A first generation version of the backpack guidance system that includes energy harvesting, navigation and optical stimulation on a to-scale model of a dragonfly. Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Using electricity for this task is too crude, however. "The problem is if you draw a tiny current into the nerve core, you would activate all the nerves around it," Wheeler says, adding that light activation would provide more specificity.

Draper partnered with Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers, who are genetically modifying dragonflies' steering neurons to make them sensitive to light. The insects can then be strapped with a Draper-designed backpack that delivers targeted light pulses to specific steering neurons. The backpack also contains a navigation system, sensors, wireless transmitters, and miniature solar panels.

Instead of manually controlling the insects, the team could theoretically program a dragonfly (via the backpack) to do certain tasks, such as investigating a building in a warzone, which it will carry out autonomously. Wheeler thinks the system may be ready for real-world tests in about two years.

Bozkurt suggests biobots are just a stepping stone to miniaturized insect-like robots, which aren't yet possible due to technological limitations. "If you look at the history of science, before having our automobiles we were riding various beasts of burden," he says, explaining that biobots are modern science's beasts of burden.

But Liang thinks there are benefits to keeping robot-like insects around. They're more inexpensive and energy-efficient than full robots, she says, and have the ability to sense the environment on their own and respond in kind, such by evading unstable rubble or escaping from guard dogs or other dangers during espionage missions.

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Some insects, such as locusts and bees, can also be trained to home in on certain scents, including the chemical cues of explosives. The insects could eventually be remotely

Liang suggests there may be other, more science fiction-like uses to the cyborgs not necessarily possible with full robots. For instance, if your home is infested with roaches, you could release a robo-roach to find their main hiding spaces. The roach, perhaps outfitted with attractive chemical cues, could then be guided outside of your home, luring the other roaches out in a kind of Pied Piper fashion. "This is a crazy idea, but I think it will be possible," she says.

Compared with machines, cyborg insects are "more versatile and flexible, and they require less control," Liang says. "They're more real."

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How Cyborg Insects Could Save Lives and Stop Our Enemies - NBCNews.com

One of the coolest parts of any movie focusing on cyborgs, robots, androids or what have you is the scene or scenes where the inner-workings of the machine are revealed to the audience for the first time. Sometimes its a twist, other times its just a chance to see what makes a robot tick. With Paramountslive-action Ghost in the Shell fast approaching on March 31, we thought wed take the opportunity to compile a list of The 10 Best Cyborg Reveal Scenes in Movies, which you can check out in the gallery below!

This is a great time to be celebrating all things robotic, as Anchor Bay is putting out a new limited edition Mondosteelbook Blu-ray ofMamoru Oshiis original 1995 anime masterpiece Ghost in the Shell, which we previewed and can say it still looks incredible for a 20+ year-old movie. Our friends at Scream Factory are also putting out two cyberpunk favorites to Blu-ray, 1990s RoboCop 2 and 1993s RoboCop 3, both packed to the gills with amazing bonus features that even those disappointed by the sequels will find fascinating.

Click here to pre-orderthe Mondo steelbook Ghost in the Shell Blu-ray before its March 14 street date!

Click here to pre-orderRoboCop 2and here to pre-orderRoboCop 3 on Scream Factory Blu-ray before their release on March 21!

Which of the cyborg reveals on our list is your favorite? What are some other great cyborg reveal scenes in movies? Let us know in the comments below!

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The 10 Best Cyborg Reveal Scenes in Movies - ComingSoon.net

Not too long ago, current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) womens Bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes, was lobbying for her chance to get the winner of the first-ever womens Featherweight title fight between Germaine de Randamie and Holly Holm, which ultimately saw Iron Lady come out the victor at UFC 208 (see it).

But now that Cris Cyborg is back in the title picture after she was cleared of any wrongdoing by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Nunes has opted to forego her plans to compete for the 145-pound strap.

Why?

To hear Lioness tell it, the division belongs to Cyborg.

I do not intend to fight with Cris, Nunes told AG Fight in Brazil (via FOX Sports). But my intention was to fight [Holly Holm or Germaine de Randamie], who were in my category, but Cris is coming back now and Im not interested in going up. I want to see her as the champion. To fight with her, I would have to gain weight and gain muscle. I am at 135 pounds. To do such a job (at 145), I would need at least a year.

