Daily Archives: April 10, 2017

Link to eugenics spur Melbourne universities to rename buildings – SBS

Posted: April 10, 2017 at 2:52 am

For decades, students from Monash University have happily walked past the John Medley Library.

But what they may not have known was the man the building was named after was once part of Victoria's eugenics movement.

John Medley was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne in the mid-1900s and was a member of the prominent Eugenics Society of Victoria.

The society advocated for sterilising and segregating those people classified as mental defectives, which included Aboriginal people, homosexuals, prostitutes, the mentally disabled, and the poor.

Historian Ross Jones, who studies the history of eugenics in Australia, said the theory was once widely accepted in Australian society.

"The eugenics movement was widely accepted among all the middle class, there were very few people who said anything against it, Dr Jones said.

THE FEED:Are universities doing enough to prevent and handle sexual harassment on campus?

The eugenics theory contributed to many events in Australia's and the world's history now considered shameful such as the White Australia Policy, the Stolen Generation and ethnic cleansing during WWII.

A group of Monash students decided something needed to be done about the John Medley Library, which is run by university's student union.

The proposed name change has been approved by the Monash Student Council, the governing body of Monash Students Association.

Now, the proposal must be approved by the universitys council before anything further can happen.

Jayden Crozier, a student and Indigenous representative on the student union, said the renaming would be a win for all Indigenous students.

"Once we did highlight the fact that he [John Medley] was involved in eugenics and whatnot, it did make people feel a bit disenfranchised by the whole situation, Mr Crozier said.

It just felt like this was the one area there was a black spot on Monash's history.

So, it's good to have it changed and it's a great success for Indigenous students on campus."

Students at Monash got the idea to change the name after the University of Melbourne renamed their Richard Berry Building for the same reason.

Professor Berry was chairman of the anatomy department at that university in the early 1900s and was also a major player in the eugenics movement.

For decades, students and academics have campaigned to change the name of the building, and in December 2016 the University of Melbourne agreed.

Dr Stephen Hagan is an Indigenous rights activist who was involved in a similar campaign in Toowoomba and said renaming sites is a sign of Australia advancing.

"It's a reflection of us growing up and maturing as a nation that we take advice from people who take great offence at the offensiveness of signs and if people change it, well, I think that's a wonderful thing."

However others argue there is a risk of sweeping uncomfortable, but important, parts of Australian history under the carpet by renaming historical buildings.

Dr Jones says he sees that risk with the Richard Berry Building.

"To rename the building and not have some acknowledgement on it that it's been renamed, and some acknowledgement of Berry's part in that history, is to really wipe out part of the story I think, Dr Jones said.

In 50 years, people apart from a few historians people won't remember that that building, the Berry Building, was named after someone who was an important university figure who was also an important eugenicist.

Rename the building, but there should be a plaque on the building telling the story."

WATCH:Australian universities enrolling more students from refugee backgrounds

The university has not put up a plaque yet but says Richard Berry is remembered by a portrait that hangs in the building.

A number of other buildings at the University of Melbourne carry the names of people involved in the eugenics movement, but the university says there are no plans to rename any other buildings.

A university spokesman has acknowledged in a statement the need to review the names of buildings on the campus.

"The university's Reconciliation Action Plan has clearly defined targets for recognising the value and contribution of Indigenous culture across the lifetime of the institution, the spokesman said.

One of these targets includes a revision of the university policy for the naming of buildings and rooms to ensure this contribution is appropriately recognised. There are no other buildings currently being considered for renaming.

However, the university acknowledges there is a need for a broader review of building and place names across our campuses."

Dr Hagan said resistance to changing racist location names is a trend across Australia and he thinks the nation still has a long way to go.

"If you look at history, Australia's a very racist country look at history, Dr Hagan said.

I mean every monument in every city there's some old general or someone who's riding a big horse, and how many blackfellas do you think they shot to have those badges on their uniforms on those old statues?

Australia loves celebrating its racist past."

WATCH:Why are people racist?

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Facebook is cloning Snapchat AGAIN! – Alive For Football

Posted: at 2:51 am

Similar to Instagram Stories, Facebook has also rolled out its Facebook Stories on mobile allowing users to share multiple photos and videos as part of a visual collection above the News Feed.

In addition to the story feature, Facebook also announced a new camera with advanced features in the app would begin rolling out this week for users on both Android and iOS devices.

