Friday, December 28, 2018

NEWS POST: UK Aid Pays For Futuristic ‘Smart Glasses’ That Will Allow Doctors To Direct War Zone Surgery From Thousands Of Miles Away

The futuristic glasses, funded by UK aid money, will enable local health workers or even the untrained to benefit from real-time guidance from experts
The glasses will enable local health workers to benefit from real-time guidance Surgeons able to supervise procedures through a camera built into the glasses Among the glasses' features is a zoom function which can be used by the doctor Government gives the Iristick project around £250,000 to develop the glasses

Doctors will be able to help with operations in war zones from thousands of miles away by looking on through a pair of smart glasses. The futuristic glasses, funded by UK aid money, will enable local health workers or even the untrained to benefit from real-time guidance from experts.

Surgeons and other medical experts will be able to supervise procedures through a camera built into the glasses.

'A few decades ago these smart glasses would have been science fiction,' said International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt. 'Now, because of UK aid, they are on the cusp of saving real lives in the real world.'

Among the glasses' many features is a zoom in and out function which can be used by the remote doctor.
Surgeons and other medical experts will be able to supervise procedures through a camera built into the glasses
Steven Serneels, co-founder of Iristick, which developed the glasses, said: 'Distance does not count anymore. As long as you have access to the internet, these glasses work. It's a real time experience.

'People that are not supported by remote experts can stream movies which guide them with what they are doing.'

The Department for International Development has given the Iristick project around £250,000 to develop the glasses. The funding was part of a challenge to firms to come up with innovative projects to address humanitarian challenges.

Miss Mordaunt added: 'UK aid is changing millions of lives around the world for the better, and I want to harness the power of technology to do this even faster and more efficiently.'

Iristick suggested the cost of the glasses would be roughly £1,500 each. They will be tested in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Afghanistan.

Originally published on DAILY MAIL UK

Saturday, December 01, 2018

NEWS POST: Robots In The Field: Farms Embracing Autonomous Technology

Joe Allnutt, lead roboticist at British startup company the Small Robot Company, inspects a farming robot named Tom as part of a trial in East Meon, southern England, Friday Nov. 30, 2018. The "agri-tech" startup company is developing lightweight autonomous machines that can carry out precision "seeding, feeding and weeding" in the hope of transforming food production. (AP Photo / Kelvin Chan)
Faced with seesawing commodity prices and the pressure to be more efficient and environmentally friendly, farmer Jamie Butler is trying out a new worker on his 450-acre farm in England’s Hampshire countryside.

Methodically inspecting Butler’s winter wheat crop for weeds and pests, the laborer doesn’t complain or even break a sweat. That’s because it’s a four-wheel robot dubbed “Tom” that uses GPS, artificial intelligence and smartphone technology to digitally map the field.

Tom’s creator, the Small Robot Company, is part of a wave of “agri-tech” startups working to transform production in a sector that is under economic strain due to market pressures to keep food cheap, a rising global population and the uncertainties of climate change. Most robots are still only being tested, but they offer a glimpse of how automation will spread from manufacturing plants into rural areas.

“If we can keep our costs to an absolute minimum by being on the leading edge of technologies as one method of doing that, then that’s a really, really good thing,” said Butler, one of 20 British farmers enlisted in a yearlong trial.

Next year, the British startup plans to start testing two more robots controlled by an artificial intelligence system that will work alongside Tom, autonomously doing precision “seeding, feeding and weeding.”

The aim is to drastically cut down on fertilizer and pesticide use to lower costs and boost profits for struggling farmers. As such, it not only helps economically, but it also lowers the environmental impact of farming.

“What we’re doing is stuff that people can’t do,” said Ben Scott-Robinson, co-founder of the Small Robot Company. “It’s not physically possible for a farmer to go round and check each individual plant and then treat that plant individually. That’s only possible when you have something as tireless as a robot and as focused and accurate as an AI to be able to achieve that.”

