Top TechTop Tech #75: • Nanoparticles communicate with Brains, Oculus touches VR, Tabletop Holograms
Promising products and interesting innovations
By Paul Worthington
Today’s Top Tech:
• Brain communication through Nanoparticles
• Oculus offers touch controls in its VR
• Tabletop Holograms
Brain communication through Nanoparticles
Nanoparticles may allow data transmission between computers
and the brain, according to new work at Florida
International University.
Magnetoelectric nanoparticles stimulated by an external magnetic field produce an electric field that may communicate with neurons without wires or implants.
Researchers inserted 20 billion nanoparticles into the brains of mice, and an electroencephalogram showed that the region surrounded by nanoparticles lit up, stimulated by this electric field that had been generated, New Scientist reports.
Oculus offers touch controls in its VR
Virtual reality developer Oculus demonstrated new touch-based controllers for its headset-based system — and announced it will ship the consumer version early next year.
The newest version of the Oculus Rift “builds on the presence, immersion, and comfort” of the previous prototype, the company says, “with an improved tracking system that supports both seated and standing experiences, as well as a highly refined industrial design, and updated ergonomics for a more natural fit.” With headphones and two OLED screens, the Rift headset is small and light enough to be held with one hand.
The Touch system is a pair of handheld controllers that let you see your hands in VR, and interact with objects there. They contain inertial sensors and trackers for position and movement, as well as haptic output to simulate feeling in your hands.
Oculus is owned by Facebook.
Tabletop Holograms
Vancouver-based H+ Technologies had a great Kickstarter launch for its Holus tabletop $850 device that it claims converts any content into a 3D hologram: $151,000
Pledged, far more than its $40,000 goal.
“Whether it is a board game, DNA structure, or the solar system, your content comes alive,” the developers say. “View it from four different angles and interact with it in ways that have never been possible. Use Holus at home to learn, collaborate, and have fun.”
The company adds that “unlike many entertainment and wearable systems that tend to isolate people,” [why hello, Oculus] “Holus aims to create a “social campfire” experience that brings people together without having them miss out on real life moments.”
Also, Holus’ “enhanced interaction promotes memory retention and also health by encouraging users to move around and can also predict a user’s position through motion tracking.”
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