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Frontier

“Ideas” Can Type Now

Written by foreign correspondent, LI Qing

Recently, the United States Stanford University has developed a new brain-sensing technology, by reading the brain signal to drive the cursor on the virtual keyboard to move, in order to achieve text input.

In the experiment, the researchers put a multi-electrode array sensor implanted in the monkey's brain. It can directly read signals in certain brain region that are responsible for controlling the movement of the mouse and arm activities. The algorithm developed by researchers can interpret the brain signal, and realize the movement of the cursor and selection of letter keys on the virtual keyboard. Researchers trained monkeys to use this technique to rewrite the text they saw through the idea of "emptying" them. The results show that monkeys can enter the fastest 12 words per minute content from "New York Times" article or Shakespeare's famous "Hamlet" paragraph.

Earlier versions of the technology have been tested on human, but the typing speed was slow and the content was not accurate. The latest monkey experiment uses an upgraded version, and both typing speed and accuracy have greatly improved.

The researchers believe that the latest brain-computer interaction technology having been tested by them can be fully mastered by human beings, and can achieve enough typing speed to ensure a meaningful dialogue among people. Especially for those who can not communicate effectively because of physical disability, this new technology can change their thoughts and ideas into words.

Number

500 Meters

Recently, the world's largest radio telescope – Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST for short) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences National Astronomical Observatory was officially opened in Pingtang County, Guizhou Province. The "Super Eye of the Universe" will be widely used in navigation, positioning, aerospace, deep space exploration and many other fields. In addition, FAST can extend the neutral hydrogen observation to the edge of the universe, reproduce the early images of the universe; and can find thousands of pulsars within only a year and establish pulsar chronograph hence to participate in future pulsar autonomous navigation and gravitational wave detection; as well as contributing to high-resolution microwave inspection, detection of weak spatial signals, and participate in the search for extraterrestrial civilizations.

From afar, FAST looks like a huge "lid", buckle in the Qiannan Karst depression. The site is chosen because there are many karst "holes", which are quite suitable for "pot" -like telescopes. Mountain areas are sparsely populated, free from RF signal effects, whereas on the other hand also the form a natural reflective surface, shielding the interference of many signals.

Voice

At 3:43 pm on November 3, China's new generation of long-carrier rocket Long March V with the largest thrust of was launched at the China Wenchang space launch site. About 30 minutes later, the load combination and rocket successfully separated into orbit, hence the Long March V launch mission for the first time achieved a complete success.

Long March 5 is a basic type of new generation of carrier rockets with the characteristics of non-toxic pollution-free, which is about 57 meters long, up to 20 floors high, with the takeoff weight of about 870 tons, takeoff thrust of more than 1000 tons. It has for the first time achieved the breakthrough of Chinese liquid carrier rockets diameter from 3.35 meters to 5 meters.

The successful launch has made the carrying capacity of China's launch vehicle into the international advanced ranks. The successful implementation of its first mission has also to filled the gap of China's non-toxic pollution-free liquid rocket engine of large thrust.

Anectode

“Flying” Skateboard

In many science fiction movies, we always see a variety of wonderful vehicles, and levitated skateboard is one of them. Recently, California Arx Pax company designed a real Hendo levitated skateboard, without touching the ground, it can handsomely slide.

This levitated skateboard is able to hang because of its four built-in "hover engines". They form a special magnetic field to push themselves up, thereby generating a buoyancy force sufficient to hold the skateboard and maintain it at a certain height. Levitated skateboard is designed with a self-propelled mode, a little change in the direction of the magnetic field of the engine can make it move, so as to drive the entire skateboard to float. In order not to affect the magnetic effect of the skateboard engine, the surface of the skateboard must use a non-magnetic conductor and be durable.