Category Archives: Technology

Jadon and Anias McDonald were born as craniopagus twins, an incredibly rare condition affecting just one in millions, and October 13 was the day their family had been waiting for. It was the day this team of doctors and nurses at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York would separate them.

The operation was risky and complicated, but the surgeons were confident.

Before they had made a single cut, they felt like they knew what to expect. Like they'd seen it before. And in some ways, they had -- virtually.

Across the country, a team of designers and engineers anxiously awaited the outcome of the surgery. Some of the members were in the operating room, as it was their work that gave the surgeons a look into Jadon and Anias' shared brain before they were anywhere near the operating room.

At 3D Systems outside Denver, traditional two-dimensional imaging like CT scans were converted into complex three-dimensional models. Some of the models became virtual files the surgeons could manipulate. Others were created by 3-D printers, models the surgeons could hold in their hands.

"We worked hand in hand with the neuroradiologists," said Katie Weimer, vice president of medical devices for 3D Systems. "We were online for hours with that team, looking at each slice of the imaging data, deciding, is this side Jadon? Is this side Anias? What's happening with this particular set of vessels?"

3-D printing is not new in the medical field. For years, it has been used for a variety of items such as splints, implants or models for other operations, like heart surgery.

3D Systems has collaborated on dozens of conjoined twins' cases over the past decade, but the McDonald boys presented a complex new challenge.

Craniopagus twins are extremely rare, occurring in only one of out of every 2.5 million births. About 40% of these twins are stillborn, and another third die within 24 hours of birth.

There are not many surgeons who have operated on craniopagus twins, but Dr. James Goodrich, at Children's Hospital at Montefiore, is a world expert on them.

For his team, the surgery started with a virtual planning session courtesy of 3D Systems.

"It takes the guess factor out," Goodrich said. "When you are doing a reconstruction like this, even when we are working on craniofacial cases, there's a lot of guessing. ... You are no longer guessing. You have firm numbers in your mind of what you need to do. I can look at the size of the vessel; I can calculate it out; I can take it out and put it back in."

The virtual look allowed the surgeons to practice their approach, knowing what cuts to make and when, with the luxury of starting all over again if they needed to. It provided a level of comfort and reassurance.

"When they approach a case like this, there is no guidebook," Weimer said. "They didn't go through medical training and learn how to separate conjoined twins, so what we're able to do with the 3-D visualization and physical printing of the models is create that guidebook. The goal for us is by the time they get into that operating room, they are effectively doing the operation for the second time."

On surgery day, Weimer was in the operating room. Throughout the 27-hour operation, the surgical team repeatedly referenced the models. Despite the details visualizations, Jadon and Anias' brains were fused even more than originally thought, and at one point, the surgeons considered stopping.

But they continued on, and when it was complete, the boys were lying on different beds for the first time. It was an experience Weimer will never forget.

"For me, it was a life-changing event," she said. "The use of the technology in the operating room, the visualizations used and referenced throughout the full 27-hour period, was really something I had not seen or experienced before. It really was a testament to how important it is to continue to evolve these technologies to get closer to the hands of the surgeons and the surgical team that uses them."

Read the rest here:

How 3-D technology helped surgeons separate conjoined twins - CNN

Photograph by Mehau Kulyk/SPL Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

Self-driving cars and robots that can zoom on their own around warehouses are just some of what's possible because of artificial intelligence. But expect unforeseen consequences if researchers ignore the inherent ethical dilemmas in the emerging technology.

Thats one of the takeaways from a panel about AI ethics and education in San Francisco that was hosted by the Future of Life Institute , a research group focused on preventing societal problems created by the technology.

Although humans typically program AI-powered robots to accomplish a particular goal, these robots will typically make decisions on their own to reach the goal, explained Benjamin Kuipers, a computer science professor and AI researcher at the University of Michigan.

Get Data Sheet , Fortunes technology newsletter.

Its these smaller decisions that robots make on their own that can cause trouble because human programmers may fail to take all of a robot's possible choices into account, Kuipers said.