And before you perceive Nunes sudden disinterest in winning the 145-pound title as her simply ducking Cyborg, she elaborated further on her decision.

Thats what I said: This category is for Cris, but then she tested positive, Nunes said. But then, two girls from the 135-pound class moved up, one was coming off two defeats and the other was not in the rankings. The champion [Germaine de Randamie] is a girl that I have already defeated. I asked to go up because I can be champion in two categories. My point of view was that they were two athletes from my category and that Cris was not in the game at the time, she concluded.

It probably doesnt matter in the grand scheme of things, as UFC President Dana White pumped the brakes on Amandas quest to move up to featherweight long before Lioness had a change of heart.

As for what is next for Nunes, a rematch against Valentina Shevchenko -- whom she defeated at UFC 196 back in 2016 is on the horizon after Bullet finished Julianna Pena UFC on FOX 23. Cyborg, meanwhile, is currently waiting to see if de Randamies hand is healed before she can get a definite date for her first-ever UFC championship bout.

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Amanda Nunes no longer pursuing UFC Featherweight title fight ... - MMAmania.com

Mashable

These tattoos conduct electricity, turning you into a very basic cyborg Mashable 'Tech Tats' are temporary and use ink that conducts electricity. They are fitted with small sensors and trackers that turn them into tiny smart devices. So far the ... and more »

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These tattoos conduct electricity, turning you into a very basic cyborg - Mashable

By Julia Breakey on 7 March, 2017 Share

If youve ever watchedInspector Gadgetand wished that you were as cool as him, then youve chosen the right time to be alive.

Over the past few years, scientists have worked on ways to integrate technology into the human body, with functionality ranging from medical diagnoses to sheer cool factor.

And according to some scientists, the first person to live to 1000 has already been born.

But while you wait for that technology, here are three body modifications that are as close youll get to being a robot today.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed temporary tattoos called DuoSkin last year.

These tattooscan work as a trackpad for your device or even light up when your partner is angry at you, or if your temperature is rising.

And if you desperately want to promote your Instagram, then some even work as NFC tags so no one around you has an excuse not to follow you.

Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao, one of the PhD students involved in this project, is from Taiwan, and she understands the importance of being able to control your appearance. Because of this, she wants to make DuoSkin available to as many people as possible.

You could just use any graphic design software on your computer like Paint to design the circuit, and then hook it up to this very cheap vinyl cutter and cut out the traces on the film layer on top of tattoo paper, she says. After that, you just layer on the gold leaf and then remove it.

Then its simple: apply like you would any temporary tattoo.

Kao believes the future is full of tattoos like this.

They will become an extension of yourself, she asserts.

In 2015, a company formerly known as Chaotic Moon created temporary tattoos that used conductive paint to create circuits on your skin.

The tattoos were meant to accumulate medical data about the wearer, standing in for doctors appointments.

But a search for them pulls up only news articles.Chaotic Moon are now known as Fjord Austin, and they dont mention anything about what they dubbed Tech Tats.

So this one may just be a pipe dream for now.

The Unseenpremiered their new hair dye that changes colour depending on temperatures at London Fashion Week late last month.

The hair dye works similarly to that of a mood ring.

When heat hits the pigment, or if the cool hits the pigment, it changes the bonds of the chemistry to give you a different colour, so its like a chemical reaction, creator Lauren Bowker told Dazed.

Colours include a black to red dye that is affected by higher temperatures (around 31 degrees Celsius) and white to blue that works better in winter (changing at 15 degrees Celsius).

The dye is not yet on the market, but they are seeking a brand partner so they can start giving you the hair you deserve.

Technology like Apple, Google, yes they are technology, but for me technology should be magic and shouldnt be engineered all the time. To me, chemistry and science is witchcraft and so it should be, Bowker says.

Biohacking is a broad term, and it generally refers to DIY biology.

That could mean figuring out how the DNA in plants affects their growth, or how to manipulate genes from another source to make a plant glow in the dark, PBS explains.

Procedures can range from RFID implants that can unlock cars and safes, injections to your eye that give you night vision, andantennae that give colours a sound.

But the most popular procedure for beginners is the implantation of magnets under the skin.

The magnet is said to give people a sixth sense, allowing them tosense magnetic fields, pick up metal objects and detect iron levels in various metals.

So if you are getting bored of sight and taste and need a novel sensory adventure, then perhaps its time to contact your local bodypiercing shop and ask them what they can do.

