Here, Firefox posted its highest rendering score in a very long time: 89%. By comparison, a quick check of Firefox version 3.0.3 showed a score of only 71%.

BetaNews | First public Firefox 3.1 Beta 1 builds now downloadable

Microsoft undercuts Wii value with $20 Xbox 360 HDD promo

As we head into the holiday season, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft will try every trick in the book in order to maximize sales. One of the best weapons Microsoft has is its price point; after the September price drop, the least expensive 360 model is selling for $200, $50 less than even the Wii. While the Arcade unit doesn't come with a hard drive, Microsoft is seeking to fix that: the company has launched a promotion giving Arcade users the choice of a free 512MB memory card or a $20 refurbished 20GB hard drive. 

Gamers need only to go an official Microsoft page and enter their serial number and console ID to see if they quality; it appears that only Core or Arcade units can take advantage of this promotion. This is Microsoft's answer to their promise of a "storage solution" in order to allow all gamers to take advantage of the new UI and Avatar functionality launching on November 19. That update will require 128MB of storage space, which would leave precious little space on the Arcade's included 256MB stick.

This move catapults the Arcade model from the gimped choice for hardcore gamers to the most affordable option for any gamer: $220 gets you the system, a 20GB hard drive, the Arcade games, and the 256MB memory card. Newer bundles will also include a copy of Sega Superstars Tennis and a Netflix trial. That's a hard deal to refuse, and absolutely creams Nintendo in the value department. Right now GameStop is selling its refurbished 20GB drives for $59.99, and the cheapest model that comes with a hard drive is the 360 Pro that retails for $299.99 and comes with a 60GB hard drive. This new deal makes the Arcade unit the best value for most gamers, one that could possibility get a batch of fence-sitters to make a choice.

If gamers sign up for this promotion in droves, and 360s without hard drives become more of an exception, it could give developers and publishers the confidence to use the hard drive more heavily. (The new firmware will allow gamers to load the entire game into the hard drive to cut down on loading times, something that Arcade owners will now be able to enjoy along with their Pro and Elite friends.) While you do have to fill out a form and wait for the drive to be mailed, it's clear that Microsoft has patched a major hole in its product line, and a full-featured Xbox 360 for $220 is an incredible deal.

Microsoft undercuts Wii value with $20 Xbox 360 HDD promo

"Windows 7" graduates from codename to real name

Microsoft has unveiled the official name for the next version of the Windows operating system. Up until now Microsoft officials had been referring to the project as "Windows 7." And now they're going to keep on doing that. But it's not a codename anymore. It's the final name of the upcoming operating system.

While other software makers have named their operating systems after the version number (Mac OS 9, or OS X), or the release date (Ubuntu 8.10 will come out in October, 2008), Microsoft has taken an all of the above approach. Think Windows 3.11 or Windows 2000. And Windows XP ad Vista weren't really named after anything.

So what's the deal with Windows 7? This will be the seventh major Windows release build number. Windows Vista was the 6th.

Microsoft will be making a developer preview of Windows 7 available to attendees of the upcoming PDC and WinHEC conferences.

"Windows 7" graduates from codename to real name - Download Squad

Volt Battery May See Performance Boost from Carbon Nanofibers

Thanks to battery tech the Chevy Volt could see an all-electric driving range of up to 80 miles

GM is readying its extended range electric vehicle called the Volt for production in 2010. The car promises to give the average driver a vehicle capable of at least 40 miles on electric power alone with a gasoline engine to recharge the battery when driving for longer distances is required.

The key component to the Volt and its ability to meet the promises GM has made is the lithium-ion battery the car uses. Applied Sciences Inc. is currently working with carbon nanofibers which could stretch the Volt's all-electric driving range to 80 miles.

Working along with GM and Applied Sciences to make the Volt a reality is another firm called Pyrograf Products. Pyrograf and Applied Sciences share a common owner, but separate investors according to Dayton Daily News.

Developing the technology to design a battery for the Volt using carbon nanofibers isn't cheap. The two Ohio-based firms received investments of $1 million from the Ohio Third Frontier program and $500,000 from GM.

Pyrograf says that its output of carbon nanofibers currently accounts for 25% of the global carbon nanofiber production. The reason the carbon nanofiber is such an important part of the Volt equation is twofold. First, the nanofibers allow for more efficiency form the battery. Second, due to performance that is more efficient the amount of overall carbon in the battery can be reduced. The total effect being less weight for the electric drive train to propel, equating to longer driving distances being attainable compared to other battery systems.

With any vehicle, reducing weight is a key component to improving performance. The original electric car from GM, the EV1, had a lead acid battery that weighed about 800 pounds. The Volt's current lithium-ion battery is about 400 pounds according to John Mackay, a spokesman for Applied Sciences.

Mackay said, "By making the carbon perform better, you can reduce the weight of that component in the battery. GM researchers say they have not seen any carbon materials that have performed as well as ours."

DailyTech - Volt Battery May See Performance Boost from Carbon Nanofibers