Watson – machine that communicate with humans 08.07.2010 For the last three years, IBM artificial intelligence (AI) researchers have been developing a machine that can understand questions and respond quickly with precise answers. This sort of artificial intelligence would allow machines to converse more naturally with people, letting them to ask questions instead of typing keywords. The great shift in artificial intelligence began in the last 10 years, when computer scientists began using statistics to analyze huge piles of documents. The algorithms that could take any subject and automatically learn what type of words is most (and least) associated with it were developed. The result of IBM work is the Watson supercomputer, which has been pitted against human players in Jeopardy tournaments and achieved excellent results. It used millions of documents so the system can tackle a Jeopardy clue thousands of times concurrently using more than 100 algorithms simultaneously. While creative wordplay can sometimes trip Watson up, its lack of emotion and stress is an advantage over human players. In theory, this sort of statistical computation has been possible for decades, but it was impractical because of computers speed, memory and other. Original news could be found at NYTimes web site.

Development of sub-threshold transistors 05.07.2010 IMEC organization is working on biomedical processors, and last generation could make use of sub-threshold operation transistors (designed to operate at sub-threshold voltages). In 2009, they developed BioDSP model, optimized for ECG (Electrocardiography) and EEG (Electroencephalography) processing. This year's model is the BioFlux, which is based on the CoolFlux DSP fabric so it provides greater programming flexibility. Harmke De Groot, program director, says that leakage power has also been reduced, and his team is working on fully optimizing processor for ambulatory ECG measurements. Also, local processing to remove noise and refine data can reduce the radio transmission burden by a factor of 100. De Groot is also working in collaboration with University of Technology Eindhoven on standard cells that are resilient to process variations. That way he is taking advantage of effects that are only present at sub-threshold regions such as the reverse short channel effect. More information can be found at EETimes web site.

Research about organic nanoelectronics 05.07.2010 An international team of researchers led by Dr. Dmitrii Perepichka and Dr. Federico Rosei have published research about organic materials. The team has effectively discovered a way to order the molecules in the PEDOT, the single most industrially important conducting polymer. Dr. Perepichka pointed out that the research is not directly applicable to products currently in the market, but he gives the example of a possible use for the findings in computer chips. By using molecular materials instead of silicon semiconductor it would be possible to build transistors that are ten times smaller than what currently exists. The technique sounds deceptively simple. The team used an inorganic material, a crystal of copper, as a template. When molecules are dropped onto the crystal, the crystal provokes a chemical reaction and creates a conducting polymer. The researchers discovered that the polymers had imitated the order of the crystal surface, but they were currently only able to produce the reaction in one dimension (i.e. to make a string of molecules). Original article can be found at McGill web page.

Scientists perform an experiment on virtual “body-swapping” 26.05.2010 Scientists at Barcelona University performed an experiment on transferring men's minds into a virtual woman's body. Participants were using a virtual reality (VR) headset that allowed them to see and hear the world as a female character. The "body-swapping" effect was so convincing that the men's sense of self was transferred into the virtual woman. VR researcher Mel Slater says that there isn’t any other technology that gives people such experience. In the study, some of 24 men saw the virtual environment through the eyes of a female character who was sitting down. Second virtual female approached and appeared to rub the person's shoulder or arm. Later in the study, the second character lashed out and slapped the face of the character the men were playing. Slater says that men’s reaction was immediate and that they took in a quick breath and moved their head to one side. Sensors on the men's bodies showed their heart rates fell sharply for a few seconds and then ramped up (a classic response to a perceived attack). The work might improve rehabilitation for patients who have some medical problems by immersing them in a world that helps them to use their bodies to the full again. For more information readers should visit web pages of science journal PLoS One or original news published at Guardian web site.