Transhumanism Accelerates..... First successful implant of 'Bionic' eye Microchips

'I've dreamed in colour for the first time in 20 years': Blind British man can see again after first successful implant of 'bionic' eye microchips

• Microchips restore sight to people suffering retinitis pigmentosa - an incurable condition that leads to blindness
• Condition affects one in every 3,000-4,000 people
• Clinical trial with two sufferers 'exceeds expectations
• Sufferers able to detect outlines of objects 'within days'
• Vision expected to improve further as 3mm chip 'beds in'

Surgeons in Oxford, led by Professor Robert MacLaren, fitted the chip at the back of Chris' eye in a complex eight-hour operation last month. Chris, from Wiltshire, said: 'I've always had that thought that one day I would be able to see again.'

Two blind men can see again for the first time in more than two decades after an implant of a 3mm 'bionic eye' microchip.

Doctors believe in time Chris James will be able to recognise faces, once his brain learns to see again. 

Chris, from Wiltshire, said: 'I've always had that thought that one day I would be able to see again.'

Surgeons in Oxford, led by Professor Robert MacLaren, fitted the chip at the back of Chris' eye in a complex eight-hour operation last month. 

Chris was one of two British patients to receive the electronic microchips - and both were regaining ‘useful vision’ just weeks after undergoing surgery.

Robin Millar, 60, from London, is one of the patients who has been fitted with the chip along with 1,500 electrodes, which are implanted below the retina.

The music producer said: ‘Since switching on the device I am able to detect light and distinguish the outlines of certain objects which is an encouraging sign.

‘I have even dreamt in very vivid colour for the first time in 25 years so a part of my brain which had gone to sleep has woken up!

‘I feel this is incredibly promising for future research and I'm happy to be contributing to this legacy.’

Eye experts developing the pioneering new technology said the first group of British patients to receive the electronic microchips were regaining 'useful vision' just weeks after undergoing surgery.

The news will offer fresh hope for people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (RP) - a genetic eye condition that leads to incurable blindness.

Retina Implant AG, a leading developer of subretinal implants, fitted two RP sufferers with the wireless device in mid-April as part of its UK trial.

The patients were able to detect light immediately after the microchip was activated, while further testing revealed there were also able to locate white objects on a dark background, Retina Implant said.

The chip is 3mm by 3mm, and is implanted into the eyeball of sufferers

The Six Million Dollar Man: A similar 'bionic' technology was used to restore sight to the blind, and the first group of British patients to receive the electronic microchips were regaining 'useful vision' just weeks after undergoing surgery

The Wiltshire man can now recognise shapes after becoming the first British patient to be fitted with the digital chip

Robin Millar from London, one of two men to undergo cutting edge bionic eye treatment

The first group of British patients to receive the electronic microchips were regaining ¿useful vision¿ just weeks after undergoing surgery

The company hopes for a further trial with ten new patients later this year

Retina Implant AG, a leading developer of subretinal implants, fitted two RP sufferers with the wireless device in mid-April as part of its UK trial.

The patients were able to detect light immediately after the microchip was activated, while further testing revealed there were also able to locate white objects on a dark background, Retina Implant said.

Ten more British sufferers will be fitted with the devices as part of the British trial, which is being led by Tim Jackson, a consultant retinal surgeon at King’s College Hospital and Robert MacLaren, a professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford and a consultant retinal surgeon at the Oxford Eye Hospital.

They said: ‘We are excited to be involved in this pioneering subretinal implant technology and to announce the first patients implanted in the UK were successful.

‘The visual results of these patients exceeded our expectations. This technology represents a genuinely exciting development and is an import step forward in our attempts to offer people with RP a better quality of life.’

The patients were able to detect light immediately after the microchip was activated, while further testing revealed there were also able to locate white objects on a dark background, Retina Implant said

The chip pairs with an external device to process images

Chris James from Wiltshire, said: 'I've always had that thought that one day I would be able to see again.'

The patients will undergo further testing as they adjust to the 3mm by 3mm device in the coming months.

The subretinal implant technology has been in clinical trials for more than six years with testing also taking place in Germany. Developers are planning to seek commercial approval following the latest phase of testing.

David Head, head of charity RP Fighting Blindness, said: ‘The completion of the first two implants in the UK is very significant and brings hope to people who have lost their sight as a result of RP.’