Once you get access to stories, you'll find a camera icon in the top left corner of the Facebook app.

This modification indicates for the fourth time that Facebook has copied basic Snapchat features like photo and video montages that disappear in 24 hours. The camera has brand new effects and two additional ways to share your creative photos and videos.

The mode also works with Direct messaging that allows you to share things with specific people for a limited time. Once those photos or videos are viewed once, a person can reply or react before they disappear. You can also swipe right from News Feed to try out the new in-app camera.

In a series of updates, Facebook has introduced three new features to its app.

After introducing stories on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, Facebook has finally released the feature for everyone on Facebook.

Facebook is back at it releasing borrowed features from other social media platforms.

Facebook will keep updating filters and masks for users.

Facebook has also been reported to add in camera effects that will feature various movie teasers such as "Despicable Me 3", Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", "Alien: "Covenant", "Wonder Woman" and "Smurfs: "The Lost Village" to name a few.

Beyond that, Facebook has partnered with a number of major films to bring new masks to its camera.

"The way people create content is changing to be from text to photos and videos", product manager for Facebook stories Connor Hayes said. Of course, none of this is that new, as we've seen plenty of these features on Snapchat first, then Instagram.

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Woodbury Police Need Your Help In Credit Card Cloning Case – Patch.com

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Patch.com
Woodbury Police Need Your Help In Credit Card Cloning Case
Patch.com
Woodbury police are trying to solve a credit card cloning case, and need the public's help. Can you identify this individual? By William Bornhoft (Patch Staff) - April 4, 2017 3:20 pm ET. Woodbury Police Need Your Help In Credit Card Cloning Case.
Police seek help identifying woman suspected in credit card cloning caseWoodbury Bulletin

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Woodbury Police Need Your Help In Credit Card Cloning Case - Patch.com

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The Trump Evolution – American Spectator

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On Friday, President Donald Trump got the first real win of his presidency with the confirmation of Colorados Neil Gorsuch to be the next justice of the Supreme Court. Although there have been other useful actions by the president during his first 80 days such as his welcome assault on the growth of the regulatory state, those were lightly covered by the media and did not involve showing any ability to maneuver Congress into accomplishing any of his or any other Republicans major campaign goals.

On one hand, it may have been overly ambitious to hope for a repeal of Obamacare within the first dozen weeks of a Trump presidency. On the other hand, the failure to do so was a spectacular example of Republican legislators still unsure how to operate as the governing party, of spineless GOP moderates who cant bear to take away an entitlement no matter how harmful to the literal and figurative health of the nation, and of a president whose lack of political experience is not the unvarnished blessing that his supporters thought it to be.

At this point, Mr. Trump is in the unenviable position of needing to expend political capital to nudge House (and then Senate) Republicans to yes on a real Obamacare repeal bill (and later on tax reform and other major agenda items) but having begun his presidency with far less political capital than a new president typically does and having lost much of that through a combination of his own unforced errors, uncompliant members of Congress, and incessant and often unfair attacks by the mainstream media.

When a new presidents approval ratings are hovering around 40%, he has little leverage over members of his party, particularly those very moderates and Tea Party/Freedom Caucus types who are trying to get to yes on Obamacare repeal but who do not see their political fortunes tied to Trumps.

A modest bump in Mr. Trumps approval ratings is to be expected following the missile strike on Syria, but even that may fade quickly if the public sees it as no more than the unbelievably small strike that former Secretary of State John Kerry promised more than three years ago. Reports that Syrian Air Force jets were taking off from the Shayrat air base less than a day after Mr. Trump ordered it targeted with 59 Tomahawk missiles are something of a propaganda win for Bashar Assad and Vladimir Putin. Within a few hours more, the town of Khan Sheikhoun, where 86 people died in the chemical attack that stirred Trump to action, was bombed again. That it was not a chemical weapon this time probably does not make the towns remaining population feel much better. Russia and Syria are all but daring Mr. Trump to take more significant action, knowing that he probably wont. With each passing hour, the strike feels to have been much more bark than bite.

