U.S. Army urges vets to get outta their dreams and into the virtual world
You’ve heard of power walking, but “power dreaming?” That practice’s usually the stuff of Buddhism, and now, could go a long way towards mending the psychic wounds of our nation’s bravest. With about 52% of PTSD-affected veterans reported as having disturbing nightmares, the U.S. Army’s working towards a virtual solution that’d marry the design of Second Life with laptop-displayed or 3D head-mounted, physio-emotional healing. The project, a form of biofeedback therapy which would create custom, stress-alleviating imagery for traumatized vets, is currently in the planning stage with Washington State’s Naval Hospital serving as its experimental base. Over half a million in funding’s already been put towards the effort which is expected to launch in full next year. And when it does, we’re hoping the tech resembles a certain Strange Days SQUID recorder — with happy thoughts, o’course.
U.S. Army urges vets to get outta their dreams and into the virtual world originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | 
Wired | Email this | Comments
Engadget
The Giant, Prehistoric Squid That Ate Common Sense
A giant, prehistoric squid with tentacles so formidable has entered the news cycle that it has sucked the brains right out of writers’ heads. Laelaps blogger Brian Switek explains why the self-portrait crafting “kraken” is high on speculation and low on scientific merit.
TSA Pats Down Breast Cancer Survivor Even After Getting Scanned [Tsa]
Squid extract bridges human / machine divide, cyborgs to become very real
If we ever manage to capture a live giant squid, researchers at the University of Washington are going to have a field day. Enterprising minds at the institution’s materials science and engineering department have discovered a use for chitosan — an extract made from squid pen or crab shells that could lead us down a cybernetic road to human / machine interfaces. The team incorporated the organic compound into their field-effect transistor prototype, and effectively created the first protonic circuitry “that’s completely analogous to [the way] an electronic current” can be manipulated. Naturally, the silicon-based tech isn’t ready (or safe) for implantation into humans just yet, but could one day be used to control biological functions, sending on / off commands to our bodies. Maybe we won’t have to fear that robot apocalypse, after all. You never know, give scientists ample time to fully flesh this advancement out and Spielberg’s next great cinematic, sci-fi opus could wind up becoming a cyborg rom-com. Stranger things have happened folks.
Squid extract bridges human / machine divide, cyborgs to become very real originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
TG Daily | University of Washington | Email this | Comments
Engadget