READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities. Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Emerging Technologies
Technology can be a change agent. Three emerging technologies are making an impact on how we work, live and play. They are body-adaptable wearable technologies, screen-less displays and brain-computer interfaces.
Body-Adaptable Wearable technologies, from Google Glass to the Fitbit wristband, are finding social acceptance. These small devices are non-invasive and have the ability to measure and provide real time feedback on multiple parameters. There are earbuds that monitor heart rate, sensors worn under clothes to track posture, a temporary tattoo that tracts health vitals and haptic shoe soles that communicate GPS direction through vibration alerts felt by the feet. People are using them to improve their lives.
Screen-less display includes any image that can be perceived by the human eye. It fills the gap between shrinking device sizes and human interaction. Face it -- we need a larger screen for some of the things that we do. Could you actually type the next great American novel on a smartphone?
Full-sized keyboards can already be projected onto almost any surface. Screen-less display reflects light from something invisible (like fog) or relays the image through some hidden optics as in an “aerial display” kind like in the Iron Man movies. There are three screen-less computing systems (visual image, retinal direct and synaptic interface) that make all this possible.
Other computer systems and devices provide opportunities to read and interpret signals directly from the brain. They are called brain-computer interfaces. Quadriplegics, people suffering from “locked-in syndrome” and people who have had a stroke can move their own wheelchairs or even drink coffee from a cup by controlling the action of a robotic arm with their brain waves. Direct brain implants have helped restore partial vision to people who have lost their sight.
Learning More about (20 minutes)
- Watch Haptic-feedback Shoe Guides Blind Walkers at TED Talk Videos. (2:53 minutes)
- Read How Brain-Computer Interfaces Work at How Stuff Works. (10 minutes)
- Watch Screen less Dispaly from Temple University (5:40 minutes)
- Visit “Wearable Technology” on Pinterest. What kind of devices would you like to see developed? How could it help you? (10 minutes)
- Think about, then describe in 150 words or less, an idea that you have for technology that could change the world. What about a screen-less laptop? It's a green solution. Most monitors end up in landfills. (10 minutes)
When You're Done...
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