However, the fact that there was a U.S. strike on Syria is far more important than what the strike accomplished. To wit: It put distance between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, helpful for Mr. Trump both domestically and internationally. It told the world that this is no longer Barack Obamas U.S. foreign policy. It reminded Chinese and North Korean leaders that Mr. Trumps recent statements of willingness to act unilaterally must be taken seriously. (Whether that increases or raises risks on the Korean peninsula in the short term is another matter, with North Korea claiming that the U.S. air strike on Syria proves its need for nuclear weapons. A DPRK statement Sunday blustered, We will bolster up in every way our capability for self-defense to cope with the U.S. evermore reckless moves for a war) Back on the home front, the strike distracted from the ongoing media-fueled conversation of an administration at war with itself.

And perhaps most importantly for the longer-term prospects for Donald Trumps presidency, it showed a man willing to change his position on an issue that had been a consistent campaign theme for him: that Syria is not enough of an American strategic interest to justify our military involvement.

We can debate whether his campaign position remains the correct one certainly many of his supporters continue to believe it does and are unhappy with last weeks actions or whether other changes in the strategic situation justify what appears to be an emotional reaction by the president to images of dead children.

The change in Trumps Syrian position would be less remarkable were it not for its being one of many recent changes in Trumpworld and an increasing separation between the presidents current actions and his campaign rhetoric.

For example, on Wednesday, President Trump removed his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, from the National Security Council, a group that Mr. Bannon should never have been a member of in any case. There are opposing assertions among White House leaks as to whether Mr. Bannon had to be cajoled into not resigning from the administration over the move.

Given the presidents undoubted respect and appreciation for Mr. Bannon, removing him from the RSC shows that Trump is taking guidance from elsewhere, in this case Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. It is unlikely to be a coincidence given Mr. Trumps obvious admiration for military leaders that all three are/were U.S. Army generals.

It has also been impossible not to notice the prominence of Jared Kushner in surprisingly many reports of the president assigning him to oversee tasks from restarting an Israeli/Palestinian peace process to overhauling the way the federal government operates, each of which is a near-impossible feat, not least for a 36-year old with approximately no relevant experience.

This represents a significant change in which faction currently has the greatest influence over the president. If the New York Times is to be believed (a significant if, I grant you), the relationship between Bannon and Kushner has deteriorated to the point where Bannon has called Kushner a Democrat (which may in fact be true, but which cant be viewed as a compliment in the Trump White House, nor in my house). On Friday, the president told Bannon and Kushner, We gotta work this out, leading to a meeting moderated by Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. If I were a betting man, Id put a few bucks on Steve Bannon being out of the White House by Labor Day, perhaps with policy advisor Stephen Miller, representing a major transformation of Trumps inner circle.

Another story that received less media attention was the recent signing by the president of two executive orders regarding trade. Despite all the sturm und drang of months of railing against China and TPP (which the president withdrew the U.S. from as one of his earliest actions) and NAFTA, the executive orders were something of a yawn. One aims to ensure the collection of duties based on existing tariffs and anti-dumping regulations. The other orders various departments of government to work together to create an Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits.

No sudden tariff hikes, no renegotiating of NAFTA, no trade war at least not yet. It is a welcome change from the ill-considered anti-trade rhetoric of Mr. Trump and some of his advisors, though the executive order itself does contain some economic illiteracy when worrying about the challenges to economic growth and employment that may arise from large and chronic trade deficits.*

Mr. Trump has turned into a supporter of NATO since alliance leadership seems to have taken seriously his insistence that its members spend their treaty obligation share of GDP on defense and look at increasing their counter-terrorism activities. At the same time, the president seems to have become more in favor of supporting Japans defense even if Japan does not raise its own military spending.

Recent inside baseball stories suggest that Trump loyalists who were placed inside of executive branch agencies are being pushed into irrelevant roles or out of the buildings entirely as the establishment pushes back. This even as leaders like Rick Perry (Energy), Scott Pruitt (EPA), and Tom Price (HHS) bring a distinctly revolutionary approach to those bloated petty tyrannies.

Not even three months into Donald Trumps presidency, the administration seems to be a very different creature from what it was on Inauguration Day, or from what it promised to be three months before that. And thats probably a good thing.

Last weeks U.S. missile strikes on Syria have wide-ranging implications, but probably none as significant as proving what these other pieces of evidence have increasingly suggested: that, to the chagrin of many in his nationalist-populist base, Donald Trump is a man rapidly evolving in office.

- * If trade surpluses cause economic growth, one might wonder why the U.S. ran trade surpluses throughout almost the entirety of the Great Depression and, as a 2011 Cato Institute report notes, since 1980, the U.S. economy has grown more than three times faster during periods when the trade deficit was expanding as a share of GDP compared to periods when it was contracting.

