“Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface (BCI) start-up Neuralink has begun recruiting people for its first human trial. The company’s goal is to connect human brains to computers and it wants to test its technology on people with paralysis. A robot will help implant a BCI that will let them control a computer cursor, or type, using thoughts alone.”
From BBC.
“Waymo vehicles are cruising on Philadelphia streets this summer, potentially setting the stage for a fully autonomous rideshare service here…
Waymo is also seeking permission from Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation to test its automated robotaxis in Philly. If it’s granted, that doesn’t mean you can hail a driverless cab anytime soon. Testing would be conducted with a safety driver in the vehicle. No passenger transport will be offered.”
From Axios.
“Genetic engineering startup Colossal Biosciences has added the South Island giant moa — a powerful, long-necked species that stood 10 feet (3 meters) tall and may have kicked in self-defense — to a fast-expanding list of animals it wants to resurrect by genetically modifying their closest living relatives.
The company stirred widespread excitement, as well as controversy, when it announced the birth of what it described as three dire wolf pups in April. Colossal scientists said they had resurrected the canine predator last seen 10,000 years ago by using ancient DNA, cloning and gene-editing technology to alter the genetic make-up of the gray wolf, in a process the company calls de-extinction. Similar efforts to bring back the woolly mammoth, the dodo and the thylacine, better known as the Tasmanian tiger, are also underway.
To restore the moa, Colossal Biosciences announced Tuesday it would collaborate with New Zealand’s Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, an institution based at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, that was founded to support the Ngāi Tahu, the main Māori tribe of the southern region of New Zealand.
The project would initially involve recovering and analyzing ancient DNA from nine moa species to understand how the giant moa (Dinornis robustus) differed from living and extinct relatives in order to decode its unique genetic makeup, according to a company statement.”
From CNN.
Northwestern University | Health & Medical Care
“While breastfeeding has many benefits for a parent and their baby, it has one major drawback: It’s incredibly difficult to know how much milk the baby is consuming.
To take the guesswork out of breastfeeding, an interdisciplinary team of engineers, neonatologists and pediatricians at Northwestern University has developed a new wearable device that can provide clinical-grade, continuous monitoring of breast milk consumption.
The unobtrusive device softly and comfortably wraps around the breast of a nursing parent during breastfeeding and wirelessly transmits data to a smartphone or tablet. Parents can then view a live graphical display of how much milk their baby has consumed in real time.
By eliminating uncertainty, the device can provide peace of mind for parents during their baby’s first days and weeks. In particular, the new technology could help reduce parental anxiety and improve clinical management of nutrition for vulnerable babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.”
From Northwestern University.
Johns Hopkins University | Health & Medical Care
“A robot trained on videos of surgeries performed a lengthy phase of a gallbladder removal without human help. The robot operated for the first time on a lifelike patient, and during the operation, responded to and learned from voice commands from the team—like a novice surgeon working with a mentor.
The robot performed unflappably across trials and with the expertise of a skilled human surgeon, even during unexpected scenarios typical in real life medical emergencies.”
From Johns Hopkins University.
