Monday 20 May 2019

Experimental brain-controlled hearing aid decodes, identifies who you want to hear

Our brains have a remarkable knack for picking out individual voices in a noisy environment, like a crowded coffee shop or a busy city street. This is something that even the most advanced hearing aids struggle to do. But now Columbia engineers are announcing an experimental technology that mimics the brain's natural aptitude for detecting and amplifying any one voice from many. Powered by artificial intelligence, this brain-controlled hearing aid acts as an automatic filter, monitoring wearers' brain waves and boosting the voice they want to focus on.

* This article was originally published here

New measurement device: Carbon dioxide as geothermometer

For the first time, it is now possible to measure, simultaneously and with extreme precision, four rare molecular variants of carbon dioxide (CO2) using a novel laser instrument. It is thus able to measure the temperature during the formation of CO2-binding carbonates and carbonaceous fossils completely independently of other parameters. As a new type of geothermometer, the laser-spectroscopy-based measurement device is significant for scientific disciplines investigating, for example, climatic conditions in Earth's history. It was developed by a German-French research team, with substantial contributions from environmental physicists at Heidelberg University.

* This article was originally published here

CDC: Salmonella outbreaks linked to backyard poultry

(HealthDay)—Backyard flocks of live poultry have been linked with Salmonella outbreaks that have sickened 52 people in 21 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

* This article was originally published here

Augmented reality affects people's behavior in the real world

As major technology firms race to roll out augmented reality products, Stanford researchers are learning how it affects people's behavior – in both the physical world and a digitally enhanced one.

* This article was originally published here

AlterEgo opens silent spring of computer connections via wearable

OK, we get it. Artificial intelligence experts are on a fast clip from year to year, month to month, showing off what their research can promise. But could it be that we have reached that stage in human-computer interaction, where you can think of a question —— without saying a word— and the machine will respond with the answer?

* This article was originally published here

'Spidey senses' could help autonomous machines see better

What if drones and self-driving cars had the tingling "spidey senses" of Spider-Man?

* This article was originally published here

Study aims to improve capturing wind power for energy production

Scientists have released the first of several reports outlining major results that could help wind industry officials manage wind power facilities more efficiently and increase renewable energy production.

* This article was originally published here

Stress from work, home can harm women's hearts

Even with supportive spouses, many women still find themselves helping the kids with homework and cleaning up household messes, often while scrambling to make dinner after a 10-hour workday filled with deadlines and challenging colleagues.

* This article was originally published here