
Archive for the 'When Science Fiction Becomes Reality' Category
Jun
4
Brainwashing: A Reality
June 4, 2014 | 2 Comments
A fascinating study has recently been published in Nature which demonstrates the ability of researchers to both inactivate and reactivate memories in rats. These rats were trained to respond to a certain stimulus. They were then exposed to a depotentiation protocol. After treatment the rats did not respond to the stimulus anymore. Subsequently the rats […]
Dec
11
How to Print a Bionic Ear
December 11, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Who would have thought becoming a cyborg was so close to reality? We all know that 3D printing is cool but this week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality, I want to show you something epic. This particular research team wanted to integrate electronic functionality with biological materials to make a bionic/cyborg ear capable of […]
Dec
4
5 Technologies I Wish I Had Right Now
December 4, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Today’s When Science Fiction Becomes Reality, is more of a look forward. To 5 things I wish were a reality but which haven’t quite made it yet. Microchip – The microchip. It has featured in science fiction for years and yet I still don’t have one. Sure you can get small computer chips but they […]
Nov
20
How To Control All of Your Devices, Including Your Robot
November 20, 2013 | Leave a Comment
So we all know that Bluetooth and wi-fi are great, being able to network computers and phones is fantastic, but personally, I don’t think it’s as good as it could be. That’s where the subject of this week’s When Science Fiction Becomes Reality comes in. The Ninja Sphere. Not only does it have an awesome […]
Nov
13
How Will This Robot Influence Your Life?
November 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment
This week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality we’re talking about a new piece of technology which will mean great things for some, and unemployment for others. The UBR-1 is an advanced robot which will soon be available for just $35,000. It’s extremely modifiable and extremely smart. The robot is capable of adjusting its height […]
Nov
6
Draw in 3D
November 6, 2013 | Leave a Comment
This week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality I have a very cool invention which is hot off the press to show you: a 3D pen. It works in much the same way as a 3D printer except that you use it like you would any other pen. It uses melted plastic which cools to […]
Oct
30
Bacterial Lightbulbs
October 30, 2013 | 4 Comments
This week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality I want to show you something very cool: light-bulbs made of bio-luminescent bacteria. What is it? Basically the idea is to have a light ‘bulb’ composed entirely of glowing bacteria. This system would provide light without using any electricity. The Science: The science behind […]
Oct
23
Device Can Monitor Your Health and Deliver Medication
October 23, 2013 | Leave a Comment
It’s time again for When Science Fiction Becomes Reality. This one is pretty cool and has tremendous implications for medicine and health. The basis is that a tiny device is implanted into a person. The device is composed of cells which are programmed to respond to certain conditions. So far two types have been presented: […]
Oct
16
Mind Reading: with electrodes
October 16, 2013 | Leave a Comment
This week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality, I’m excited to touch on a topic that everyone is interested in; mind reading. So far the idea of mind-reading has been mostly confined to the realms of sorcery, but what if someone could actually look at the activity of your brain and determine your thoughts? Researchers […]
Sep
18
Science Fiction Which Became Science Fact
September 18, 2013 | 2 Comments
Today in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality I have a fun list to share; major science fiction technologies which have since been created. That is, how our world now is the ‘science fiction’ setting of past decades. 1. Jules Verne predicted the moon landing in incredible detail (including the weightlessness of the astronauts) 100 years […]
Sep
11
Memory Deletion and Black Holes
September 11, 2013 | Leave a Comment
This week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality there are two great discoveries I want to share. Memory Removal– Scientists have been able to remove selected memories from mice and rats. So the possibility of ‘brain wipes’ isn’t that far off at all. (Although of course this study was done for the medical benefits to […]
Sep
4
Breakthrough Breakdown
September 4, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Today in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality I’m not going to break down just one incredible story for you; today I’m giving you a whole list! Researcher’s grow teeth from urine – Not many sci-fi applications, but still pretty cool! http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/07/31/3814782.htm Mars is phosphate rich – Mars has more of the essential building […]
Aug
21
E-Skin – Out of this World
August 21, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Not that long ago the only computers around were large, bulky and altogether unwieldy. Since then technology has gotten smaller, smarter and more user-friendly. Today in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality, we’re looking at the latest in computer advancements; the e-skin. This feather-light technology is thinner than a piece of hair and weighs just 3 […]