A farming robot named "Tom" produced by Small Robot Company as part of a field trial to develop new farm technologies, in East Meon, southern England, Friday Nov. 30, 2018. The "agri-tech" startup company is developing lightweight autonomous machines that can carry out precision "seeding, feeding and weeding" in the hope of transforming food production. (AP Photo / Kelvin Chan)
Commercial sales of the full, multi-robot system is still years away, with larger-scale testing planned for 2021. They represent the next step in the evolution of automation for farms. Self-driving tractors and robotic milking machines have been in use for years and, more recently, unmanned aerial drones that monitor crops have gone into service.

Eventually, farms “will be able to automate virtually everything,” said Tim Chambers, a fruit farmer who’s not involved in the trial. Some jobs are harder to automate, such as harvesting delicate raspberries or strawberries by hand, but even that is coming, said Chambers, a member of Britain’s National Farmers Union.

Florida’s Harvest Croo Robotics, Spain’s Agrobot, Britain’s Dogtooth Technologies and Belgium’s Octinion are all developing berry-picking bots. California startup Iron Ox and Japan’s Spread grow vegetables in automated indoor farms. Bosch startup Deepfield Robotics is working on a weeding robot that punches them into the ground. Last year, British researchers planted, monitored, tended and harvested a barley crop using only autonomous machines, in what they said was a world first.

A more fundamental problem “will be the cost of building those robots and the research that has to go into making them,” Chambers said. The low cost of air freight could still make it cheaper to, for example, fly in fruit from other countries where labour is cheaper, he said.

To ease financial pressure on farmers reluctant to make big one-off investments in equipment, the Small Robot Company plans to sell its services as a monthly subscription, charging £600 pounds (US$765) per hectare a year.

With a bright orange 3D-printed body, and beefy all-terrain wheels, Tom resembles an oversized roller skate. Their light weight means these robots won’t compact soil the way tractors do, Scott-Robinson said.

On Butler’s farm, Tom trundles along crop rows taking hundreds of thousands of high-resolution pictures during the growing season. The images are fed to Wilma, the artificial intelligence platform, which is being trained to tell the difference between wheat and weeds.

Joe Allnutt, left, lead roboticist at British startup company the Small Robot Company, with robotics engineer Thomas Burrell operating a farming robot named "Tom" as part of a trial in East Meon, southern England, Friday Nov. 30, 2018. The "agri-tech" startup company is developing lightweight autonomous machines that can carry out precision "seeding, feeding and weeding" in the hope of transforming food production. (AP Photo / Kelvin Chan)
In 2019, the company will start trials for two more robots, Dick and Harry. Dick will deliver fertilizer directly to soil around roots, instead of wasteful blanket spraying, and use a laser or micro-spray chemicals to kill weeds. Harry will insert seeds into the earth at a uniform depth and spacing, eliminating the need for tractors to plow furrows.

Originally published on DAILY MAIL UK

Friday, November 23, 2018

NEWS POST: Scientists Discover A Tiny Hidden Region In The Brain That Is UNIQUE To Humans And Could Help Cure Parkinson’s And Motor Neurone Disease

Scientists have found a new region of the brain that only humans have - and they believe it could be what makes our species unique. The new region is called Endorestiform Nucleus
Scientists have found a tiny new region of the brain that only humans have - and they believe it could be what makes our species unique.

Researchers say the incredible find could help find a treatment for Parkinson's and motor neurone disease. For thirty years scientists - who have likened the discovery to finding a new star - suspected this region existed but were unable to see it.

Professor George Paxinos from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) found the hidden region. He was able to find the region, called the Endorestiform Nucleus, thanks to better staining and imaging techniques.

'The region is intriguing because it seems to be absent in the rhesus monkey and other animals that we have studied. This region could be what makes humans unique besides our larger brain size', he said.

