Technology

Further Information Regarding Technology

Best Buy Canada Releases Report on Technology in the Classroom
Best Buy Canada, today released its Report Card on Technology in Canada's Classrooms. The report card found that two-thirds of Canadian teachers surveyed believe students are being handicapped for the future by not giving them access to the latest technology.

Talking Digital TV System World First
Millions of people worldwide are set to gain an improved experience of TV thanks to a collaboration between The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and leading digital technology companies to develop the world's first "talking" technology - which will reach the market later this year.

Nanoparticle Research
Nanoparticles are just billionths of a millimeter in size. Exhibiting novel and often surprising properties, they are finding their way into an endless stream of equally innovative products. In medical therapies, for example, tiny nanovehicles could one day ferry drugs or even genes into cells. So far, the only way of testing these approaches has been to wait for the desired effect to show the activation of a transported gene inside a cell for example.

Softeq Hearing and Visual Impairment Assistance Device
Softeq, a little-known Houston company that has usually had a focus on hardware such as MP3 players, flash drives and printers, has created a hand-held device that gives people with visual or hearing impairments the same experience as others.

Free Computer Operating Systems - Good for the Disability Budget
The announcement by the Google corporation of their free operating system, designed to compete with Microsoft, has brought attention to other forms of operating systems that are available right now. Google's operating system is due to be presented in the middle of 2010 to consumers, and will be based on their Chrome browser.

Adobe Acrobat Reader's Accessibility Features
Adobe has a PDF file reader that is not only FREE, it has accessibility features built into it for persons who are either blind or visually impaired. Adobe is aware of the needs of persons who have visual disabilities, and they have created a guide that provides an explanation of how to use Acrobat Reader's accessibility features to accompany their software as well.

Nationwide Health Information Network's Free Open-Source Software
The Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) has announced that it is giving away free software with the goal of improving information exchange between public and private health information technology systems. The free software is called, "CONNECT," and is being made available by the Federal Health Architecture, which is an E-Gov initiative being led by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

Radio Chip Mimics Human Ear
MIT engineers have built a fast, ultra-broadband, low-power radio chip, modeled on the human inner ear, that could enable wireless devices capable of receiving cell phone, Internet, radio and television signals.

Toyota Corporation Developing Brain-Wave Driven Wheelchair
In an article presented through Yahoo yesterday, the Toyota corporation has developed a means of reading a person's brain waves so that they may control their wheelchair without having to either physically move, or shout a command. Should this technology one day become available, the benefit to people with certain disabilities could be overwhelming.

Tiny Biological Fuel Cells Breakthrough for Nanotechnology
University of Georgia researchers have developed a successful way to grow molecular wire brushes that conduct electrical charges, a first step in developing biological fuel cells that could power pacemakers, cochlear implants and prosthetic limbs.

Robot Scientist First Machine to Discover New Scientific Knowledge
Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have created a Robot Scientist which the researchers believe is the first machine to have independently discovered new scientific knowledge. The robot, called Adam, is a computer system that fully automates the scientific process.