Jul
31
Creating False Memories
July 31, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Today in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality I’m talking about something a little scary… Do you remember the movie Total Recall? Or the book it was based on: We Can Remember It for You Wholesale? … The premise was that artificial memories were inserted into people’s brains. And now, ladies and gentlemen, we can do […]
Jul
24
This week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality we talk about the almost impossible. Scientists have achieved something spectacular: an injected fluid which allows you to survive without breathing for up to 15 minutes! So far it’s only been used in animal trials but think of the possibilities, not just medically but recreationally as well. What would […]
Jul
17
Levitation – Just a Vibration Away
July 17, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Levitation. Isn’t that one of the coolest superpowers? Right up there with fire-thrower? …. X-men aside, in today’s When Science Fiction Becomes Reality I’m looking at a very real case of levitation. The premise is that sound waves (and their vibrations), when controlled in just the right way, are capable of levitating and even controlling […]
Jul
10
Darwin’s Robots
July 10, 2013 | Leave a Comment
I’m very excited about this week’s When Science Fiction Becomes Reality, it’s all about artificial intelligence. Let’s face it, we all knew that it was only a matter of time before Terminator came true. Firstly, some interesting facts: It is estimated that humans will get rid of their bodies and become entirely machine (consciousness uploaded […]
Jul
3
Vaccines Strike Again
July 3, 2013 | Leave a Comment
In this week’s When Science Fiction Becomes Reality, we’re discussing a topic which has become quite controversial over the last few years. Vaccines. There has been a massive push in recent years against vaccines and this has led to an abominable increase in the rates of infectious diseases, including whooping cough. In-fact in the last […]
Jun
20
Echolocation- Map a Room Instantaneously
June 20, 2013 | Leave a Comment
This week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality I want to highlight a very cool piece of technology which is just starting to come into its own… echolocation. This incredible science uses echoes and sounds to measure the dimensions of a room (kind of like sonar). More of the science is described here, but I […]
Jun
12
Cloak of Invisibility – So Many Choices
June 12, 2013 | Leave a Comment
All fantasy and sci-fi fans have dreamt of being invisible. I know when I was young and asked what super power I want, it had to be invisibility. Well, in this week’s When Science Fiction Becomes Reality I’m discussing the many ways in which invisibility has become a reality. There are now so many avenues […]
Jun
5
Mind Controlled Legs
June 5, 2013 | Leave a Comment
So, a few weeks ago I spoke about an incredible, mind-controlled robotic arm. This week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality, I’m taking it a step further with MindWalker. This incredible invention consists of a frame and robotic parts which move in response to brain impulses. The frame is designed to be used by people […]
May
29
The Invincible Mould
May 29, 2013 | Leave a Comment
If you thought Superman was tough, wait till you hear about this mould! In this week’s When Science Fiction Becomes Reality, I’m looking at an amazing mould which has been collected from Sverdrup Pass, Canada. This mould has been trapped under a glacier for over 400 years and yet plant it in some fertilizer and […]
May
22
Bacterial Calculator
May 22, 2013 | Leave a Comment
So a calculator made out of E. coli cells might not be the most classiest thing you’ve ever heard of but that’s what we’re disucussing in this weeks When Science Fiction Becomes Reality. So what is this bacterial calculator? Well some clever scientists over at MIT have decided to scrap the idea of converting bacterial […]
May
15
Grow Your Own Nose
May 15, 2013 | Leave a Comment
This week in ‘When Science Fiction Becomes Reality‘ I’m looking at a field of research which is constantly developing and creating new miracles: bioengineering. Specifically, the bioengineering of replacement body parts. At the current point in time it’s tragic how many people are unable to get transplants and die as a result, bioengineering could be […]
May
8
The Smallest Movie in the World
May 8, 2013 | Leave a Comment
This week in When Science Fiction Becomes Reality I want to talk about a very exciting, but also fun, project which IBM recently completed. They have made a movie by moving single atoms around to create a stop-motion animation: “A Boy and his Atom”. This research team is investigating digital storage technologies and have already […]
May
1
Controlling Robots With Your Mind
May 1, 2013 | Leave a Comment
In this first installment of ‘When Science Fiction Becomes Reality’, I decided to discuss something which is not only incredible but also offers significant improvements to quality of life for many people. This amazing innovation is mind-controlled robots. That’s right, a chip inserted into the brain reads neural signals and translates them into movements which […]