This is not the robot apocalypse, said Kuipers. What were seeing here are robots pursuing human-generated goals in unconstrained ways.

Kuipers did not cite a specific example of a robot making a harmful decision that its human programmers overlooked. Instead, he cited the Disney animated film Fantasia as an example of what technologists need to take into account when building their robots.

In Fantasia , Mickey Mouse, as a young wizard apprentice, magically commands a broom to fill a cauldron with water. When Mickey falls asleep, however, the broom ends up flooding the room because the untrained wizard failed to take in account that the broom would continue to fill the cauldron even after it was full.

Illah Nourbakhsh, a robotics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said that educators need to teach computer science and robotics students a basic understanding of ethics, because the technologies they are creating are so powerful that they are actually changing society. He cited the examples of drones being used in warfare and AI technologies being used in advertising as ways cutting-edge technology is being used on a global scale and changing consumer behavior.

Having a basic understanding of ethics can help technologists better understand the potential ramifications of the AI-powered software and robotics they are creating, he explained. One ethical dilemma he cited is how robotics can increase factory productivity; while this may lead to a boost in a nation's GDP, it can also increase the wage gap between the poor and the rich.

For more about AI, watch:

Nourbakhsh does not believe that technology is neutral, and that it is ultimately up to other people to determine how it should be used, for better or worse.

Technologists should think about how their creations will impact society and even the choice of words they use to describe them. For example, calling the technology that powers self-driving cars either a safety-enhancing system or a labor-saving system has big consequences for how society perceives the technology, he explained.

Go here to read the rest:

How Powerful AI Technology Can Lead to Unforeseen Disasters - Fortune

Fort Worth Star Telegram

Texas transportation leaders scramble to keep up with car technology Fort Worth Star Telegram He predicted driverless-car technology would be in widespread use in 20 to 30 years, potentially shaking up the entire economy of Texas and other states. It will be more disruptive than the invention of the car itself, said Frey, senior futurist at ... and more »

Follow this link:

Texas transportation leaders scramble to keep up with car technology - Fort Worth Star Telegram

If you're too lazy to pick up a remote control someday your problem will be solved.

Dozens of companies are working on technology that will allow humans to control computers, prosthetic limbs and televisions using only their brain.

One such company is Freer Logic and Changhong Electric Company. I stumbled across their exhibit at CES this year and it kind of blew my mind.

"This is a neuro-bio monitor technology," developer Peter Freer told me. He had a man sitting on a couch in front of a television as I walked by. On screen was a driving simulator that the man was controlling. He didn't have a remote control in his hand, Freer said he was using his brain to move the car down the road.

"It's the first time in history we've been able to monitor brain activity from a distance without touching it," he said.

Brain and mind control technology is relatively new but almost all of that technology requires a person to strap on a headband. Freer Logic's sensors were built in a headrest and if you're head is close enough to it, around 1 foot or less, the sensors can tell whether you're paying attention to something or not.

"We can monitor his brain state without every touching him," Freer said.

As I watched the man use the simulator he merely focused on the screen to make the video play with the car driving down a road. When Peter and I talked, the man became distracted from the simulator. As he did the video stopped.

Freer said the company is developing the technology further and is working with automobile manufacturers and their OEMs to implement it in vehicles for safety.

"We can develop a drowsiness algorithm so we can detect when truck drivers or people driving their cars get drowsy before their eyes start to droop," Free said.

Seeing this technology in action is, well, mind-blowing but it's almost here for consumers.

Last week it was reported that Netflix has been talking with developers about brain controlled technology that would allow its customers to search for a movie by just thinking of it.

Read more here:

What the Tech: Neuro-Bio Monitor Technology - KFDX

Latest Articles

The tech worlds pushback against President Trumps policies is set to escalate if, as expected, he signs an executive order concerning H-1B visa holders.

By PUI-WING TAM

Microsoft intends to make sure the current version of Windows on your PC is always the newest version of its operating system.

