The eclectic learner

Shall we be able to sense brainwaves in the future? In my novel, The Strangers, two cyborgs named Naadir and Ashante are able to communicate with one another by using an EEG device which is implanted by their brains. With EEG, they have a virtual gate that can be kept ajar indefinitely so each can perceive a buzz of what the other is thinking, without being disturbed. When one of the cyborgs wants to communicate directly to the other, he pushes that virtual gate and full communication commences.  I have always assumed that this was just my idea, simple science fiction. Mistake! As I can see in today's article from CNN, a basic device is already able to achieve a similar result, although for now restricted only to controlling a small flying drone. In this article,  futurist Tiana Sinclair says that the drone she controls is a huge biosensor. She also believes that problems in our world can sometimes be fixed with the use of technology. One can only...

Will robots help the elderly in the near future? The answer is a resounding yes , at least by looking at the news reported by Komo News, in the article here: http://www.komonews.com/news/offbeat/Robocoach-Your-cybernetic-personal-trainer-336440471.html A collaborative idea from Singapore's IDA and MSF, Robocoach was developed by Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP). The robot is part of a larger effort to help various segments of society including seniors, enhance their quality of life through infocomm. Due to the rise in the ageing population, there has also been high demand for healthcare and eldercare professionals.  T he first Robocoach is currently being tested at a Senior Activity Centre (SAC), the Lions Befrienders.  Trained volunteers are also present to help seniors during the routine. This exercise robot, has been well received by seniors who have been able to enjoy physical exercise in a novel way, while enhancing cognitive abilities. This is ...

What DARPA scientists are working on is 10 to 20 years ahead of the technology that's out in the public domain. As the author of a novel about Strangers (both cyborgs and humans) I keep my eyes open for all the new stories regarding cyborgs and the science behind them. Today I read this article about cyborg warfare today - here: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/darpa-double-edged-sword-us-military-industrial-complex/6854474 I will quote just 2 paragraphs because they made me think! 'Science fiction writers might set that kind of cyborg warfare in a distant future. But as Jacobsen writes, at any given time, what DARPA scientists are working on—especially in the agency's classified programs—is 10 to 20 years ahead of the technology that's out in the public domain.' 'DARPA's movement is towards coupling man and machine, so putting neuro-prosthetics in the brains of soldiers so that they can have what is called augmented c...

Cyborg Chips Boost the Brain - sounds like somebody read my manuscript! Three years ago I wrote the first draft of a novel. I am now on the fifth draft and the 4th is circulating among ten beta readers who will hopefully point out where my prose or plot need improving. I'll talk about my novel in the next few day but for now I will let you know that it tells the love story of a man and a woman who live in Norwich and work for a robotics company. Although mine is a speculative, contemporary romance novel, there is more than a touch of sci-fi in it. Except, I refuse to label as  sci-fi what is actually happening daily under our eyes: the embedding of technology in each layer of our lives and all over our body, when not directly implanted in it. My lead characters work in a company where cyborgs are created and employed just like anyone else. Three years ago it was science fiction, but now, reading the news, I realise that my predictions were not so impossible ...