For thirty years scientists - who have likened the discovery to finding a new star - suspected this region existed but were unable to see it
The region is found near the brain-spinal cord junction. This is an area that integrates sensory and motor information to refine our posture, balance and fine motor movements.

'I can only guess as to its function, but given the part of the brain where it has been found, it might be involved in fine motor control,' said Professor Paxinos.

The discovery of the region may help researchers explore cures for diseases including Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease.

For thirty years, researchers suspected this region existed but could not see it Scientists found the region thanks to better staining and imaging techniques The discovery of the region may help researchers explore cures for diseases

Parkinson’s disease affects one in 500 people, and around 127,000 people in the UK live with the condition. It causes muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, tremors, sleep disturbance, chronic fatigue, an impaired quality of life and can lead to severe disability. Motor neurone disease is when specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord called motor neurones stop working properly.

Professor George Paxinos from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) found the hidden region. He was able to find the region, called the Endorestiform Nucleus, thanks to better staining and imaging techniques
Neuroscientists researching neurological or psychiatric diseases already use Professor Paxinos' maps to guide their work. His brain atlases are heralded as the most accurate for the identification of brain structures and are also used in neurosurgery.

'Professor Paxinos' atlases showing detailed morphology and connections of the human brain and spinal cord, provide a critical framework for researchers to test hypotheses from synaptic function to treatments for diseases of the brain,' said Professor Peter Schofield, CEO at NeuRA. He is the author of the most cited publication in neuroscience and another 52 books of highly detailed maps of the brain.

The maps chart the course for neurosurgery and neuroscience research, enabling exploration, discovery and the development of treatments for diseases and disorders of the brain.

His new findings are revealed in his latest book, Human Brainstem: Cytoarchitecture, Chemoarchitecture, Myeloarchitecture.

The discovery of the region may help researchers explore cures for diseases including Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease
Culled from DAILY MAIL UK

Tuesday, October 09, 2018

NEWS POST: First-Of-Its-Kind Device Can Repair Damaged Nerves – Before It DISAPPEARS Inside The Body

Scientists have created a tiny biodegradable implant (silver) that can send electrical impulses to help repair damaged nerves, then disappears in the body 
Scientist have created a tiny device that can repair nerves and then deteriorate inside the body, making it the first 'bioelectronic' medicine.

There is a lot of hype around using technology to better our health through apps, wearables and even pills that keep track of when you took them. Now, the researchers at Northwestern University have come up with a recipe to build electronic treatment devices out of materials that dissolve in the body - and most of them are part of our daily diet. 

So far, they have successfully used their first device to treat damaged nerves in rats, but someday this tiny electronics could help keep hearts beating in time. 

We use all kinds of electronics to treat health conditions and injuries, but often they have to be surgically implanted, so when they malfunction or their batteries die, patients have to go back under the knife.  Many materials are safe for use in the body, but they change and break down the way our own tissues do. But that may be changing.  

The new disc-shaped wireless device is about the size of nickel, stimulates peripheral nerves with weak electric shocks. More importantly it is made of entirely of biodegradable materials. That means that when a nerve is healed, the body's fluids naturally break it down and it exits like any other waste would. 

That's because, even though it is a remote controlled semiconductor, the device is essentially made of substances that are part of our daily diet. In order to pulse the nerves, scientists needed to create a structure with conductors through which electric impulses can travel, insulation around them, and a semiconductor to be the brains of the operation. 

Scientists have created a tiny biodegradable nerve stimulator The nickel-sized device is made of silicone, magnesium, and a similar polymer to the material dissolvable stitches are made from It successfully repaired nerves in injured rats Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Washington think the materials  could be used to make many kinds of disappearing devices

'A semiconductor is critical because it is the foundation of all electronic gadgetry,' study co-author, Dr John Roberts of Northwestern University told Daily Mail Online. 

'Silicon itself is the workhorse material of the electronics industry ... and it is actually a recommended part of a daily diet. So we used exceptionally thin, small pieces of it. They themselves naturally dissolve when they come into contact with biofluds.'

