McDonald's In Dutchland Deters Robbers By Spraying Them With A Synthetic DNA Mist

A McDonald's in Rotterdam, the Netherlands employs the ultimate in "high-tech" security technology. They use a system that sprays robbers with a synthetic DNA laced Mist, while notifying the police at the same time. 

The mist, which can only be seen under ultraviolet light has little DNA markers in it so the police can trace the robber back to the specific location. So If you get sprayed at this McDonald's, you will get traced back to the same McDonald's.

Outside of the McDonald's there is a sign that proudly says, "You Steal, You’re Marked.” Also on that sign there is the word "DNA", which nobody really knows what the hell it means and is likely to scare the shit out of would-be criminals because they think "DNA" and "getting caught" go hand in hand. Which they do.

The lesson here kids is: Don't steal! Especially if you live in Rotterdam.

Crap. Now I can't load up my pockets with those ketchup packets anymore!

As of today, the police in Rotterdam have not made any arrest with the use of the DNA Mist. However, they hope that not only will it help in capturing criminals, but also scaring them from commiting a crime in the first place.

What do you think? Is this a good method to catch those pesky criminals?
Source: TheNewYorkTimes

More Interesting Stories:

• This Robot Can Wash Your Hair While Squeezing Out Your Brains
• Genetically Altered Salmon May Hit Store Shelves Near You
• This Robot Can Wash Your Hair While Squeezing Out Your Brains
• 5 Ways Humans Can Become Immortal
• Researchers Developing Method To Heal Bright Light Damaged Eyes 

Read More >>

Researchers Developing Method To Heal Bright Light Damaged Eyes

Researchers from the Australian National University at the Vision Center have developed a method to heal bright-light damaged eyes.

The process involves using NIR ( near-infrared light) to trigger the eye to naturally heal itself. How the eye heals itself naturally is beyond me. You will have to refer to the scientists behind the research for that information.

Since experimental trials on animals have shown success, the scientists involved in the research are currently in the process of beginning human trials as soon as possible.

Although the main factor for the scientists is to get the NIR treatment to be successful on human patients, other aspects are important like, making the treatment cheaper and more easily accessible.

“Now work has begun on the use of red light in human patients. Testing the effect of the light treatment is one aspect of this work, the other is to develop devices that are more accessible, more convenient and cheaper for patients to use.” Said ANU scientist, Dr. Krisztina Valter.

Prevention is still king when dealing with bright-light eye damage. And Dr. Valter suggests that you should wear sun glasses at all times when dealing with light that could be bright enough to damage your eyes, for example, the sun (please don't look at the sun) and welding (I know that from personal experience... don't ask).

But there are times when you just can't avoid the damage and that's when NIR treatment comes in. Once they get the kinks out of the use of NIR, people with bright-light damaged eyes will have some new options in treating their eyes.
Source: Physorg

Related Stories:

• Scientists Developing Microchip Device That Could Help Heal Brain Damage
• Genetically Altered Salmon May Hit Store Shelves Near You
• Brain Damage From Stroke May Not Be Permanent 
• 5 Ways Humans Can Become Immortal

Read More >>

New LED Lights Can Be Implanted Under Skin

Have you ever wanted your own "light up" tattoo? What about a watch that was built into your skin? Maybe you want glowing fingers like ET? New LED (light-emitting diodes) lights developed by University of Illinois researcher, John Rogers and his colleges--are so flexible and thin--they can be implanted under the skin.

The ultra-thin LEDs were primarily designed for medical purposes only. For example, using them to light up when blood sugar gets too high/low, or to monitor drugs in the body and ect.

“The applications we’re interested in mostly include interfaces with the human body,” explains John Rogers.

Unlike usual LED lights, which are very brittle and break easily, these new LEDs can be bent by up to 720 degrees without any damage. To allow for such flexibility, the super tiny LEDs (100 microns across and 2.5 microns thick) are placed on stretchable electronic sheets. Not only are the ultra-flexible but they are also waterproof.

Now I'm sure these will come in very handy for medical purposes, but do you think that's where this technology will end? I sure don't.

I can already see the days when people will be using them for super-awesome glowing tattoos and pet lovers will use them to create fancy "light up" pets, or sex freaks will use them you know where. Heck, you could even create your own Avatar style light glitter if you wanted too. The opportunities are endless!

I think it would be cool to implant some red ones in your face and make them light up only when your mad.  So when you do get mad, your face will glow red!

(ScientificAmerican)

Related Stories:
Scientists Developing Microchip Device That Could Help Heal Brain Damage
Genetically Altered Salmon May Hit Store Shelves Near You
Brain Damage From Stroke May Not Be Permanent 
Dog's Head Kept Alive Without A Body 
Toshiba Releasing 3D TVs That Don't Require Glasses

Read More >>

The Singing And Dancing Human-like Robot 'HRP-4C'

The HRP-4C Japanese humanoid robot has one special talent. It can sing! The robot was demonstrated at Japan's CEATEC (Comprehensive IT and Electronics Comprehensive Exhibition) 2010 trade show and was developed by AIST (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology).