RP is an inherited condition which gets worse over time and affects one in every 3,000-4,000 people in Europe.

By ROB WAUGH

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2138775/The-eye-borg-First-successful-implant-bionic-eye-restore-sight-blind.html#ixzz1tqASlXsB

Transhumanism Continued.... Most Convincing 'Robot' Ever

The goal is to 'create' a robot that can fool people into believing it's a 'Human Being'...


 

KATE SPRINGER

A photogenic Geminoid F poses for pictures in Hong Kong's Cityplaza mall

Imagine a world where robots conduct traffic, work in factories, make sushi and vacuum office floors. It may not be far away. In Japan, robots are already common fixtures, and the latest prototypes come ever closer to the line separating man from machine. This week, during her first visit to Hong Kong, female android Geminoid F chatted, sang and smiled while an awestruck crowd snapped photos. Her creator, Japanese robotics guru Hiroshi Ishiguro, programmed her built-in computer with 65 behaviors, making her one of the world’s most intelligent robots.

Ishiguro last made international headlines in 2006 when he made an android replica of himself, the Geminoid HI-1. For his pioneering work, CNN named him one of eight “geniuses who will change your life,” and the BBC chronicled his story in the 2008 documentary Man-Machine. Ishiguro says his new robot F, as he’s named her, is more elegant and approachable than his past creations.

The biggest difference between Ishiguro’s copy of himself and F are the number of actuators, or motor-like mechanisms, that control behaviors. Geminoid HI-1 boasts about 50, while F has only 12. This has dropped the cost from more than $1 million to $110,000, which Ishiguro hopes will help popularize the product. Scientists were able to simulate human-like behaviors using electronic signals in the robot’s built-in computer. The robotic twin can smile, frown and furrow her eyebrows, but most of the time the silicone-skinned clone just looks a little dazed.

F is already hard at work. She had a brief acting stint last year when she performed onstage at the Tokyo Art Festival, and she recently modeled clothes as part of a Tokyo department-store window display. Of course, it’s impossible to predict how people will use robots as they become more mainstream, but Ishiguro says the practical applications of F are endless. She could be used as a mannequin, a substitute teacher or a hostess. “We can’t predict all of the ways people will use the robots,” Ishiguro says. “We give the technology, but we don’t control the application.”

Will robots ultimately become our friends — or even intimate companions?  Ishiguro is betting on it. He says that with the right technology, he can build androids that think, act and react like people. “What is a human?” he asks. “Please define, and we will make a copy.

By KATE SPRINGER

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/30/watch-woman-or-machine-sophisticated-japanese-she-bot-blurs-the-line/#ixzz1rrwOt1PK 

Interesting Video..... UFOs, Aliens, Antichrist, Mark of the Beast, and Antisemitism

What do UFOs, Aliens, Antichrist, Mark of the Beast, the Disappearance of Millions of People, and Antisemitism have in common? Channellers around the world are receiving messages from alien beings that millions of people will disappear in the twinkling of an eye. Those that are left on the earth will have the opportunity to continue their evolution. The ancient Scriptures predicted this very scenario and we learn that a leader, whom the ancient texts refer to as the beast, man of perdition, antichrist, will come and will be a genetic hybrid of human and demon. He will deceive the world and will attempt to destroy the Jewish people.
http://www.douglashamp.com/part-fifteen-the-coming-nephilim/
http://www.douglashamp.com/counterfeit-rapture/

http://www.douglashamp.com/ufos-aliens-antichrist-mark-of-the-beast-and-antisemitism/

iBrain to Help People Speak Again..... by reading your Mind

Researchers are trying to help Stephen Hawking communicate more effectively again -- with an ambitious new device that reads his mind.

The world-renowned physicist, who suffers from Lou Gherig’s disease, has seen his ability to communicate deteriorate over the years as he further loses the ability to control his body. Currently, Hawking “speaks” through special glasses that pick up slight twitches in his cheek, a slow, arduous, and tiresome process that can often take several minutes to generate a short message.

But now, a team led by Philip Low, a 32-year-old neuroscientist and chief executive of NeuroVigil, is experimenting with a device that could help Hawking “speak” more freely -- with his mind. The black headband, aptly named iBrain, could eventually allow Hawking to communicate simply by thinking.

