Microsoft shook the gaming community this week when it announced “Project Natal”. Natal is a revolutionary device which will transform the way people interact in virtual environments. Instead of using a controller to manipulate the video game, Natal turns your body into one. Sony had something similar to this called the eye toy, but Natal makes the eye toy look obsolete. That’s because Natal transcends beyond that, with its high resolution camera Natal can pick up facial expressions. It also has the ability to understand what you are saying, with its speech recognition software. But what does it all mean for gaming? And are there any applications beside videogames that this technology can be an applied to?






During the press conference Microsoft showed a bunch of tech demos where the camera was applied to obvious applications such as sport games, fighting games and puzzle games. But the true wonder of this technology comes when you combine all of Natal’s strengths such as body, face and speech detection into a single entity. That is the magic of ‘Milo”. Milo is a 12 year old boy made by Peter Molyneux's and his team. Milo is boy living in a virtual environment that can recognize the player by sight, call that player by name, and have a true interactive conversation with whoever is using it all via natal. The boy can see, hear and understand what you are doing. Microsoft claimed that this was infect a real demo and works a lot like it was shown. Watch the video below.




What does this mean for the future of video games? Well as you saw from Milo, it will be a future with smart A.I. that will not only interact with you but also understand how you feel. Combining all these technologies that Natal offers can lead to an A.I. that seems to understand a person and as a result act appropriately. Milo is obviously not a self-aware being but rather just smoke and mirrors in order make you feel like there is a real person behind him. We are not yet at the point to actually have A.I as smart as a human but we are getting there one step at the time. And our current step is “Milo”. Nevertheless Milo is an astonishing application of Natal. And as the result of this technology we will be even more captivated by the wonderful stories experienced in games. This is awesome but are there any other applications for this technology?

The obvious alternative to video games is fitness! The wii fit was a tremendous success around the world, because it got people out of the couch and on their feet. It will be the same story with Natal. Games that help people do cardio, yoga and dance will be tremendously popular with all demographics.

Are there any medical and therapeutic applications for this technology? The answer to that is “YES”. If in fact the camera does what Microsoft claims regarding to it being able to pick up emotions based on your facial reactions then it can be used to help people with Asperger syndrome. Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder and people with it therefore show significant difficulties in social interactions. Usually these difficulties in social interactions are a result of not being able to understand the other person’s facial expressions. By interacting with applications like Milo, children will be able to practice facial expressions with the A.I and work towards improving social skills. Other therapeutic applications can just as easily be applicable with Natal.

Robot scientist makes discoveries without human help:

A robot scientist that can generate its own hypotheses and run experiments to test them has made its first real scientific discoveries.

MIT: Batteries built with viruses, nanotech to power cars, devices:

MIT researchers have combined nanotechnology with genetically engineered viruses to build batteries that could power hybrid cars and cell phones. The batteries have the same energy capacity and power performance as state-of-the-art rechargeable batteries being considered to power plug-in hybrid cars and personal electronic devices.

Implantable Telescope for the Eye:

VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies has developed a miniature telephoto lens that can be implanted into the eye and could soon help people with vision loss from end-stage macular degeneration.

Humanoid robot helps scientists to understand intelligence

It's probably the most sophisticated teddy bear ever designed, but that doesn't stop MIT's companion robot called "the Huggable" from being pretty adorable, as well. The Huggable is the latest project to come from the MIT Media Lab, and could one day be used for healthcare, education, and social communication applications...Continue

Not one of my favorite documentaries, but it is fair and balanced because it shows both sides of the singularity movement. But I would still recommend this one simply because it is fascinating. Grab some popcorn and enjoy because this one is long..

1.Energy saving solar technology will be built into asphalt, paint and windows.

Today we use silicon based solar panels to get solar energy. These silicon panels are thick, expensive, and not very efficient. But IBM is bidding on the creation of “thin-film” solar cells a new type of cost-efficient solar cell. These cells can be as much as 100 times thinner than silicon-wafer cells but not only that, they can produce energy at a lower cost. So within the next five years, solar energy will be an affordable option for you and your neighbors. Because it is so thin it can be “printed” and placed wherever there is an abundance of energy.

2. You will have a crystal ball for your health

I’m of course talking about your DNA. Having access to your DNA is important in both predicting and curing your problems. It's a valuable data, and it can be used to anticipate future health risks. Doctors can use this information by recommending lifestyle changes in order to prevent an illness from occurring. Pharmaceutical companies can also use this information for developing specific drugs that can be targeted for any individual. And all of this will be available within the next five years at a price of around $200. Now the downside to this (if your country does not have a uniform health care) is that if your health insurer gets access to your genetic blueprint and sees that you are very likely of developing some sort of illness they might jack up the prices or simply deny you coverage. This may be prevented by a uniform health care system. Or it may be prevented by a law that states that your genetic blueprint is doctor-patient confidentiality. Nevertheless genetic mapping will radically transform health care over the next five years and allow you to take better care of yourself.


3. You will talk to the Web . . . and the Web will talk back.

Within the next 5 years you would be able to access the web from anywhere in the world. You will be connected at all times. But if you are blind, cannot read, or don’t have access to a computer you will brows the web through “VoiceSites”. That’s right you would be able to call a site and talk to it and it will talk to you back. For example you are camping and needed information on how to start a fire because you don’t have matches or a lighter on you. So you decide to call your best friend Google. Google will know what you are asking and it will respond with the answer.

4. You will have your own digital shopping assistants.

A combination of new technology and the next wave of mobile devices will give the in-store shopping experience a significant boost. Fitting rooms soon will be outfitted with digital shopping assistants - touch screen and voice activated kiosks that will allow you to choose clothing items and accessories to complement, or replace, what you already selected. Once you make your selections, a sales associate is notified and will gather the items and bring them directly to you. You’ll also be able to snap photos of yourself in different combinations and email or SMS them to your friends and family for the thumbs up…or the thumbs down. Shoppers can access product ratings and reviews from fellow consumers and will even be able to download money-saving coupons and instantly apply them to their purchases.


5. Forgetting will become a distant memory

To help make these possible, microphones and video cameras will record conversations and activities. The information collected will be automatically stored and analyzed on a personal computer. People can then be prompted to "remember" what discussions they had, for example, with their daughter or doctor by telephone. Based on such conversations, smart phones equipped with global-positioning technology might also remind them to pick up groceries or prescriptions if they pass a particular store at a particular time. It's not hard to imagine that TVs, remote controls, or even coffee table tops, can one day be the familiar mediums through which we tap into our digitally-stored information.

Recent discoveries of water and Earth-like soil on Mars have set imaginations running wild that human beings may one day colonies the Red Planet. However, the first inhabitants might not be human in form at all, but rather swarms of tiny robots. (Full Story)

The National Institute of Standards and Technology held a rescue robot exercise in Texas last week in which about three dozen robots were tested by developers and first responders in order to develop a standard suite of performance tests to help evaluate candidate mechanical rescuers. This exercise was sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate to develop performance standards for robots for use in urban search and rescue missions.( read more)

Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil explains how and why in the 2020s, we will reverse-engineer the human brain and completely transform the human mind as we now know it. He then talks about how nanobots will be apart of us. He explains how nanobots in the future will be operating your consciousness and your body.