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Controlling Prosthetic Arm with Mind

Added Friday 04.12.2009

European scientists have successfully managed to build a robotic arm that can be controlled via thoughts from the user.

In an experiment conducted last year, Pierpaolo Petruzziello moved a prosthetic limb with just his brain for an entire month. Petruzziello was left without his left arm from the elbow down following a car accident several years ago but with the new technology, the 26- year-old was able to feel sensations in the artificial limb.

"It felt almost the same as a real hand. They stimulated me a lot, even with needles ... you can't imagine what they did to me," the AP quotes Petruzziello as saying.

Surgery to attach the prosthetic involved implanting electrodes into the nerves located in what remained of Petruzziello's arm. The AP reports that once connected to his nervous system, Petruzziello was able to master moving the limb within a few days. By the end of the experiment, the robotic arm was responding to 95 percent of the commands it received from Petruzziello's brain.

The experiment so far has cost $3 million and has taken 5 years. The next step is to develop a more long term prosthesis that can be implanted for longer periods.

Link to youtube here.

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Not running on all cylinders? Try some Dark Chocolate

Added Monday 16.11.2009

A new study has just been published that has presented a shining light for chocoalte, in particular dark chocolate.

A lot of us will know if you are going to have some chocolate make it dark chocolate as it is 'suppose' to be better for us. Well, now you can say it will almost absolute certainty. It suppose to have more anti-oxidants, etc etc... but... what for it... the recent two week study showed that eating 40g of dark chocolate lowered stress hormone levels.

Yes, thats right folks, dark chocolate improves your mood, it makes you happier! Bombshell!

At least now that it's basically offical, before your next exam, or meeting with the boss try some dark chocolate to lighten the mood and hopefully improve your day! Cheers!

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Some light relief - Math Style

Added Tuesday 29.09.2009

How hard can it be proving 28 divided by 13 doesn't equal 13?
Have a look at this classic clip for a quick laugh. Easy Maths

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Busy Beaver

Added Tuesday 29.09.2009
Sorry guys and gals for the delay between posts.
It's one of those funny things - you can be working away and a new opportunity suddenly decides to show it's face.
So that's basically what I have been busy with for the last few weeks. As I like to do some research before each post or article trying find time has been rather hard.
I having been looking into a new program - Reading Genius 2.0 which seems to be very interesting. Basically it's a speed reading course but involves a lot of mentally exercises, so good whether you are want to improve your reading speed or overall IQ.
Again, trying to scratch five minutes together has been a challenge so I've barely started the course but it is looking very promising. I'll try to post some outcomes and results shortly, so watch this space people!
In the mean time have fun with some of the new games! Enjoy!

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Breaking boundaries, achieving success

Added Thursday 27.08.2009

Most people know that a big part of being successful is having the right attitude or mindset. Whether it be in business or sport having a clear focus on what you want can make all the difference. It's one thing to know what we need to be successful, we can often spot these traits in successful people, but how do we go about getting the right mindset for ourselves? Well, funny enough there are techniques and methods to do this.

You will find a lot of successful business people and even athletes use techniques like visualisation. You may have heard how Tiger Woods visualises his golf stroke to make the perfect swing every time. You may have watched 'The Secret' explain how to attract success through visualising things like driving your dream car or seeing cheques appealing in the mail. There is a lot of market hype out there and lot of people trying to make a quick buck, but the truth is that visualisation is a very powerful tool and has been used to achieve success, improve health and even overcome phobias. The important thing is finding a method that works for you.

You might ask how can visualisation make me better at what I do? Well, visualisation is a mind technique that is like injecting caffeine into the brain without actually taking the caffeine. You have to remember that in the right state of mind we can achieve extraordinary things. How many people have heard the story or a similar story of a desperate mother lifting the weight of a car to save her child or baby? A true story that really impressed me of the power of the mind was of a champion weightlifter and his coach. With the weightlifters having several rounds or attempts to lift as heavier weight as possible one coach decide that he would 'trick' his weightlifter by telling him that the weight he was about to lift was lighter than it actually was. The weightlifter went onto lift the weight successfully and even lifting more than he even did because he believe it weighed the same as he normally lifted. The mind can sometimes be a restriction and we can limit ourselves by perceived boundaries, but it can also push us to new heights, we just need to know how to use it.