The singing robot, which is nicknamed "Diva Bot", can sing beautifully while making extremely realistic facial expressions. She is about five feet, two inches tall and sings so damn well, she may make Simon Cowell think twice about leaving American Idol.

To make Miss Divabot (maybe it's a Mrs., who knows.) look so realistic while singing, she uses a new technology created by researchers, called Vocawatcher. Vocawatcher records video of a real human singer and translates the facial expressions directly into HRP-4C. So when a singer opens their mouth, blinks or moves an eyebrow,  the robot will copy the movements.

For the singing sound, the robot uses another new technology called VocalListener, which takes sound and synthesizes it into a computer. It's like one of those voice changing toys for kids, just way better. Last year (2009) they used Vocaloid, a voice synthesizer created by Yamaha but this year they decided to take it up a notch with VocalListener.

The video explains it all.



Is it just me or is this the type of thing that comes and eats out your brains in the middle of the night? I mean, don't get me wrong, I find this robot very attractive. But she is also so freaking scary at the same time!

Related Stories:
Upgrade 'XO2' Robot Suit One Step Closer To 'Iron Man'
This Robot Can Wash Your Hair While Squeezing Out Your Brains
Bird-like Aircraft Flaps Wings To Sustain Flight
Scientists Working On Technology That Extracts Electricity From The Air 
Genetically Altered Salmon May Hit Store Shelves Near You

Read More >>

Woman Has Baby From Embryo Frozen For 20 Years

A 42 year old woman has recently given birth to a healthy baby boy from an embryo that was frozen for 20 years. The baby was born back in May, 2010 and weighed 6lbs 15 oz. The baby was conceived by In Vitro Fertilization (a process involving extracting eggs from the ovaries and fertilizing it with sperm).


The lady who gave birth to the boy has been trying to conceive a child for many years, according to her doctor, Dr. Sergio Oehninger. She was implanted with two 20 year-old embryos, but only one of them made it to full term. Originally there was four of them but only 2 made it through the thawing process.

Her doctor claims that  having embryos frozen for such a long time shouldn't have an impact on their quality. In fact, he says that they could probably be frozen for much longer, under the right laboratory conditions.

Another doctor, Dr. Sherman Silber, who is head of the infertility center of St. Louis, says giving birth from an embryo that was frozen for 20 years isn't really that big of a deal.

"The case is no big deal. We have lots of babies born from embryos that had been frozen over 15 years earlier. There is no legitimate shelf life limit to frozen embryos, or eggs or ovarian tissue for that matter," he explained to AOL Health.
 
I don't think I've ever met anyone that was 20 years old from the moment of birth!

Source: Journal Fertility and Sterility, Physorg.

Related Stories:

• Scientists Developing Microchip Device That Could Help Heal Brain Damage
• Genetically Altered Salmon May Hit Store Shelves Near You
• Brain Damage From Stroke May Not Be Permanent 
• Dog's Head Kept Alive Without A Body 

Read More >>

Scientists Developing Microchip Device That Could Help Heal Brain Damage

Scientists are developing a microchip device that could help heal damage in the brain. The microchip, which is about the size of a quarter, may help guide the proper connections in the brain, following severe head trauma.

The scientists working on the device are Pedram Mohseni, from Case Western Reserve University and Randolph J. Nudo, from Kansas University Medical Center.

About a month after brain injury, the brain is trying really hard to redevelop itself. During that time it is sending signals throughout the brain and trying desperately to adapt around the damaged areas. With this microchip, scientists hope that they could "guide" the signals in the brain to make the right connections.

"The month following injury is a window of opportunity. We believe we can do this with an injured brain, which is very malleable," explains Pedram.

So I guess the brain is very "malleable" after recent brain injury. Neat-o.
Scientists call the device a brain-machine-brain interface.

They are experimenting and conducting researching with the device only on rat's at the moment. But they expect that to change in about 4 years, when they may advance to experimenting on primates.
Over the next 4 years the scientists hope to graduate from their rat experiments and begin work testing the technology on primates. And in 10 years they hope to be using it on human subjects if all goes well.

Am I the only one that thinks technology like this may lead to mind control machines? Just a thought.

source

Related Stories:

• Genetically Altered Salmon May Hit Store Shelves Near You
• Brain Damage From Stroke May Not Be Permanent 
• Dog's Head Kept Alive Without A Body 

Read More >>

Upgraded 'XOS 2' Robotic Suit Is One Step Closer To 'Iron Man'

Do you want an Iron Man suit of your own? If you do. Join the club!

How about the next best thing?

Meet the Raytheon XOS 2, a wearable exoskeleton robotic suit that can climb stairs, lift upwards of 200 pounds, walk at speeds up to 3.5mph and punch through 3 inches of solid wood! It's no Iron Man, but is still damn awesome! Que AC/DC music.