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Bible Supports Theory of Evolution, Newsom Says – The Heights

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Most people think of science and theology as standing on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to things such as climate change and evolution. But in a lecture on Thursday titled Climate Change as a Consequence of Human Presence: A Dialogue between Anthropology and Biblical Studies, Carol Newsom explained how the two are not as opposed as people believe.

Newsom is the Candler Professor of the Old Testament and the Hebrew Bible in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She is known for her work translating the Dead Sea Scrolls and challenging long-held assumptions about women in the Bible. This lecture was part of the annual lecture series given in honor of Rev. Richard J. Clifford, S.J, sponsored by the by School of Theology and Ministry and supported by the Kitz family.

Newsom then discussed climate changes relationship with theology. In her interpretation, the creation story of Genesis 2-3 is not against the theory of evolution but instead supports it.

Newsom elaborated, saying that when God first created human beings, they did not have rational thought and were on the same level as other animals. When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they gained rational thought that was meant only for divine beings. Newsom likened this transformation to evolution.

Newsom also cited Adam and Eve eating from the tree and gaining rational thought as the driving force behind why humans speed up climate change.

Newsom spoke about the impact that climate change has on peoples lives. In the past few years, the World Bank, the Pentagon, and other organizations have published reports that predict a bleak future for Earths climate, showing that the global temperature has gone up 1.5 degrees celsius, approaching the 2 degree Celsius point which has been regarded as the critical temperature.

She also talked about how scientists have said that the earth is currently in the beginning stages of the next mass extinction. This man-made extinction is different from the first five mass extinction events in the earths history, which were caused by natural events.

Over the past 250 years, the Industrial Revolution and growth of technology has sped up climate change exponentially, but humans have altered the world around them long before then. Since the time of hunting and gathering, humans have contributed to the extinction of prey species, and because the prey species would die, so would the predators that would hunt them.

The biodiversity, the vast amount of biologically different species, on earth has been able to exist because of the separation of different ecosystems. Before humans were able to migrate easily from one continent or country to another, these ecosystems existed apart from each other without any contamination. When humans began to migrate to other parts of the world, they brought new species to ecosystems and these ecosystems were not able to adapt quickly enough and were harmed.

This is a time of immense change for the earth, but this is also a time for change for us as the human species and I hope that well be more self aware, more humble, more wise than we have been, she explained

Human beings have rational thought but do not wield it correctly, according to Newsom. She explained how the knowledge from the tree that Adam and Eve ate from was only meant for divine beings and, in human beings, it leads them to make decisions that harm the environment. The rational thought that makes human distinct from other species is that same thing that makes us incompatible with the earth and its biodiversity.

Newsom talked about reasons to be hopeful. She explained that along with research into the degree of damage done to the earth so far, there are also a positive things that are being discovered, like cheaper and more efficient ways to harvest wind and solar power.

While there are reasons to be optimistic, we have to realize that not everything will be saved, she said. The world that comes after this century will be very different than the one that existed before but I dont see it in dystopian terms.

The realities of climate change are very serious, but Newsom holds hope in human beings ability to reverse or lessen its effects.

The resources of both science and our religious traditions offer us ways of living with an understanding of who we are, with seriousness of purpose and yet with humility, that our actions, successful or not, are involved in a process that will incorporate them into a larger story of this marvelous world and Gods intentions for it, she said.

Featured Image by Jake Catania / Heights Staff

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The next evolution in office working could be employees getting implanted with a microchip – Recode

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From pacemakers that keep the heart beating to swallowable sensors that can tell when someone takes their meds, people have been implanting machines into their bodies for decades.

But a growing trend in bodily implants inserting a computer chip under the skin is more about morphing people into literal cyborgs than addressing a medical condition.

Im turning the internet of things into the internet of us, said Jowan Osterlund in an interview with Recode. Osterlund is the founder of Biohax, a Swedish company that specializes in injecting small microchips, about the size of a grain of rice, under peoples skin.

The microchips, says Osterlund, can be programed to speak to other networked devices, like coffee makers, speakers or doors with electronic locks. The idea is that its more convenient to wave your hand in front of the door than use a key card.