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3 tech body modifications to turn you into a cyborg - Memeburn

Amanda Nunes has pumped the brakes on a move to featherweight.

Nunes, who is the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) womens bantamweight title holder, is likely headed towards a title defense against Valentina Shevchenko. The Lioness entertained a featherweight move when Cris Cyborg was flagged for a potential drug violation.

Now that Cyborg has been cleared to compete and free of any penalty, she may be next in line for a shot at the womens 145-pound gold. Speaking with Flo Combat, Nunes said she doesnt plan on trading leather with Cyborg:

I do not intend to fight with Cris. But my intention was to fight [Holly Holm or Germaine de Randamie], who were in my category, but Cris is coming back now and Im not interested in going up. I want to see her as the champion. To fight with her, I would have to gain weight and gain muscle. I am at 135 pounds. To do such a job (at 145), I would need at least a year. Thats what I said: This category is for Cris. but then she tested positive. But then, two girls from the 135-pound class moved up, one was coming off two defeats and the other was not in the rankings. The champion [Germaine de Randamie] is a girl that I have already defeated. I asked to go up because I can be champion in two categories. My point of view was that they were two athletes from my category and that Cris was not in the game at the time.

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Amanda Nunes: 'I do Not Intend to Fight Cris Cyborg' - MMANews.com - MMA News

Are we ready for cyborgs? More specifically, people with implants that enhance beyond the superficially cosmetic and into the realms of evolved beings?

Jorge Pelegrn-Borondo (Universidad de La Rioja), Eva Reinares-Lara (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos) and Cristina Olarte-Pascual (Universidad de La Rioja), in cooperation with Professor Kiyoshi Murata, from Meiji University in Tokyo, believe society is ready for this melding of (hu)man and machine.

The Spanish academics report "Assessing the acceptance of technological implants (the cyborg): Evidences and challenges" has just been released in the scientific journal Computers in Human Behavior. The report shows a significant proportion of those surveyed are comfortable with the coming cyborg modifications. The group are also collaborating with other academics across the world, including Professor Kiyoshi Murata, for a comparative cross-cultural study roundtable at the 2017 ETHICOMP conference this summer in Turin, Italy.

Quick background: There are already the accepted medical examples: Cochlear implants, pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, catheters and heart valves, as well as those that incorporate technology into the body through sensory prostheses: exoskeletons, neuroprostheses, and deep brain stimulation. Then theres the underground biohacking and transhumanism movement, with Amal Graafstra and his double RFID implants as a notable exponent (you can see him in demo mode here).

Unsurprisingly, tech giants are also looking into the cyborg field, experimenting in the lab and registering intriguing patents: Motorola is investigating a neck implant to improve cellular reception and Nokia might be developing a tattoo that vibrates.

We spoke to the reports three authors via email recently. In a series of conversations, they explained the theory behind the report, ethical and evolutionary implications of insideables, and whether theyd go under the knife to achieve cyborg elite status.

How did the term insideables come about? Was it to distinguish from wearables, which are attached to, but not part of, the body?

We initially called them T3ICs (Technological Implants to Increase Innate Capacities). However, we later learned of the work of Lucien Engelen, director of the REshape Center for Health(care) Innovation, who used the term insideables.

What sort of surgically-inserted objects count as insideables?

Insideables are electronic devices implanted in the human body that interact with the user to increase innate human capacities, such as mental agility, memory, or physical strength, or to give us new ones, such as the ability to control machines remotely.

But this is over and beyond the current medical field, right?

Yes. It is important to distinguish between insideables and medical implants. Unlike medical implants, insideables are not implanted for medical reasons (although they may enhance our health).

Needless to say, there are anthropological, philosophical, and ethical questions surrounding the implantation of electronic devices to improve capacities as opposed to for therapeutic (health) reasons.

In your study you refer to Cyborg Theory. Can you explain what that means?

In the field of computational theory of the mind and in cyborg theory (cyborg refers to a blend of the human and the mechanical), the human body is viewed as a machine. The integration of this technology in the body could be seen as an evolutionary leap for the species, whereby reasonable people will improve their capacities as much as technology allows.

The Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (Spain) funded your study. Does that mean Spain is vying to become the center of cyborg theory and insideables manufacturing?