The device is part of a new generation of portable brain scanners used to monitor conditions like depression, sleep apnea, and schizophrenia in real-time.

“The iBrain can collect data in real time in a person’s own bed, or when they’re watching TV, or doing just about anything,” Dr. Low told the NYTimes.

In the case of Hawking, specific algorithms will need to be developed over time as the team analyzes Hawking’s various thought patterns.

“The idea is to see if Stephen can use his mind to create a consistent and repeatable pattern that a computer can translate into, say, a word or letter or a command for a computer,” Low explained.

“Dr. Low and his company have done some outstanding work in this field,” Dr. Hawking said in a statement.

“I am participating in this project in the hope that I can offer insights and practical advice to NeuroVigil. I wish to assist in research, encourage investment in this area, and, most importantly, to offer some future hope to people diagnosed with A.L.S. and other neurodegenerative conditions."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/04/04/ibrain-could-help-stephen-hawking-speak-again-by-reading-his-mind/#ixzz1rCijnwK8

Continuing the march towards Transhumanism...

Google has taken the wraps off techno-glasses which add emails, Google searches and even directions over your view of the world. 

The glasses - unveiled via a Google Plus page, Project Glass, are voice-controlled, and offer GPS directions as well as email and video chat through a built-in screen directly in front of a user's eyes.

The glasses are a product of Google's 'Google X' blue-sky ideas lab - and the search giant is looking for ideas to improve them. 

Scroll down for video

The demo shows off Google Maps being 'added' to the real world - providing real-time directions from your current location

Enlarge 

In demonstrations, the glasses are mainly voice-controlled, using voice commands to bring up contacts, send emails and search

The glasses appear to run a variant of the Android operating system, using the same microphone icon and other recognisable parts of Google's mobile OS

The demo shows emails and other information 'layered' into a view of the world via screens in the glasses

'We think technology should work for you—to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don’t,' says Google. 

The glasses appear to run a variant of the Android operating system, using the same microphone icon and other recognisable parts of Google's mobile OS.

The glasses layer information 'over' the world, and offer directions - as well as allowing users to 'locate' one another in the real world, as with Google's current Latitude system. 

'A group of us from Google X started Project Glass to build this kind of technology, one that helps you explore and share your world, putting you back in the moment, 'says Google. 

The service lets you locate nearby friends in a similar way to Google's current Latitude service

The demonstration shows off a weather forecast layered over a view of the world

The demonstration shows off navigation information similar to what Google currently offers via its Maps service

'We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input. So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do.'

Various leaks had hinted that Google wanted to move into wearable computing. 

'Many of the features - voice commands, embedded camera, Google Maps integration - have been previously rumored, but it’s compelling to actually see them in action. Whether they will work quite as well in reality is, so far, uncertain,' says ZDNet. 

No release date has been confirmed for the glasses - nor has Google explained exactly how the glasses work. 

The glasses also allow users to record and share videos from a built-in camera, just like on YouTube

The world is just an eyeball away: Models demonstrate how the goggles look in practice

 'Google X' is where the search giant's scientists work on wild, out-there ideas.

'Google has always invested in speculative R&D projects - it's part of our DNA,' said a spokesperson when the first news of the lab leaked. 

'While the possibilities are incredibly exciting, the sums involved are very small by comparison to the investments we make in our core businesses. In terms of details, we don't comment on speculation.'

The lab is reportedly located in Google's Mountain View, California headquarters - known as 'the Googleplex'.

Engineers are free to work on projects such as connected fridges that order groceries when they run low - or even tableware that can connect to social networks.

Other Google engineers have reportedly researched ideas as far-out as elevators to space.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin is reportedly deeply involved in the lab. His business card is said to be simply a piece of silvery metal decorated with the letter X.

Brin, a robot enthusiast, once attended a conference via a robot with a screen showing his face.

It's not unusual for tech companies to have 'ideas labs' hidden away from their ordinary workers - at Apple, for instance, Jonathan Ive's design lab where devices such as iPads are perfected, is guarded as if it was a weapons facility.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2125139/Google-Project-Glass-video-Glasses-layer-Maps-email-web-searches-OVER-view-world.html#ixzz1rCjyO7bW