Inserted by a syringe into the skin between the thumb and the index finger, the chips communicate with other devices using Near Field Communication. Its a wireless way of linking devices in close proximity to each other, similar to the way Bluetooth works. Contactless payment systems, like Apple Pay, also use NFC.

Last year, Microsoft invited Biohax to its TechDays conference in Sweden to implant some of the speakers at the conference, as well as a few Microsoft executives in attendance, according to Osterlund.

Scientists have been implanting animals with microchips for years to help track down lost pets or monitor endangered species. In the U.K., microchipping dogs became a mandatory practice in 2016.

The procedure for humans, though, could raise concerns about security. If hacked, microchips implanted inside the body could be read to reveal a persons location and length of time spent somewhere, as well as information about your health or any data stored on the chip.

All kinds of medical devices can be hacked, after all. In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration recommended hospitals stop using a line of drug infusion devices after a security researcher discovered how easy it would be for a hacker to commandeer the device and overdose a patient.

Biohacking has become kind of a niche community in the past few years. Companies like Dangerous Things, a biohacking supply company based in Seattle that sells microchips and all the gear needed to insert the devices under the skin, have sprouted up. Theres also Grindhouse Wetwear, a biohacking company based out of Pittsburgh, thats created a LED star that can be implanted under the skin to light up when activated by a magnet.

Elon Musk is even reportedly starting a new company, Neuralink, which will make implants for the human brain that can wirelessly interface with a computer. Though details on the new venture are thin, Musk hinted at the idea at Recodes Code Conference last year, when he described a digital layer located above the cortex, built into the brain.

Musk hopes that one day the technology, which he calls neural lace, could be used to improve brain function and help humans keep apace with rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.

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Pensacola’s robotics team goes from garage to world championship – Pensacola News Journal

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Troy Moon , tmoon@pnj.com 1:02 p.m. CT April 9, 2017

Steel Tempest, a robotics team from Pensacola, heading to The FIRST Championship Robotics Competition. Troy Moon/tmoon@pnj.com

At left, Darion Lopez chats with Sean McMann while other members of the Steel Tempest robotic team work on the group's robot on Wednesday, April 4, 2017. The team will take part in the FIRST Championship robotics competition later this month in Houston.(Photo: Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com)Buy Photo

They are the little team that could. And they builta robot that just might.

The Steel Tempest robotics team out of Pensacola is heading to a world championship robotics event in Houston after finishing in the top eight at the Rocket City Regional robotics tournament in Huntsville, Alabama. The FIRST Championship robotics competition will take place April 19-22

The Steel Tempest team is not only a rookie team, but an undersized and underfunded team.While many of the nearly 300 teams from across the globe that will compete have teams of 50 to 100 members, the Steel Tempest team sponsored by the Pensacola Private School ofLiberal Arts has only seven members.

ARCHIVES:4 schools take top honors at BEST Robotics competition

And while some of the teams have corporate sponsors, Steel Tempest had to have yard sales and go door-to-door selling Christmas wreathsto raise money to compete.

"And we're younger than most teams, too,'' said 17-year-old Blake Bartee, a junior at the school."Most are stacked with older players."

FIRST, which stands forFor Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. The robotics competition is open to team members ages 14 to 18 or to students in grades nine through 12.

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Last year, Bartee and friend Gevani Lopez were members of a Boy Scout robotics team, but when the troop decided not to sponsor a team this year, the two formed their own with classmates. Soon, the School ofLiberal Arts where all but one team member attends schooltook over sponsorship of the team.

In March, the team brought their robot, named Moe,to the Rocket City Regional in Huntsville, where the SteelTempest became the first rookie team to place in the top eight. The team was the highest rookie seed and came home with the Rookie All-Star Award.

"It's amazing what they've done,'' said Jacqueline Tarver, principal of theSchool ofLiberal Arts. "They did all the work, 100 percent, after school, on their own time. They're committed."

ARCHIVES:IHMC's Ken Ford elected to inventors hall of fame

The team practices in the Barteehome garage, where Blake Bartee's father, Doug, serves as team mentor.

Inside the garage, the seven-member team recently gathered around Moe,which resembles an old glass popcorn machine, until you look at all the gears, wires, levers and electronics packed inside. The team had to design a robot that could shoot balls toward a goal, climb a rope and other challenges.

"They really have to work hard to compete against these larger, better-funded teams,'' Doug Bartee said. "They've really stayed on track."

The team members say there havebeen trying times in the quest to build a winning robot.

