Study & Research
By Waqas Hassan Sharif
Published [30th January 2015]
Spinal Cord implants can make paralyzed people walk
Doctors and medical researchers are working on a number of techniques to develop new devices that can enable paralysed people to walk on their own. The major hurdle researchers face is that most of the devices are too stiff and rigid to implant in the complex spinal region of the human body. Most of the implants ended up damaging the spinal cord, as they were stiff and unnatural. Swiss scientists have developed new E-Dura implants, made up of flexible electrodes. These implants comprise platinum and silicon micro beads. They are cracked with gold electronic tracks and fluidic microchannel, so electrical impulses of the spine can be replicated. They also contain chemicals that avoid friction when moving inside the spine. They were tested on paralyzed rats and the results achieved were quite astonishing. The rats were able to walk again after a few weeks. Trials on humans are still pending, but researchers believe they can be used to treat epilepsy, Parkinson and also spinal cord injuries.
Doctors and medical researchers are working on a number of techniques to develop new devices that can enable paralysed people to walk on their own. The major hurdle researchers face is that most of the devices are too stiff and rigid to implant in the complex spinal region of the human body. Most of the implants ended up damaging the spinal cord, as they were stiff and unnatural. Swiss scientists have developed new E-Dura implants, made up of flexible electrodes. These implants comprise platinum and silicon micro beads. They are cracked with gold electronic tracks and fluidic microchannel, so electrical impulses of the spine can be replicated. They also contain chemicals that avoid friction when moving inside the spine. They were tested on paralyzed rats and the results achieved were quite astonishing. The rats were able to walk again after a few weeks. Trials on humans are still pending, but researchers believe they can be used to treat epilepsy, Parkinson and also spinal cord injuries.
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Silicene` the new silicon?
According to the National Institute of Material Science, Japan, Silicene is the lightest and thinnest form of silicon. It possesses semiconductor like properties that can be used to develop even smaller electronic devices than we see today. A material, known as Graphene, was discovered in 2004, which was similar to silicon. After more research and analysis in Graphene, scientists renamed it Silicene. A report was published by scientists in Japan, in 1994, on the thinnest form of silicon. Silicon is the element that is used in integrated circuits and forms the basis of electronics and computers today.
Silicene is a single atom thick layer of carbon that can exhibit properties that of silicon and is known as the fastest carrier of electricity. However, what makes Silicene different is just not its size, but also the fact that it’s not completely a semiconductor; it can’t switch between conducting and non-conducting states. The drawback is that it cannot be used to develop switching devices, such as a transistor. This is why silicene is so exciting. In its freestanding form, this one-atom-thick layer of silicon atoms has graphene-like mobile carriers, as well and is metallic. On the other hand, for instance, by applying strain or an electric field, it could also be turned to behave like a semiconductor. This is because the structure could be easily modified or switched on the atomic scale. In addition, it would be compatible with already existing silicon-based circuitry. This is envisaged to lead to the development of even smaller electronics than those currently on the market.
NASA’s New Horizon all set for Pluto
NASA’s New Horizon space craft is ready for its long awaited encounter with Pluto. The space craft was launched in 2006 and aimed to discover Pluto and get a closer look at the dwarf planet. At the time of launch, it was the fastest space craft. It woke up last month from hibernation after making a journey of more than 3 billion miles. It will pass Pluto and its five known moons on 25 January, where a long range photo-shoot of the planet is expected.
The Geeky Glees
Apple Awarded “Protective mechanism for an electronic device” patent
The United States Patent and Trademark office (USPTO) has officially granted Apple with the patent which will be used to develop techniques to protect electronic devices from the damages caused by accidental drops. The most common are the crack screens we get to see on our smart phones and tablets.
According to the patent, Apple tends to achieve this by the use of position sensors, accelerometers, Gyroscopes, GPS, as well as Ultrasonic Sensors. The information gathered by these shall be used to compute the position of the device during freefall. The parameters that will be calculated would include location, time, drop speed and other metrics. The main idea would be then to control the motion of the device, whilst dropping by a motor that would enable it to drop on different angles such as side or back to prevent maximum damage. The motors are powerful enough to change the angular momentum and the landing angle of the device.
Surprisingly, Apple’s previous models prior to IPhone 6 and the IPhone 6 Plus incorporated such motors that could provide linear motion, meaning this technology could top the list for Apple`s next releases.
Dell Venue - 87000 series tablet
Dell recently launched its new Venue 87000 series super slim Android tablet which incorporates the new Intel Real sense depth camera. The tablet has an 8.4 inch screen and is just 0.24 inches thick. The display is OLED with FHD (2560x1600) resolution with 10-pt capacitive touch.
It comes with a 2.3 Intel atom processor, 2 GB of RAM, and is loaded with Android 4.4 Kit Kat operating system.
The major high of this tablet is the 8 MP camera. The Venue is the first device to feature the Real Sense camera. With this technology, though under development, is capable of doing 3D scanning, face detection and highly accurate gesture controls. The Venue camera also adds functionality to still photos. You can measure the distance between the objects and refocus the picture after shooting it.
Xbox + Playstation 4: the perfect combo for gamers
[image]Eddie Zarick, a fire firefighter from Florida, has solved the biggest problem that gamers face: to buy a Sony PlayStation, or an Xbox. Mr Zarick has combined Playstation4 and Xbox One into a laptop and given it a 22-inch 1080 screen and called it the PlayBox. The games are loaded in from either side. It comes with Ethernet and HDMI port for displays to larger screens. It has a switch that lets you select which console to go for. Unfortunately, only one console can operate at a time due to heating issues. The inventor also created the Xbook before that combines the Xbox 360 and Xbox One into one laptop.
ScienceSational Stuff:
Your ears secrete more earwax when you are afraid than when you aren’t.
The full cost of a space suit is about $11 million dollars, although 70 percent is backpack and the control module.
If the Earth were to become a black hole, its diameter would be 0.7 inches.
The full cost of a space suit is about $11 million dollars, although 70 percent is backpack and the control module.
If the Earth were to become a black hole, its diameter would be 0.7 inches.
Geek Alerts
Facebook has 157M monthly active users who only access the site via mobile devices.
Apple Stores were speculated to be a huge failure. They now have the one of the highest sales in retail.
Oracle, the company, was founded after the CIA scrapped a secret project also called Oracle.
Apple Stores were speculated to be a huge failure. They now have the one of the highest sales in retail.
Oracle, the company, was founded after the CIA scrapped a secret project also called Oracle.
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