By J. D. BIERSDORFER

A Syrian refugees 2015 picture with Germanys chancellor came to symbolize her decision to welcome migrants. But it has been used to falsely link him to terrorism.

By MELISSA EDDY

In a court filing, nearly 100 technology companies cited the tremendous impact of immigrants on the United States in opposing the Trump immigration ban.

By DAVID STREITFELD

Nearly 100 technology companies said that President Trumps temporary ban on all visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries would violate both immigration law and the United States Constitution.

Tech companies say the H-1B program is needed to find highly skilled employees. But it has also been used to lower labor costs and cut jobs.

By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI and NELSON D. SCHWARTZ

The San Francisco company produced the last-minute piece when its executives learned last week that advertising spots were still available.

By KATIE BENNER

The company has quickly become a player in the industry, as a new ad for Frank Oceans Blonde highlights, by attracting independent artists who like to collaborate.

By BEN SISARIO

Ajit Pai, the new head of the commission, has taken aim at the key components and consumer protections in President Obamas internet policies.

By CECILIA KANG

The tech industry was in an uproar over President Trumps immigration order, but Silicon Valleys most noted Trump supporter was unfazed. Hes applied for New Zealand citizenship.

By FARHAD MANJOO and MIKE ISAAC

The pop star said on Twitter that Giuseppe Zanotti has used her name in its designs without offering her payment or a collaboration in exchange.

By VALERIYA SAFRONOVA

The United States no longer has a strategic monopoly on a technology that is widely seen as the key factor in the next generation of warfare.

By JOHN MARKOFF and MATTHEW ROSENBERG

It may take an extra step or two to use your phone, but the devices optional security tools can help protect your personal information.

Ubers chief executive told employees he was leaving a presidential advisory council after intense criticism from customers and employees.

By JIM KERSTETTER

Email from Travis Kalanick, chief of Uber, announcing that he was stepping down from President Trumps economic advisory council.

The venture capital firm is run by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, President Trumps son-in-law and adviser.

By KATIE BENNER

Public offerings by Google, Facebook and other technology companies created paths for a lucky few to become billionaires. Snaps offering looks to be no exception.

By KATIE BENNER and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED

Investors have long been generous with Amazon. But lower-than-expected quarterly revenue growth dropped the companys share price more than 4 percent.

By NICK WINGFIELD

Mr. Rosens legacy as an electrical engineer and inventor is the roughly 600 geostationary satellites that handle TV signals, GPS tracking information and other data.

By ZACH WICHTER

Disclosures showed strong growth in revenue and the number of daily users of Snapchat.

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

The tech worlds pushback against President Trumps policies is set to escalate if, as expected, he signs an executive order concerning H-1B visa holders.

By PUI-WING TAM

Microsoft intends to make sure the current version of Windows on your PC is always the newest version of its operating system.

By J. D. BIERSDORFER

A Syrian refugees 2015 picture with Germanys chancellor came to symbolize her decision to welcome migrants. But it has been used to falsely link him to terrorism.

By MELISSA EDDY

In a court filing, nearly 100 technology companies cited the tremendous impact of immigrants on the United States in opposing the Trump immigration ban.

By DAVID STREITFELD

Nearly 100 technology companies said that President Trumps temporary ban on all visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries would violate both immigration law and the United States Constitution.

Tech companies say the H-1B program is needed to find highly skilled employees. But it has also been used to lower labor costs and cut jobs.

By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI and NELSON D. SCHWARTZ

The San Francisco company produced the last-minute piece when its executives learned last week that advertising spots were still available.

By KATIE BENNER

The company has quickly become a player in the industry, as a new ad for Frank Oceans Blonde highlights, by attracting independent artists who like to collaborate.

By BEN SISARIO

Ajit Pai, the new head of the commission, has taken aim at the key components and consumer protections in President Obamas internet policies.

By CECILIA KANG

The tech industry was in an uproar over President Trumps immigration order, but Silicon Valleys most noted Trump supporter was unfazed. Hes applied for New Zealand citizenship.