"We had one day where it all went down,'' Lopez said."We just couldn't agree on anything. All the moms were talking. We had some walkouts. But we all came together. But there have been lots of adjustments. (Moe) struggled to catch gears, but we worked that out. It's just working out problems."

In addition to Bartee and Lopez, the team also includesChelsea Marlow, Nowah Sandy,Billy Pearson,Sean McMannand Darion Lopez, Gevani's brother and the only team member who doesn't attend the School of Liberal Arts; he attends Creative Learning Academy.

To contribute to the future of the SteelTempest robotics team, donate through the team's GoFundMe page.

The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation and the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition will host "Robots Day" from noon to 5 p.m. April 15 at the National Naval Aviation Museum atPensacola Naval Air Station. The event will feature kid-friendly robot concepts,hands-on science kit activities and free tickets to see the film "Robots" at the museum. Show times are 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and tickets are given on a first-come, first-served basis. Free popcorn and beverages will also be provided.

MORE ROBOTICS FROM THE ARCHIVES

Woodlawn Beach Middle School students look to defend their BEST Robotics competition title.

Blue Angels Elementary fifth graders competed against Gulf Power engineers in a robotics race on Monday. The fifth graders won. Rob Johnson/rjohnson@pnj.com

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Robotics experts Henrik Christensen and Steve Cousins discuss the future of the field. Gannett News Service

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Lego robotics program teaches programming, problem solving skills – The News (subscription)

Posted: at 2:50 am

Some students shine on the athletic field. Others, however, have talents to showcase in a smaller arena, using computer programming technology and a mechanical robot.

At Glynn Middle School, those students can find their niche on the new lego robotics team, which is currently in the preparation stage ahead of its next season this fall.

Sidney Carter, the career exploratory technology instructor at Glynn Middle, started the team last year and sent them to the first competition, where he said they placed fifth among nearly 20 teams.

Now theyre going to have a year under their belt when theyre seventh graders, and Ill have a new group of sixth graders who will come with them, he said. And were looking forward to them being veterans now.

Lego Robotics competitions are high stakes and high intensity, Carter said. Two minutes and 30 seconds are put on the clock, and each team has to complete as many challenges as possible using their programmed robots.

Challenges include moving items around the board, avoiding collisions and building objects.

Theres always something that can go wrong, he said. You could set the robot up and its off by just an inch, so when it goes to make this turn it turns short and hits the barrier.

The students program the robots using a laptop. Each programmed command makes the robot do a single action, and Carter has already found that the young students are skilled programmers.

They get to clicking and they know the short cut keys, he said. Because its Lego, theyve made it all graphic-based, so inside of having to read code and all these complicated symbols, its pictures.

The students are learning problem-solving skills with an added element of creativity, Carter said.

I give them a challenge and theres 90 ways to solve that challenge, he said. And they have to find one that they know enough of to be able to plan it, get it done and build it.

Programmed commands are chained together, and the chains may fill up entire computer screens, he said. If one mistake exists, the students have to comb through the entire page to find it.

Its ridiculous, he said. Their patience is amazing, to see them go through that process.

Ben Mahony, a seventh grader on the team, said he loved getting the chance to compete.

I get to create things, he said. The competition was pretty cool. Its fun, you get to build things and program robots.

But more importantly, Carter said, the Lego Robotics team is offering these students a place to develop team building skills and show off their robot programming skills, which hadnt previously existed at Glynn Middle.

Carter said the teams success surpassed his expectations last year, and hes looking forward to how much better theyll be next year, with an additional year of practice.

Last time, he said they only put in about a month of practice before the big event.

Its like we didnt have spring training, we missed out on that, he said. So for us to have done as well as they did and be able to hold their own as far as being able to compete with these other teams was great.

The program is the first of its kind in Glynn County, and Carter said he hopes to see it grow.

Were hoping that eventually its going to catch on to the rest of our middle schools, he said.

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Robotics whiz envisions prosthetic limbs for all – The Japan Times

Posted: at 2:50 am

A high school teacher in a black coat enters the classroom. Good morning, he says to the students before starting his lecture, with his right hand busily scribbling something on a blackboard and his left holding a physics textbook.

Then, while holding the chalk and the textbook, he points at a female student and asks a question. The student answers.

OK, thats correct, he says, giving her the OK sign with his third hand.