The Raytheon XOS 2 is the second, upgraded version of the previous XOS 1, which was owned by Sacros at that time. Raytheon (a major US defense contractor) bought the company and gave the exoskeleton robot some really nifty upgrades.

The first thing they changed was the power consumption. It now uses 50% less power and is lighter, faster, stronger than its previous version. Even with the power consumtion reduced, the suit's biggest problem is still its power source. For the time being, it will need to be tethered to a cable for power. However, Raytheon plans to develop some kind of internal engine, eventually.

The suit was designed to help out by enabling soldiers to lift things without getting tired. Repeated lifting can put strain on the human body, causing injuries. One person operating the suit can do the work equivalent to about 3 soldiers. 

You could expect see the XOS 2 on a soldier in about 5 years. Watch the video below to get a better view of the thing. If the idea of a robotic suits gives you the chills. Here are some words of advice:

Human life is destined to be destroyed by autonomous robots no matter what. So don't worry, enjoy the ride!


Source: Nextbigfuture

Related Stories:

1. This Robot Can Wash Your Hair While Squeezing Out Your Brains
2. Bird-like Aircraft Flaps Wings To Sustain Flight
3. Scientists Working On Technology That Extracts Electricity From The Air 
4. Genetically Altered Salmon May Hit Store Shelves Near You

Read More >>

Toshiba Releasing 3D TV's That Don't Require Glasses

Toshiba's 12 inch glasses-free 3D TV. Credit: Toshiba

At around the end of December, 2010, Toshiba will release special 3D TV's that wont require any glasses. The 3D technology comes as one of the world's first.

From Toshiba's news release:
"The new 3D TVs with no need for glasses employ an integral imaging system and a perpendicular lenticular sheet to display smooth, natural images, and Toshiba's image processing technology to create nine parallax images from the original content and create to 3D images. The result is precise rendering of high quality 3D images whatever the viewing angle within the viewing zone. "

2 different sizes will be available for purchase (in Japan). A 12 inch model will cost you $1,450 and the 20 inch will cost you $2,900. They certainly aren't cheap but at least you can ditch those stupid glasses.

Is the price tag worth not wearing glasses? Probably not. Okay... absolutely not.

And the size of them is pretty laughable don't you think? Who buys 20 inch TV's anymore? Heck, my Kindle is bigger than that! Okay not really, but you get the point.

However, I bet once they get the smaller sets on the market, bigger sets will become available. But if a 20 inch is almost 3 thousand dollars, how much will a 55 inch be? A million?

I guess when they release bigger models and the price drops to a reasonable amount, it will all come down to the quality of the 3D images. If they are good, that's when I may consider purchasing one.

A step in the right direction
Even with my criticism I still give a salute to Toshiba for developing the TV's. It's definitely a step in the right direction!

If you want to get down and dirty with all of the details--read Toshiba's news release.

Don't Miss These:
New Research Suggests Brain Damage From Stroke Might Not Be Permanent
This Robot Can Wash Your Hair While Squeezing out Your Brains
Bird-like Aircraft Flaps Wings To Sustain Flight
Scientists Working On Technology That Extracts Electricity From The Air
Genetically Altered Salmon May Hit Store Shelves Near You

Read More >>

New Research Suggests Brain Damage From Stroke Might Not Be Permanent

A study currently being conducted by University of South Carolina researchers suggests that brain damage from a stroke might not be so permanent after all.

26 stroke sufferers with brain damage that left them with a speech disorder were put through 30 hours of speech therapy. Before and after each therapy session, they had their brains scanned with something called functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), which can measure things like blood flow in the brain and spinal cord.

Out of those 26 stroke victims, researchers found a nice improvement in speech function in one-third of the patients. However, it's also worth noting that half of the patients didn't show any improvement at all.

What the study uncovered in the stroke patients where their speech function had improved was that the brain can adapt its surrounding healthy cells to make up for the damaged ones. In some cases, the brain can actually shift the function of the damaged area to a nearby healthy area.

I guess another good way to explain it is that the damaged cells, "call their neighbors for help". Sometimes they come to help, sometimes they don't. Typical neighbors, right?

"The areas that are immediately around the section of the brain that was damaged become more 'plastic,' this 'plasticity,' so to speak, increases around the brain lesions and supports recovery," Said Julius Fridriksson, the lead USC researcher of the study.

This research gives new hope for stroke victims with brain damage from around the world. The long held belief that brain damage from stroke is permanent may not be true anymore. At least, that's what this research suggests.

The study will last another 2 years or so and Julius expects major breakthroughs in this science within the next 10 years. Let's hope he is right.
Source

Don't Miss These:
Scientists Working On Technology That Extracts Electricity From The Air
Genetically Altered Salmon May Hit Store Shelves Near You
Explore The Surface Of Mars With This New Interactive Map
Humanoid Robot 'Core' In Development
Water On Moon Could Mean A Moon Base Is On The Horizon

Read More >>