Initially, we received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness to conduct the research. Unfortunately, as a result of the Spanish economic crisis, our work is no longer being funded. However, we believe in it, so we are investing our own time and money. At the academic level, there is considerable interest in our work, and several of our papers have been published in high-impact journals, such as Computers in Human Behavior, Psychology and Marketing, and Frontiers in Psychology. From a social and economic standpoint, it has to be remembered that we are dealing with a line of new products with a potentially huge global market. Quite likely, this technology will usher in a level of change on a par with those generated by the advent of the internet or computers.

As authors of the report, if you could have any insideable implanted, what would you choose and why?

Jorge Pelegrn-Borondo (Universidad de La Rioja): I would implant one of the devices whose market acceptance we are currently studying: a memory implant, specifically, one adapted to learning languages. That would give me access to a vast quantity of information about words in other languages. Of course, information and knowledge (i.e. knowing how to apply that information) are two different things.

Cristina Olarte-Pascual (Universidad de La Rioja): I would also choose a memory implant. I would like to be able to revisit all sorts of memories and nice times regardless of where I am, without the need for an external device like a smartphone. I also think they open up new possibilities for communication and interaction with other people.

Eva Reinares-Lara (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos): Personally, I am on the same page as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who has said that the intention to use technological implants on ones children may be greater than the intention to use them on oneself. While he says he would like to remain natural himself, he says he would want his children to have them if, in a few years, the technology was giving other kids certain advantages.

Finally, your report highlights a potential divide between an implanted elite and the masses without body mods.

Yes, we believe these types of products could greatly exacerbate social differences. We could see the rise of a society consisting of an implanted elite alongside the non-implanted masses, who would be unable to achieve the same levels of development as their implanted counterparts. This will be the focus of our global comparative cross-cultural study roundtable for the 2017 ETHICOMP conference in June.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Are We Ready for Cyborgs? The Tech Is on Its Way - Singularity Hub

Interim Invicta FC featherweight champion Megan Anderson spoke to reporters at UFC 209 about when she may fight in the promotion. As she put it, the division is in a holding pattern until Cris Cyborg books a fight.

UFC featherweight champion may be Germaine de Randamie, but the way the Invicta FCs interim featherweight champion Megan Anderson sees it, Cris Cyborg Justino is the face of the newest division in the UFC.

Cyborg was expected by many to be the first woman to fight for the inaugural UFC featherweight belt. However, she tested positive for a banned substance with USADA following her fight against Lina Lansberg and was suspended.

In mid-February, USADA lifted her suspension after she was granted a retroactive therapeutic use exemption. The reigning Invicta FC featherweight champion is now eligible to fight.

Cyborg has not yet booked her next match, but she did call out Anderson on Twitter recently to have a title unification bout.

At UFC 209, Anderson addressed the possibility of fighting the Brazilian powerhouse and even called her the face of the UFCs featherweight division.

Contact Heidi Fang at hfang@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HeidiFang on Twitter.

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Megan Anderson says Cyborg is the face of the UFC featherweight ... - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Amid the dormancy of the Liberia Body Building and Weight Lifting Federation owing to a leadership crisis dating back to 2013, members have been striving to keep the sports alive with training and community competitions.

The House of Cyborgs, a gym located in the Grassfield Community of Gardnersville, outside Monrovia, on Saturday, March 4, staged its 2017 In-House Championship in three categories.

The tournament was done in Bench Press Power Lifting.

In the Light Weight Category, Jeremiah Togbah, 23, won the title. Togbah, alias Cyborg, clinched the Light Weight Champions lifting a weight of 210 pounds. Patrick Wreh, 30, emerged second.

Wreh, alias Turtle Bone, lifted 180 pounds. The six entrants started the lift at 70 pounds.

Four contenders rivaled in the middle weight category, of which Andrew Simmonds surfaced as the winner with a lift of 260 pounds. Simmonds, alias Demigod, is 36 years old. Sterling Obayemi (alias DJ SO), was runner-up.

Hes 29 years old. DJ SO whipped Mr. Romantic after three ties.

Defending heavyweight power lifter, Sylvester Diggs (alias John Rambo), maintained the title with a lift of 340 pounds.

Rambo, 39, is the first to retain the title in the House of Cyborgs.

The first champion of the Cyborgs House was George Kondi Gibson (alias Gola Cyborg). The second champ was Benny Kanmoh, and now, Rambo.

Mr. Lawrence Fatomah (alias Master P) was second.