To conduct the electrical signals, the research team used super thin magnesium, a substance that is also one of our dietary nutrients.  For insulation, Dr Roberts and his collaborators at Northwestern and the University of Washington used similar biodegradable 'plastics' to those used in dissolvable stitches, but he says that cellulose or silk could easily work too.  

In tests on injured rats, it quickened the regrowth of nerves in the legs leading to the recovery of muscle strength.  After about two weeks the device dissolves on its own. It can even be broken up in second between fingers, turning to shimmery flakes, then disappearing entirely.  

Scientists believe it could help thousands of people affected by numbness, tingling and weakness caused by sports injuries, accidents, or even too much typing or texting. 

About the size of a nickel, the new device is made of such delicate materials that it dissolves when rubbed between the fingers 
Dr Wilson Ray, who co-led the research at the University of Washington, US, said: 'We know that electrical stimulation during surgery helps, but once the surgery is over, the window for intervening is closed. With this device, we've shown that electrical stimulation given on a scheduled basis can further enhance nerve recovery." 

Unlike their counterparts in the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nerves running through the arms, legs and torso can regenerate after injury. Electrical stimulation triggers the release of growth-promoting proteins that help the neurons regrow faster and more completely. Most people with peripheral nerve damage are offered painkillers, physical therapy, and in extreme cases, surgery. 

The new device, described in the journal Nature Medicine, is powered wirelessly by a transmitter outside the body.  

'These platforms represent the first examples of a "bioelectronic medicine" - engineered systems that provide active, therapeutic function in a programmable, dosed format and then naturally disappear into the body, without a trace,' said Dr Roberts.  

He says that he and his team are already in talks with cardiologists about how the device could be applied to temporarily pace the heart during open heart surgeries. And there's no reason to believe that the same materials his team engineered couldn't be refashioned into all manner of devices. 'We're excited not only about the ability of this specific device but more broadly as concept going forward that could be used for an improvement in the way that we treat disease and injury,' he said.

Originally published on DAILY MAIL HEALTH

Thursday, September 13, 2018

NEWS POST: Turning Waste Into Bioplastics, Mexico Strikes Green Gold

Waste from processing food crops are transformed into products such as bags, plates and even car parts. CNN Video
Tequila, avocado and corn are proving their worth beyond Mexican fiesta staples as key components for a fast-growing bioplastics market, with companies transforming waste from processing food crops into products such as bags, plates and even car parts.

Bioplastics make up less than 5% of the millions of tonnes of plastic produced each year around the world. But as governments and consumers fret about the damage plastic is doing to the world's oceans, scientists are experimenting by converting materials from cactus to shrimp shells and human waste into alternative greener plastics.

"The whole world is changing - people are starting to ask for this," said Scott Munguia, founder of Mexican company BIOFASE. The main obstacle is the cost of producing bioplastics, he noted.

Based in Michoacan state at the centre of Mexico's avocado industry, the world's largest, BIOFASE uses tonnes of stones a day discarded by processors of the fruit to produce its drinking straws and cutlery.

Industry experts say bioplastics - which are made with renewable, organic materials - have twin benefits: making use of waste to create products that are potentially quicker and easier to dispose of than traditional fossil fuel-based plastics. But not all bioplastics are as environmentally friendly as they sound, say scientists and industry insiders. Some contain high levels of traditional plastic, and depending on their uses and components, may not be biodegradable or compostable, making disposal a challenge.

Plastic production is expected to double over the next 20 years, compounding worries over the 8 million to 15 million tonnes of plastic the United Nations says are already being dumped into the ocean each year.

As plastic pollution in both the sea and freshwater grabs the media spotlight, bioplastics are attracting a high level of attention, said David Grewell, director of the Iowa-based Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites.

But they cannot solve the problem, he added.

