Tony Podlaski

Author's posts

Minature Self-Assembling Robots

LiveScience.com has published an article regarding the research work done by Joseph Jacobson of the Molecular Machines group at MIT in developing minature robots that mimic the way living cells replicate DNA. In order for a cell to replicate it’s DNA, enzymes known as polymerases in the nucleus read the structure of the DNA and …

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Sony Releases AIBO ERS-7M3

Sony AIBO ERS-7M3

Sony released a new version of it’s popular robo-dog, the AIBO, last week. The ERS-7M3, which seems to only currently be available for order in Japan, retails at about $2300 USD. The important distinction between this model and the previous ERS-7M2 model is in the “M3” portion of it’s designation, referring to the fact it …

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MIT Plans for a $100 Linux Laptop

MIT's $100 Laptop

Nicholoas Negroponte, chairman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, spoke recently at their annual Emerging Technologies Conference confirming that MIT is planning to provide low cost computers to underprivileged children in developing countries globally as well as to students here in the U.S. The One Laptop per Child nonprofit group is the offshoot …

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A Robot That Preschoolers Can Call Their Own

Robosapien Junior

Gadget Madness is reporting today the first official sighting in the wild of the newest member of the Robosapien family, the Robosapien Junior by Playskool. Like it’s older siblings, the original Robosapien and the Mini Robosapien, Junior is one tough-looking robot. With “Bump-n-Giggle” technology (Hasbro’s term, not mine), it’s usefulness as a hacking platform is …

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Kurzweil: Singularity by 2045

Ray Kurzweil

CNET posted an interview with one of my favorite authors, inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil to promote his new book “The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.” Kurzweil, whose previous books include “The Age of Intelligent Machines” and “The Age of Spiritual Machines,” predicts that we will reach the Singularity, a time when changes to …

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Neuroscientist to Become His Own Monkey

In an effort to explore the relationship between brain activity and consciousness, Stanford University nueroscientist Bill Newsome is currently seeking regulatory approval to implant an electrode into his own brain. Engadget has a summary of an interview MIT Technology Review did recently with Newsome in which he explains his obsession with determining how brain functions …

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