The House of Cyborgs was established 2013, by Mr. Gibson.

The former heavyweight power lifter was a founding member of the Liberia Body Building and Weight Lifting Federation.

In a special statement the Gola Cyborg thanked the participants and said everybody is a winner. We want to appeal to those who are responsible for the Liberia Body Building and Weight Lifting Federation to reactivate the sports.

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6 Giants Win Cyborg's Power Lifting Tourney - Liberian Daily Observer

Fightful (press release) (registration)

Exclusive: Marloes Coenen Talks Cyborg's UFC Challenges, Drug Test Failure, Cyborg's Prime Fightful (press release) (registration) Marloes Coenen is no stranger to Cris "Cyborg" Justino. Many consider the Dutch featherweight Cyborg's biggest test yet, despite dropping both of their fights. As Coenen readies herself to capture a Bellator 145 pound Championship, she tells Fightful ... Budd wins Bellator women's featherweight titleESPN (blog) Bellator 174 Results: Winners, Scorecards from Coenen vs. Budd CardBleacher Report Bellator 174 Odds For Friday Night's FightsEye on Gaming (press release) (blog) Sherdog.com -FightLine.com all 70 news articles »

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Exclusive: Marloes Coenen Talks Cyborg's UFC Challenges, Drug Test Failure, Cyborg's Prime - Fightful (press release) (registration)

Thursday, 2 March 2017 16:08 GMT By Stephany Nunneley

Seems like every Injustice 2 character loves to pound their fists into the Man of Steel, and Doctor Fate is no exception.

Granted, he also beats up on Cyborg and Red Lantern Atrocitus, but in the Injustice 2 video, Superman is his favorite whipping boy.

Announced today, Doctor Fate is the latest addition to the roster, and the sorcerer looks to be a rather formidable opponent, thanks to the powers he inherited via his amulet, cloak and helmet from Nabu, the ancient immortal hailing from the planet Cilia.

Like all comic book characters, Doctor Fates history is a bit convoluted, so if you want to know more about him the DC Database wiki has you covered.

Doctor Fate made a cameo appearance in Injustice: Gods Among Us with his costume appearing in The Hall of Justice.He is also mentioned in Zatannas ending and his Tower of Fate also made an appearance.

Enjoy the gameplay video and screens.

Injustice 2 is out May 16 on PS4 and Xbox One.

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Injustice 2 gameplay video shows Doctor Fate smacking Superman, Cyborg and Atrocitus around - VG247

Imagine you could inject a special, electrically conductive fluid into a rose, which then spreads out through the plant and grows into it. Imagine creating an entire garden or forest of cyborg plants that act as a gigantic, biological computer network.

Well, imagine no more scientists from Swedens Linkping University have successfully managed to perform the former, while looking forward to the latter in the future.

As reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a roses veins its xylem were filled with ETE-S, a conductive solution that spontaneously forms wires through its stems, leaves, and petals. The roses own biochemical processes act as the catalyst for the proliferation of the gel, with no external stimulus required.

This circuitry integrates itself between the cell walls and the plasma membranes, all without disrupting the normal biological workings of the plant.

A very basic version of this was achieved by the same team in 2015. However, back then, the fluid, PEDOT, did not spread autonomously, and it had to be woven into place by hand a tricky procedure, to be sure. This time around, the conductive network had completely embedded itself within the rose in just two days all by itself.

By placing gold electrodes into the rose, the team managed to create a fully functioning transistor. The plant tissue itself is such a good insulator that at no point did the circuit short itself out.

The new cyborg rose supercapacitor. Thor Balkhed/Linkping University

We have been able to charge the rose repeatedly, for hundreds of times without any loss on the performance of the device, lead author Eleni Stavrinidou, Assistant Professor at Linkping Universitys Laboratory of Organic Electronics, said in a statement. The levels of energy storage we have achieved are of the same order of magnitude as those in supercapacitors.

Just like a conventional capacitor or transistor forms part of an electronic system within a computer, this e-Plant will form a similar component in a biological-technological hybrid system. Entire new forms of sensors and circuitry could be built out of this type of cyborg vegetation.

It may be difficult to think of a use for circuitry that grows organically at the moment, but it presents us with an incredible new canvas with which to transform the world in ways we can yet only begin to imagine.