One visualisation technique I have come across is to visualise a normal task repeated times, each time in our minds seeing ourselves going further and further. Upon repeating the same task we can often find ourselves going further than we normally would. It is important to have a clear mind and free from scattered thoughts. Meditation and breathing can help reduce scattered thoughts - try to calm yourself and listen until you can hear the beat of your heart. There are many variations of visualisation techniques, try searching for some and then trying them yourself. Rather than mentally visualising you can draw pictures, write down and describe an ideal outcome, or even create a movie on your computer of you achieving your goals. Different things work for different people. These techniques can help you to focus your mind and body. If you play basketball try visualising ten times throwing a ball into a basket, then actually throw the ball, was it more accurate? There is a science behind this. It is said that doing this can stimulate the body and will actually help prepare the body for the task at hand.

I hope this has given you some food for thought, I would even love to hear from people already doing this. I hope to have some more techniques you can try in our Knowledge Centre soon.

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Gen X, Gen Y, Super Generation

Added Thursday 20.08.2009

The technology age, the computer age, it is certainly an interesting time we are currently living in. The progression of science and technology in recent years is simply amazing, and it's not until you sit back to look where we are heading that you realise the enormity and potential of the next human generation.

Yes, there has been lots of advances in technology - medicine, transportation, construction and many others. The most important would have to be communication - development of computers, and the arrival of the internet and mobile phones. There is so much information now available at our finger tips. If you don't know something you just 'google' it. If you compare this to only a short time ago you will find interestingly a lot of the material we were taught and studied at school or university is decades old. Maths and physics principles learnt from people like Sir Isaac Newton, English language principles and study techniques learnt from... ummm... some English dude. Well, the point being that not only as our understanding of science and our methods of learning have evolved but the way this new information is shared is faster and easier than ever before. There is so much information easily available, often freely available on the internet and no longer restricted to university libraries or journals. We are in the information age.

It's funny that kids growing up now are using computers at the age of 2 or 3 years old and will not know a world without computers, mobile phones, or even google. How will this really affect future generations? Well, the depth and range of knowledge that kids know these days is amazing. You no longer need to spend years or decades in one particular field to gain a good understanding. Look at some of the skills younger generations now have and what they are already achieving while still at school. Kids pulling apart computers, playing with electronics, programming games and software, making homemade chemistry setups, and even engineering race cars (really)!

The another interesting point about newer generations is it's completely unyielding and restless attitude, often referred to as generations always wanting more and more - bigger house, bigger car. Depending on your point of view this can be a good or bad thing, but regardless it's a catalyst that is pushing a new world revolution. People's attitudes are now to push themselves to do more and more, going beyond previous boundaries, and all the while being told you can achieve anything, just go and do it! Just look at the mass of entrepreneurs now out there, popping up everywhere, coming up with new ideas, and taking advantage of opportunities. Thinking outside the box is nothing new, it's now a requirement.

So, where does this lead us? A new generation with vast information at it's finger tips and an attitude fuelled by hunger. Hold onto your hats, the Super Generation is on it's way.

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New Website Features

Added Friday 07.08.2009

Over the last few days I have been tweaking and add a few extra features to our website. One of the more obvious ones would have been the slightly revised logo, making it look a little more 3d and swish. There is now a newsletter function for the website site, so you can stay in touch when new information hits the website and articles pages. You can join the newsletter by entering your details submitting on the main page.

I have also added a forum section where I invite you to leave any feedback, discuss topics, developments for game, or just a place to let your hair down for a laugh. Don't be afraid to leave any comments or start discussions as this site aims for bring FREE information to you.

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