By FARHAD MANJOO and MIKE ISAAC

The pop star said on Twitter that Giuseppe Zanotti has used her name in its designs without offering her payment or a collaboration in exchange.

By VALERIYA SAFRONOVA

The United States no longer has a strategic monopoly on a technology that is widely seen as the key factor in the next generation of warfare.

By JOHN MARKOFF and MATTHEW ROSENBERG

It may take an extra step or two to use your phone, but the devices optional security tools can help protect your personal information.

Ubers chief executive told employees he was leaving a presidential advisory council after intense criticism from customers and employees.

By JIM KERSTETTER

Email from Travis Kalanick, chief of Uber, announcing that he was stepping down from President Trumps economic advisory council.

The venture capital firm is run by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, President Trumps son-in-law and adviser.

By KATIE BENNER

Public offerings by Google, Facebook and other technology companies created paths for a lucky few to become billionaires. Snaps offering looks to be no exception.

By KATIE BENNER and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED

Investors have long been generous with Amazon. But lower-than-expected quarterly revenue growth dropped the companys share price more than 4 percent.

By NICK WINGFIELD

Mr. Rosens legacy as an electrical engineer and inventor is the roughly 600 geostationary satellites that handle TV signals, GPS tracking information and other data.

By ZACH WICHTER

Disclosures showed strong growth in revenue and the number of daily users of Snapchat.

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continue reading here:

Technology - The New York Times

Forbes

In This Year's Super Bowl Of Technology, Intel Led The Way With A Sky Full Of Drones Forbes While creatively, this year's crop of Super Bowl ads was lackluster, Super Bowl advertisers pushed the edge of the envelope technologically, trying out the newest technologieseither using or showcasing things like virtual reality and artificial ... Yes, those were drones in Lady Gaga's Super Bowl halftime showCBC.ca all 2,447 news articles »

See the original post here:

In This Year's Super Bowl Of Technology, Intel Led The Way With A Sky Full Of Drones - Forbes

Learning From Last Year: Technology Funding Outlooks For 2017 Forbes Do these signs point to another burst, another shock wave through technology similar to what happened in 2000? I don't think so. And what will the funding climate look like in 2017? I think it will be calmer and less risky. My thoughts are based on ...

More:

Learning From Last Year: Technology Funding Outlooks For 2017 - Forbes

Justin Kirk as Gideon Reeves in APB.

Fox

APB, which premieres Monday on Fox, tells the story of Gideon Reeves (Justin Kirk), a tech billionaire who takes over the 13th Precinct of the Chicago Police Department after seeing firsthand how ill-equipped the force is to fight crime. As part of his administration, Reeves gives the cops cool toys and technology, like protective body suits; stun guns with lethal and nonlethal settings; souped-up, bulletproof cars; and lots and lots of drones. In the real world, serious conversations are taking place about how law enforcement uses cutting-edge technology like Stingrays and predictive policing based on algorithms.

June Thomas is a Slate culture critic and editor of Outward, Slates LGBTQ section.

I spoke with co-showrunner Matt Nix, who also created the USA thriller Burn Notice, about the equipment Reeves hands to the cops, and the policy implications of privatizing policing.

June Thomas: In APB, an arrogant billionaire takes a job hes really not qualified for. I dont know if you expected the show to be quite so topical.

Mat Nix: Whatever do you mean!

It is based on reality, though, right?

Yeah, its inspired by a true story of a wealthy man in New Orleans who had been the victim of some burglaries. After battling with the city over police protection, he decided to fund a small police force within the police force that would patrol the center of town, and he made an app so you could report crimes. Its certainly not the same, but it did demonstrate that this was something that could really happen, and did really happenwhere someone decided to fund an upgrade to the police force.

Which of the technologies on the show are really possible?

In the pilot, there are drones that are weaponized with Tasers. That has never been done by a police force, but its done in the military. Those things exist right now. Although they look futuristic, there are no technical obstacles to making a drone that has a loudspeaker on it and a mic and can fire a Taser. We have weapons that have lethal and nonlethal settingsthats one place where we took a certain amount of license, in the sense that theres not currently a Taser bullet that carries enough charge to do that.

