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Seeing with sound

22.11.2012

Previously, it was thought that if the visual cortex is deprived of visual information in early infancy, it can never develop its functional specialization properly, making visual recovery later in life almost impossible.

Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in France have already proven that blind people, with the help of specialized photographic and sound devices, can actually "see" and describe objects, as well as identify letters and words. The results are published in the current issue of Neuron. A new study led by a group of scientists led by Professor Amir Amedi of the Hebrew Institute and Dr. Ella Strim-Amit shows how this can be done through a special learning paradigm using sensory replacement devices (SSDs).

Device users wear miniature cameras connected to a small computer or smartphone and stereo headphones. Visual images are converted to "audio" using a simple and predictable algorithm. It allows the blind user to listen and then interpret the visual information coming from the camera. Blind participants reached a new level of visual acuity with this device. As a result, their vision turned out to be no less "visual", although not in the usual sense, because it is not associated with the activation of the ophthalmic system of the body. But it actually interacts with those parts of the brain that are responsible for seeing and analyzing what they see. Therefore, it is possible to activate them and teach a person to "see", even if he had no previous visual experience.

The study shows that after seventy hours of training, blind people could easily use the SSD to characterize objects such as faces, houses, body shapes and textures. They were also able to determine even more complex things - the location of several people at once, their facial expressions, and even able to read letters and whole words.

"SSD can help blind and visually impaired people learn how to process complex images, as in this experiment. They can also be used as a kind of sensory translators that provide high-quality, constant, synchronous input to a visual signal coming from external devices such as a bionic eye. " says Professor Amedi.

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next generation xbox 22.05.2013

The control of the new Xbox, including games, watching movies and TV, is carried out entirely with voice commands and gestures - the remote is no longer needed. And the new Kinect controller, according to Microsoft, is so accurate that it can pick up the player's heartbeat. Xbox One is designed not only as a game console, but also as a device to control the TV to which it is connected. Control is done entirely with voice commands and gestures - even turning on is done with a voice command. This concept completely eliminates the need to use a remote control.

One of the hosts of the event, Yusuf Mehdi, turned on the console with the phrase "Xbox On!", The console recognized his voice and automatically opened his personal page. This opportunity is available to every member of the family. To start watching TV, you need to say "Xbox, watch TV", and to return to the game - "game". To launch Internet Explorer - "go to Internet Explorer", to go to the movie - "watch movie". Powerful hardware, including 8 GB of RAM, switches instantly.

At the same time, "communication" with the console is carried out using natural phrases, Mehdi emphasized. It also showed another way to exit from watching a movie - with a gesture, as if the user takes something in front of him with both hands and puts it aside.

Connected to the Internet, Xbox One offers a TV program that is also navigated using voice commands. The user, for example, can tell the console which channel he wants to turn on. Voice commands are also supported in TV viewing mode, such as when watching sports, to display information. Xbox One has support for Skype. You can make voice and video calls using your existing equipment—TV, console, and Kinect. At the same time, simultaneous work with several functions is supported: for example, you can receive a call and watch a movie at the same time or watch a movie and start Internet Explorer.

The console runs on three operating systems, Microsoft spokesman Marc Whitten said: Xbox OS, designed for gaming; the second system, on the Windows kernel, and the third system, which links the first and second. The graphical interface resembles that of Windows 8. The console is equipped with a processor with 5 billion transistors (the company did not specify the name of the processor and the number of cores), a built-in Blu-ray drive, support for Wi-Fi and USB 3.0, as well as two HDMI connectors - input and output . The device contains a 500 GB hard drive.

Along with the game console, the Kinect game controller has been updated. Its appearance has changed significantly, a long microphone is located below.

While reading its surroundings, the new Kinect processes 2 GB of data every second, Whiten said. More accurate skeletal recognition is achieved by using a 1080p camera compared to VGA in the first generation system. "It can even recognize your heartbeat," a Microsoft spokesperson said.

Kinect can also track the movement of a mechanical wireless controller, which has also been updated. For example, with its help, the user can open or close hatches in the game in space by raising his hands up or down. In other words, the standard Xbox controller has now become a kind of analogue of the PlayStation Move.

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