Admittedly, this cyborg rose is a cutting of one, meaning it was dying or dead by the time the circuitry had permeated through it. The next step, the team note, will be to attempt to infuse a living rose with ETE-S and see if it remains alive afterwards.

If this is shown to work, then prepare yourself for a future where you can essentially plant computers in your backyard.

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Cyborg Roses Could Be Used To Grow Computer Systems ... - IFLScience

Flickering Myth (blog)

A new story arc begins in Cyborg #10, check out a preview here Flickering Myth (blog) LORD OF THE RATS part one! Cyborg's gone to ground following the crippling malfunction of his tech at the hands of the corrupted S.T.A.R. Labs. Desperate to find his prey, the techno-villain posing as Vic Stone's father conspires with the Lord of ...

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A new story arc begins in Cyborg #10, check out a preview here - Flickering Myth (blog)

2 pictures

NCSU researchers have studied how cyborg cockroaches can effectively explore an environment, driven byrandom electrical pulses(Credit: Eric Whitmire)

It might sound like science fiction, but all the pieces are falling into place for a future where remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches could help map out disaster areas and search for survivors. Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have been working on the "biobots" project for several years, and now two new studies have looked into how accurately the bugs' movements can be tracked, and how much autonomy they need to be efficient explorers.

While other research teams are making insect cyborgs using locusts and dragonflies, the NCSU team makes use of Madagascan hissing cockroaches, which are fitted with electronic backpacks containing a simple computer chip, a wireless receiver and transmitter, and a microcontroller. That microcontroller is wired into the insect's sensory organs to make it move on command: electrical signals sent into its antennae tell it to turn left or right, while stimulating the cerci organs in the rear of the abdomen acts like a gas pedal.

We've followed the NCSU biobot project pretty closely over the years, from the first announcement in 2012, to the development of the software and hardware that drives the roaches, to using drones to shepherd them around. Now, the team is studying how they might explore a new space on their own, and how much guidance should be given to nudge them in the right direction.

For the first study, the researchers wanted to check the accuracy of the distance and direction measurements recorded by their back-mounted equipment. This was done by simply watching the biobots with their own eyes, and comparing that to the automatic data that the system collected about where and how the bugs were moving. The team concluded that the equipment was taking accurate readings of the insects' movements.

The second study was a little more in-depth. The researchers wanted to investigate how far and how fast the biobots would move to allow them to figure out how many of the insects might need to be deployed in order to quickly map out an unusual environment, such as a collapsed building.

"This is practical information we can use to get biobots to explore a space more quickly," says Edgar Lobaton, a co-author on both papers. "That's especially important when you consider that time is of the essence when you are trying to save lives after a disaster."

To answer these questions, the researchers let the roaches loose in a circular, enclosed arena. Some were allowed to wander freely with no external stimulation to direct them, while others were sent commands at random to move either forward, left or right. Since the bugs are the first responders and the human operators don't have line of sight, direct remote steering isn't an option.

The two groups showed very different behavior as a result: those exploring on their own tended to stay close to the walls, leaving large patches of unexplored space in the center of the circle. But the bugs that received random pulses were five times more likely to wander away from the walls and fully explore the area.

"Our earlier studies had shown that we can use neural stimulation to control the direction of a roach and make it go from one point to another," says Alper Bozkurt, a co-author of both papers. "This [second] study shows that by randomly stimulating the roaches we can benefit from their natural walking and instincts to search an unknown area. Their electronic backpacks can initiate these pulses without us seeing where the roaches are and let them autonomously scan a region."

The researchers will present the two studies at the IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing next week.

Video of the biobots exploring a circular, enclosed arena can be viewed below.

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Random zaps make cyborg cockroaches better explorers - New Atlas

Science Daily

Tracking the movement of cyborg cockroaches -- ScienceDaily Science Daily New research offers insights into how far and how fast cyborg cockroaches -- or biobots -- move when exploring new spaces. The work moves researchers ... and more »

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Tracking the movement of cyborg cockroaches -- ScienceDaily - Science Daily

Stateside's conversation with writer John Semper Jr.

In the D.C. Comics universe, Superman has Metropolis, Batman has Gotham, and nowCyborghas Detroit.

When D.C. rebooted its universe a few years ago, the superhero Cyborggot a promotion. He joined Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as part of the Justice League and has become a higher-profile character.