In guiding the technology in the show, the kinds of liberties we took were the practical liberties of how long something might take. For example, in the third episode, Gideon uses a chair from the aerospace division of his company that reads biofeedback from pilots to monitor their stress levels. He repurposes the monitors into an interrogation chair, which allows them to passively monitor the stress levels of the suspect. Are there seats in rockets and aircraft that monitor the stress level of the pilots? Absolutely, thats something that exists. Can you rip all that out of a chair and install it in an interrogation chair in the space of a few hours? That might be difficult. But everything is basically possible based on contemporary technology, and the license we take is that we allow ourselves to do it a little bit more quickly. Then again, one of the conceits of the show is that hes not limited by money.

The truth is: The major obstacle to the use of police drones in the real city of Chicago is the Federal Aviation Administration. They wont let you fly drones in certain areas, so thats another thing where were allowing that, off screen, somehow, Gideon has made his way through that bureaucracy and made it possibleor hes just paying fines all the time!

Lets talk about those policy restrictions. In the pilot, I dont remember much discussion of warrants. When the drones are out chasing the bad guys, theyre also doing some very intrusive surveillance.

Its definitely something we address more deeply as the series goes on. Whatever you think of Donald Trump, one thing thats clear is that hes a guy who is really frustrated with the nature of government, red tape, and bureaucratic obstacles. He was partially elected on a platform of cutting through those things. In the real world, well see if hes successful, but in the world of the show, one of the things that we explore is the idea of this guy who has been running his own business and has been able to do pretty much whatever he wanted suddenly being forced to realize that just because something is technically possible, that doesnt make it right

Lets talk about the equipment the 13th Precinct hasbody armor, special guns, powerful cars. Ive heard police departments complain that they cant compete with the materiel that criminals have. Isnt it just as much of a nightmare that the bad guys will get their hands on the kind of technology that Reeves makes available?

With regard to weaponry, it was a priority for us to not portray this as a militarized police force. This is a civilian police force with enhanced equipment. Its not that they are getting more powerful guns. They are getting more capable guns. Theyre getting guns that can fire Taser rounds when necessary and lethal rounds when necessary. Frankly, we might want criminals to get their hands on those kinds of guns.

Im not terribly worried about criminals getting their hands on algorithms.

A lot of what were exploring is the capabilities of big data and networking. We do it in a TV-friendly, graphics-on-a-screen kind of way, but a lot of it is data analysis. In the second episode, one of the big innovations is that the police are going to set up a perimeter, and Adathe computer scientistsays, Why dont we figure out the optimal path for people to drive through this area so that we always have units at the mathematically closest point to possible targets rather than just setting up a big circle? Thats math.

There are certain areas, like drones, where the question of an arms race between the police and the criminals is real. The cops have bulletproof cars with powerful engines, they have this body armor, and they have these gunsbut most of the show is just about being smarter. Im not terribly worried about criminals getting their hands on algorithms.

One other thing that we explore really in every episode is the limitations of the technology. We realized very early on is that the recipe for a very boring show is: Theres a problem, Gideon gets a toy, and the toy fixes the problem.Technology by itself doesnt solve anything. Its how its deployed.

When CSI was big, there were anecdotal reports that juries came to expect CSI-like forensic evidence, and if they werent provided it, they werent willing to bring a conviction. Are you worried that APB might lead cities or individual citizens to demand the kind of equipment and algorithms that the cops at the 13th Precinct have?

Im not too worried that people will say, Why dont we have a billionaire?

This is coming no matter what. The question isnt Is this going to be portrayed in television? or Are people going to get used to the idea of police using drones? The answer to that, whether APB is on the air or not, is absolutely yes, The question is not whether its going to be portrayed on TV but how its going to be portrayed, and are we doing that responsibly. Are we presenting these things as easy answers? Are we presenting civil rightsquestions of due processas bureaucratic red tape to be brushed aside by people who know better? Or are we presenting those as real issues to be grappled with and balanced and dealt with? In the confines of a show that has a lot of action, where people crack wisewere not a documentarythat is something we try to be very conscious of and make sure that whenever we show these things that are coming, we acknowledge that theres another side to it. We always remind the audience that technology is only as good as the people behind it.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

This article is part of Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.

