Wow, we are allowed to do science fair AGAIN! (Usually, it is only every two years). I am definitely planning out a project, and I’m going to take this extremely seriously as I really want to go to Intel ISEF.
The project will include programming in Java to send data to the servo controller. 
It will also have speech recognition.
The servo control board that I’m going to use is: JM-SSC16 Servo Controller Kit
And here is the very huge speech API: Java Speech API Programming Guide
I’m starting this project early, which will help me!
The dust is clearing on Mars and both of NASA’s rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are slowly resuming activity after 6 weeks of waiting. Power collected from Opportunity’s solar panels has reached 300 watt-hours which is enough to run a typical house light for 3-5 hours. Daily communication and a little movement is now possible.
Hooray! This is amazing, they only planned to last one year, and it has been ages! Congrats Spirit and Opportunity!
Link.
A young man named Desney Tan, 31, is teaching computers to read minds.
The payoff, he says, will be technology that improves productivity in the workplace, enhances video-game play, and simplifies interactions with computers. Ultimately, Tan hopes to develop a mass-market EEG system consisting of a small number of electrodes that, affixed to a person’s head, communicate wirelessly with software on a PC. The software could keep e-mail at bay if the user is concentrating, or select background music to suit different moods.
Sounds interesting, of course, but will it really sell? I don’t think women would want that sticky EEG paste for the electrodes on their hair. Hmm…
Link.
Researchers at Microsoft and Mitsubishi are developing a new touch-screen system that lets people type text, click hyperlinks, and navigate maps from both the front and back of a portable device. A semitransparent image of the fingers touching the back of the device is superimposed on the front so that users can see what they’re touching.
I must admit, if Microsoft released a good looking phone, with a two sided touchscreen, including flawless software, it would be a good competitior for the iPhone. What else could be used with a two sided touch screen? Hmm… maybe some sort of eBook reader… or maybe not. Either way, it’s cool!
Link.
A fully implantable device is poised to change the world of hearing loss–but is it worth the risks that are associated with the required surgery?
Developed by Otologics, of Boulder, CO, the device picks up sound with a microphone implanted underneath the skin behind the user’s ear. The signal is processed by electronics and sent to a tiny vibrating piston implanted against the small bones in the middle ear. The bones transmit the vibrations to the inner ear, which encodes them as nerve impulses and sends the information to the brain.
“You can have a more normal life,” says Otologics’s CEO José Bedoya. “You can be exposed to environments in which hearing aids have difficulty operating properly.” He also suggests that implantation creates a psychological bond with the device that is life enhancing. “Individuals implanted with the system have said that it becomes a part of you–there’s a greater sense of security.”
The device is powered by a battery that is recharged when the user places a small radio transmitter against his or her head for 60 to 90 minutes. The transmitter is held to the skin by a magnet in the implant. An inductive coil in the implant converts the radio energy to electricity and recharges the battery with it. The battery can stay inside the body for at least five years, according to the company, before it needs to be replaced. The implanted components are hermetically sealed together to protect against leaks, so the electronics, microphone, and inductive coil are replaced as well. However, the piston in the middle ear remains in place.
Pretty cool! However, what happens if a soccerball hits the side of the head? ;o
Something to think about…
Link.
Wow, how cool! I found out about the RoboGames, where there are multiple events for robots. Infact, their junior league is up to 18 years of age! That’s absolutely fantastic.
Canada could use some help with this event, after winning only one gold medal in 2007. Compared to USA, who won 33, that’s pretty pathetic. However, we do beat them in hockey… 
The events that I’m looking at are… well, all of them for the junior league!
Check out the events here.