A third hand?

The 28-second YouTube video titled Three-handed Sensei (jtim.es/OFd530aIiZV), was created by Tokyo-based prosthetics venture Meltin MMI Co. It epitomizes a future envisioned by its 29-year-old CEO, Masahiro Kasuya, where not only amputees but also able-bodied people can wear artificial limbs to boost their physical capabilities.

If someone who has only one hand gets an artificial hand as an extension of the body, why cant people with two hands add a third hand? he said in an interview last week at his office in Tokyos Shibuya district. The video presents such a scenario in a somewhat joking way, but Im dead serious about realizing it.

Kasuya develops prosthetic hands that move intuitively in response to bioelectric signals, subtle charges released by the muscles when people move their limbs.

Kasuya joined the venture set up by Hiroshi Yokoi, his professor at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, in 2013 while he was still in the doctorate program. He became the CEO in February.

Kasuya, who received a Ph.D. in engineering, said he has always loved all things mechanical and robotic. One of his primitive but ingenious childhood inventions was a device that closes a window automatically in the middle of the night. He filled a plastic bottle with water and tied it to a window frame. Then he attached the bottle to a timer salvaged from a broken air fan. When the timer reached zero, the bottle would be dislodged and fall, shutting the window.

I knew I wanted to be a robotics engineer from early on, he said.

Kasuyas interest in making a brain-machine interface also comes from his childhood.

In school, he said he was often bullied for being different. His teachers did not like him, either, because, being a child prodigy who excelled at math and physics, he often spotted their mistakes and challenged them in front of other students.

As a child, Kasuya often felt that words alone could not quite convey his pain of being bullied and ostracized, he said, adding that he wondered if there was a more intuitive, nonverbal way to convey it.

When you put your experience into words, you lose a lot of crucial information in the process, he said. You can describe the pain you felt by saying, Its as painful as hitting a sharp object with your pinkie, but if the person you are talking to had never hit a sharp object with his or her pinkie, that person would never understand how it really feels.

One day, he saw a TV program about cyborg engineering and its implications on surgical robots and prosthetic hands, and was immediately fascinated, he recalls, because he felt that this particular area of technology addressed his desire to relay human experiences more accurately and nonverbally, such as through brain waves and other biological signals.

Today, Kasuyas research is crystallized in two technologies: software to analyze bioelectric signals, and robotic hands that respond to such signals as collected from sensors attached to the arm to replicate real hand movements.

Research into electromyography or the electrical recording of muscle activity has a history of more than 50 years and has made significant progress recently.

But his company, Meltin MMI, has a competitive advantage over other firms, Kasuya argues, with cutting-edge technology that can analyze the subtle differences in waveforms that show up in electromyograms and interpret what they mean in terms of human hand moves.

Through our algorithm, we can identify the waveform for each of the rock-paper-scissors gestures, he said, referring to the game, adding that few other firms have achieved this.

The firms robotic hand, meanwhile, is controlled by 36 wires connected to a motor box. Kasuya demonstrated these technologies by attaching three electrodes to his right arm and moving his right hand in various directions. The sensors picked up Kasuyas muscle signals, which were immediately transmitted to his PC and made the prosthetic hand move naturally in sync with his hand and with no time lag.

The prosthetic is covered with an extremely elastic rubber glove that has fine wrinkles and nail shapes printed on it so it feels like real human skin. When I shook the robotic hand, it felt as though I was shaking the delicate hand of a woman with thin, long fingers, not just because of the high-tech glove but also because I could feel the robots subtle pressure changes on my palm.

Kasuyas expertise has tremendous potential to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. He has participated in a project for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease, to help them manipulate objects remotely by moving facial muscles.

Last October, he entered Cybathlon 2016, the first international competition for robotics technologies designed for people with disabilities, in Switzerland. His team was one of only three participating from Japan.

But the technologies applications will be limited if their only users are amputees.

Kasuya said there are currently three types of prosthetic hands on the market and that two are decorative prosthetics the hard, mannequin types that dont move.

Myoelectric prosthetics are expensive ranging from 1 million to several tens of millions of yen each and they are not covered by the public health care system or government subsidies. Only a few dozen are in use in Japan, Kasuya said.

The firm is therefore trying to market bioelectric signal sensors to a larger group of people to explore their use as wearable health monitors. A joint project with doctors is already underway, but it will take at least a few years for such a device to clear regulatory hurdles and become commercially available, he said.