View original post here:

How the New Fox Show APB Approaches Police Technology - Slate Magazine

Science Daily

Prosthetic arm technology detects spinal nerve signals Science Daily To control the prosthetic, the patient has to think like they are controlling a phantom arm and imagine some simple manoeuvres, such as pinching two fingers together. The sensor technology interprets the electrical signals sent from spinal motor ... and more »

View original post here:

Prosthetic arm technology detects spinal nerve signals - Science Daily

'Be the player' technology. (photo credit:INTEL)

As New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons fans gritted their teeth on Sunday night during the first Super Bowl to end in overtime, they could connect closer than ever to their favorite teams through an innovative Israeli technology.

While watching the game on their TV screens, fans were able to Be the Player experiencing first-downs and fumbles from the players point of view through Intels 360 Replay, developed in Israel. At the game in Houston, 38 cameras were installed throughout the stadium, generating immersive experiences for viewers without requiring players to wear devices on their facemasks or jerseys.

This technology is absolutely changing the game, said Intels sports group general manager James Carwana, in a video press release prior to the Super Bowl. Fans are going to be able to watch the game not just from the sidelines, but from the center of the field. Its an incredible medium that creates amazing new sports experiences.

Be the Player is based on the free-D feature developed by the Israeli company Replay Technologies, which was acquired by Intel last March.

The 38 individual 5K cameras devices with a resolution of 5,000 pixels were installed all around the stadium, streaming live to an Intel server on site, explained Jeff Hopper, Intels general manager for immersive experiences, also in the video. The data are then processed in real-time to produce the Be the Player clips.

Think of it as a big cloud of data of everything that goes on the field, and that youre able to go into that cloud of data and see from any angle what you want to see, Hopper said.

By digitizing the entire arena, the Intel technology creates a three-dimensional voxel or cube instead of a two-dimensional pixel, according to Carwana.

The system produces 15- to 30-second replays aired during live broadcasts that each require about 1 terabyte of data and are available from about a minute to a minute-and-a-half from the moment they occur on the field, according to Intel. The result is a virtual reality service that FOX Sports, which broadcast the game, described as a video game-like experience.

We tasked Intel to push their amazing Intel 360 Replay technology to the limit of what it could do, using their array of cameras circling the stadium to synthesize a players view on the field, Michael Davies, FOX Sports senior vice president of field and technical operations said in a statement in mid-January. The cameras, backed up by a huge bank of Intel computing power, allow a moment to be recreated in 3D space, so that a virtual camera can be placed at the players eye line not unlike how limitless camera views can be created in video games.

Ahead of the Super Bowl, Intel published a commercial featuring Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with the tagline: Intel 360 Replay makes anything look epic literally anything. The ad showed Brady and his dog waking up, after which the quarterback performed a series of mundane activities like yawning, brushing his teeth, flipping pancakes and eating all from a variety of very detailed perspectives.

Wait till you see it in the game, the ad concludes, with a final glimpse of Brady on his way to the toilet, magazine in hand. The 360 Replay technology was initially showcased at the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, creating a seamless 3-D video rendering of the court using 28 ultra high-definition cameras positioned around the arena and connected to Intel servers, the company said at the time. The system enabled broadcasters to give fans a 360-degree view of key plays, such as slam-dunks, blocks and steals.

Sports for decades has been delivered to fans in the same way youve got one broadcast going out and it goes to millions and millions and millions of people, Carwana said. Its a beautiful production, but its not my production. Theres an opportunity now to personalize the experience of a sport.

Relevant to your professional network? Please share on Linkedin

Prev Article

Rihanna the rhino gives birth to first calf at Israeli zoo

Read this article:

Israeli technology let Super Bowl fans see plays at face mask level - Jerusalem Post Israel News