"We would not want to start advocating that it's OK to throw bioplastics into the water," said Grewell, department chair at North Dakota State University.

Cost Competition
In Mexico, moves by some states to outlaw the use of plastic bags and polystyrene could help boost demand for bioplastics, said Carlos Camacho Vivar, founder of Ecoshell.

But authorities need to understand the difference between products, he added.

Started as a university project, Ecoshell now exports its cutlery, bags and containers that are either biodegradable, compostable or "bio-based" (part-organic, part-plastic), as well as selling them in Mexican supermarkets.
As plastic pollution in both the sea and freshwater grabs the media spotlight, bioplastics are attracting a high level of attention Image source: Reuters
Sugar cane and corn starch derived from industrial waste are among the ingredients for Ecoshell's products, which Camacho says will break down in months rather than the hundreds of years needed for traditional plastic.

Instead of worrying about losing market share and jobs, traditional plastic producers in Mexico should start making bioplastics to satisfy changing consumer demands, he said.

"It's like the story of Blockbuster with Netflix," said Camacho, referring to the video rentals chain that went bust in the face of higher-tech competition. "New technology is always expensive and through time it needs to go down to compete."

Driving Development
While startups push ahead with cutting-edge technologies, corporate giants like Coca-Cola Co are fine-tuning their own initiatives, including biodegradable PET bottles.

Vehicle manufacturer Ford Motor Co is testing bio-based plastics made with 20% agave fibre - waste from the plants used to make tequila - to create non-biodegradable parts it says would make its cars lighter and improve fuel economy.

"You're not growing this fibre specifically for automobile parts - you're growing it for the lovely tequila, so this is a waste product," said Deborah Mielewski, Ford Research's senior technical leader for materials sustainability. "We're looking at a big variety of natural materials or even waste from agriculture (and) the food industry ... to reduce our impact, but also to participate in a more closed-loop economy."

Founder Henry Ford pioneered the use of materials such as soybean in car parts, she explained. Now the company uses soy-based foam for seats, and is looking at putting bamboo, hemp, oat hulls and rubber derived from dandelions in its plastics.

But not all technologies may be palatable to consumers.

Human Waste
Some scientists are looking to convert bacteria from food and also human waste into the key chemical components that could be used to create biodegradable plastics and other products.

Kartik Chandran, professor of environmental engineering at Columbia University, said the potential for using organisms from organic waste was "close to infinite", and could help solve practical problems around sanitation and water.

Producing bioplastics from sewage could offset some of the costs of waste treatment and sanitation, for example.

"We're not considering bioplastic production in isolation, we're not considering waste management in isolation - we're linking that," he said.

Yet while the technology advances, major hurdles remain, including how to make bioplastics affordable while weaning consumers and companies off their addiction to cheap plastic. Government bans on single-use plastics, lower-priced alternatives and education about the impact of conventional plastic manufacturing could help, industry experts said.
Lego's newest elements are made from sugarcane-based, rather than oil-based, plastic. They'll still hurt when you step on them though. Photograph: LEGO
Ford's Mielewski said resistance to change was the biggest barrier.

"Everybody wants to have a cleaner planet, everybody wants to have cleaner air (and) reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean," she said. "But getting people to change what they're doing today is really hard."

Originally published on REUTERS/DAILY MAIL WIRES

Saturday, September 08, 2018

NEWS POST: Lesotho Emerges As Unlikely Testbed For 5G Revolution

The Lesotho 5G network is the first in Africa
The mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa has become an unexpected test venue for high-speed 5G mobile technology that is set to revolutionize global communication, transport and entertainment.

Two companies in the country's tiny capital Maseru are now using one of the world's first commercial 5G networks on the long-awaited 3.5 GHz spectrum. The network in Lesotho, set up by local Vodafone affiliate Vodacom, delivers speeds of up to 700 megabits per second, allowing movies to be downloaded in seconds and could in future provide safe technology for driverless cars.