Kasuyas lofty ambitions to remove physical barriers for all people remain intact, however.

My ultimate goal is to create a society where anyone with a brain can live the life they want to, he said.

Right now, Im focusing on electromyography and robot arms, but eventually, I want to develop technologies that can read all biosignals, including brain waves. If this is achieved, we can create robots that are controlled by bedridden people to care for themselves.

Maybe such people can go out after the care is given, he added, grinning. Of course its the robotic versions of them that go out, but they would feel like they are going out themselves.

1988 Born in Iruma, Saitama Prefecture

2006 Graduates from Waseda Universitys faculty of science and engineering

2010 Obtains a masters degree in engineering at Waseda University, enters a doctoral program at the University of Electro-Communications

2013 Joins Meltin MMI

2014 Becomes the ventures chief operating officer

2016 Obtains a doctoral degree, participates in Cybathlon 2016, the first international competition of robotic technologies for people with disabilities

2017 Becomes CEO of Meltin MMI

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Robotics whiz envisions prosthetic limbs for all - The Japan Times

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Robotics students ready for workplace – Marion Star

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From Thursday, April 6, to Saturday, April 8, high school and middle school students from around the country gathered at Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the National Robotics Challenge. Matthew Hatcher/ The Marion Star

A competitor focuses all his attention on his match in the combat robots competition on Saturday at the National Robotics Challenge at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.(Photo: Matthew Hatcher/ The Marion Star)Buy Photo

MARION - From high school to the industrial workplace is the goal for someof the competitors at this year's National Robotics Challenge.

Tri-Rivers Career CenterRAMTEC seniors Matthew Craig, Kierstyn Graber and Tom Poorman claimed the gold medal in the pick and place high school competition. The trio was one of the teams in consideration for the Honda Innovation Award that was eventually presented to the Adventure Bots team from Portage County in eastern Ohio.

The RAMTEC studentshope theirsuccess at the NRC and the skills they've developed will catch the attention of potential employers.

"I want to get a job in the industry and work and learn more about the FANUC robots and Yasakawa robots and what else there is out there," said Graber. "Whether I go on to college or not depends on whether I get offered a job by the end of the school year. It also depends on the company. Honda and Whirlpool have their own training programs and Worthington Industries will pay for you to go to college while you're working for them."

Poorman recently attended Automate 2017 in Chicago with RAMTEC instructor Ritch Ramey. Held every two years, it's a showcase of the latest in robotics, vision, motion control, and similar technologies that draws attendees from all over the world.During the event, Poorman had the chance to network with industry leaders.

RELATED:National Robotics Challenge award winners

PREVIOUSLY:Taking care of business: Robotics talent showcased

"We were being eyeballed as high school students and I handed some resumes out," he said. "It was intimidating, but at the same time I was honored to even speak with them. They wanted to know what I was into, what I want to do, my personal interests, my goals. It was pretty amazing."

A judge watches as a combat robot match unfolds on Saturday during the National Robotics Challenge at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.(Photo: Matthew Hatcher/ The Marion Star)

Craig said the RAMTEC program allows students to pursue certification and advanced training that prepares them for the workplace.

"We've done Parker hydraulics andYasakawa (robotics) training. We'll be certified (in Yasakawa) by the end of the year," Craig said. "We have our OSHA 10 (certification). We've been trained in FANUC (robotics) tool handling. We get (progammable logic controllers) training. Some of us have training with Universal Robots and FANUC welders."

Poorman said he believes that he and his RAMTEC classmates have "a leg up" on students who don't receive career and technical training in high school.

"We've been introduced to a wide variety of concepts," he said. "What it comes down to is what we decide in the end. If we want to go and get mechanical engineering or electrical engineering (degrees), we have some of the basic classes already. If we want to pursue something else, we understand how everything is working at the moment."

Middle school students taking part in the National Robotics Challenge spend time working on their robots together. (Photo: Matthew Hatcher/ The Marion Star)

The National Robotics Challenge wrapped up Saturday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Officials said more than 1,000 competitors and 350 robots competed in the event.

Andrew Carter is the Life In Marionreporter forThe Marion Star. Contact him at eacarter@gannett.com or 740-375-5154. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewCarterMS or Facebook @LifeInMarionOhio.

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Robotics students ready for workplace - Marion Star

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