"It is a bit of a testbed for us," Andries Delport, Vodacom's chief technology officer, told AFP on Friday after the service was launched. "With 5G, there is a lot of hype based on future use. It is transformative... it allows us to start talking about driverless cars, and robots and machines in factories. I can tell you, the Lesotho people are super-proud of this."

Just 530 employees at the head offices of the Central Bank of Lesotho and the Letseng Diamond Mining Company in Maseru currently enjoy the 5G speeds, but Vodacom plans to extend the scheme. The Lesotho network, which is the first in Africa, could mean that customers on the continent could avoid the need for expensive fibre cabling, instead "leap-frogging" to the new higher speeds. Other commercial networks have been set up in Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the race to bring 5G, meaning "Fifth Generation", to customers.

Lesotho, which is entirely surrounded by South Africa, has a population of just 2.2 million. It is known as the "Kingdom in the Sky" as it largely consists of rugged mountains with some villages accessible only by foot or pony.

Vodacom said it chose Lesotho because the government offered the 3.5 GHz spectrum that has not yet been alloted in South Africa and many other countries.

Originally published on DAILY MAIL WIRES/AFP

Friday, September 07, 2018

NEWS POST: A Biodegradable Battery Fuelled By Bacteria Has Been Developed By Scientists

A biodegradable battery fuelled by bacteria has been developed by scientists. Microbes known as 'exoelectrogens' (shown in red in inset) power the device (main image shows artist impression) by transferring electrons outside of their cells to external electrodes
The device, which is activated using saliva and made by printing thin layers of metals on to a paper surface, is capable of powering a calculator or small light source. Scientists claim the technology could fuel disposable HIV tests, glucose sensors and other medical devices in poor countries where electrical sources are sparse.

It could also help cut electronic waste because it decomposes naturally, they said.

Researchers at the State University of New York, Binghamton, made the batteries using 'exoelectrogens' - bacteria that can transfer electrons outside of their cells. These microbes were freeze-dried and placed on a paper surface, which was then layered with strips of metals and other materials. To activate the battery, researchers added saliva or water, which awoke the bacteria from their dormant state. Electrons generated naturally by the microbes passed through their cell membrane and made contact with the battery's electrodes.

This allowed the scientists to create a small electrical circuit that generates enough charge to power small, portable devices while producing little electrical waste.

'There's been a dramatic increase in electronic waste and this may be an excellent way to start reducing that,' study coauthor Dr Seokheun Choi said.

A prototype created by the team is capable of powering a calculator or a light-emitting diode - a small semiconductor light source. The structures are lightweight, low-cost and flexible, and can be used once and then thrown away, with a shelf life of around four months. Researchers said the technology could one day power medical equipment in poorer countries.

New battery is made by printing thin layers of metals on to a paper surface It is activated using saliva and can power a calculator or small light source Scientists created the device using specialized bacteria called 'exoelectrogens' They can transfer electrons outside of their cells to the battery's electrode

In remote areas of the world, everyday items like electrical outlets and batteries are luxuries, and health care workers often lack electricity to power diagnostic devices, while commercial batteries may be too expensive.

The prototype exhibited a much higher power-to-cost ratio than all previously reported paper-based microbial batteries, according to Dr Choi. His team investigated how oxygen affected the technology's performance.

The device (pictured) is activated using saliva and made by printing thin layers of metals on to a paper surface, and is capable of powering a calculator or small light source
In other batteries, the gas has reduced the movement of charge by absorbing electrons produced by bacteria before they reach the electrode. But the new device was only slightly impeded by oxygen because the bacteria are tightly attached to its paper fibres, meaning electrons are shifted to the anode before they can be absorbed by oxygen.

Dr Choi is now working on a way to improve the survival and shelf-life of the freeze dried bacteria. He said newer versions of the power source could be stacked and connected to boost power generation. 

The findings were presented at the National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Originally published on DAILY MAIL SCIENCE & TECH