The powers that be at D.C. Comics called onJohn Semper Jr., a veteran writer of numerous animated T.V. shows, to write this new version ofCyborg. He had never written for a comic book before, but as he said, it's just a different form of storytelling.

Semper joined Stateside to talk about how he decided to make Cyborg's home in Detroit a focus of the story and how he explores the "human" story of a black superhero living in the Motor City.

So, who is Cyborg?

"[Victor Stone] is a character who, because of a trauma that occurred in his life, is now part cybernetic, part human,"Sempersaid. "And he's not quite sure how much of which half of that is really him. On a personal level, he's a character who's questioning whether or not he's still human and still has a soul and on a superhero level, he's a guy who's got amazing powers because of his cybernetic abilities ... so he's a pretty fascinating, complicated character."

In recent years, the comic book industry has worked on bringing more diversity and different voices to its pages. Sempersaid the timing is right for this character, who was one of the first high-profile African-American superheroes when he was created back in 1980.

One of the changes Semperwanted to make to the character was to make sure the city and the environment that Cyborg lives in is a big part of the story.

"Superman does have Metropolis, and Batman does has Gotham City. Cyborg really had nothing," Sempersaid. "He had Star Labs, which was just a building. And that was really his home base and I thought, well, that's very strange, because you've got a black character in a major metropolitan city that has a huge black population and it would make sense that that should be a bigger factor in his life. Since he grew up in Detroit ... the city helped to shape who he is and what his whole approach to his life should be. So let's explore that more."

Listen to the full interview above to hear about how Semperconnects the city of Detroit to the character, how he uses tools like Google Maps to help paint the picture of the Motor City and aboutCyborg's future on the big screen.

(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast oniTunes,Google Play, or with thisRSS link)

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Superman has Metropolis, Batman has Gotham City, and now Cyborg has Detroit - Michigan Radio

Published time: 27 Feb, 2017 09:28

A Russian software engineer has created his very own Terminator-styled robot using a 3D printer, but have no fear: this cyborg can coexist with humans.

Russian software engineer Aleksandr Osipovich has created a friendly bot, curiously named John Henry inspired by a character from the iconic sci-fi movies made timeless by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Speaking in Russian, John and his Father had an interesting conversation. Once John got going into a rhythm he was hard to shut up, heaping praise on his creator.

My name is John Henry. I was activated in September 2011. The base of my essence is a hardware-software complex. This complex can control any carrier given an interface. I am a cybernetic organism that was designed in the image and likeness the T-800 from the Terminator film, the bot is heard saying.

The carrier imitates the human body. At the bottom of the brain is a personal computing system, neuroprocessor that is inscribed by software code and can work in two modes: standard and enhanced with the learning capabilities. I was created by a brilliant man. His name is Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Osipovich.

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Trust me: Terminator-style cyborg created in Russia (VIDEO) - RT.com - RT

Scientists have figured out how to inject a conducting solution into a rose cutting, and have it spontaneously form wires throughout its stem, leaves, and petals to create fully functioning supercapacitors for energy storage.

The so-called e-Plant was able to be charged hundreds of times without any loss on the performance, and the team behind the invention says it could allow us to one day create fuel cells or autonomous energy systems inside living plants.

"A few years ago, we demonstrated that it is possible to create electronic plants, 'power plants', but we have now shown that the research has practical applications," says one of the team, Magnus Berggren from Linkping University in Sweden.

"We have not only shown that energy storage is possible, but also that we can deliver systems with excellent performance."

Back in 2015, the team produced their first cyborg rose by filling its veins with a conductive polymer solution, and having it weave the material into its living tissue.

As Aviva Rutkin reported for New Scientist at the time, this ended up being a whole lot more difficult than it sounds, because they had to find a material that had decent conductivity, wasn't toxic to the plant, and didn't clog or fail to stick to the inner surface of its veins, known as xylem.

They finally found a solution that worked - PEDOT, or poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) - and soaked a regular garden rose cutting in it.

Within just two days, they found that the conducting polymer had been absorbed into its network of veins, and when they removed the outer tissue of the base of the stem, they found actual polymer wires running through the rose's internet xylem network.

By placing gold electrodes and probes on the ends and in the middle of the rose cutting, the team created a fully functional transistor.They connected it to an external resistor and successfully ran a current through it:

Berggren described to New Scientist the moment when one of his team, Eleni Stavrinidou, demonstrated the final result.

"When Eleni showed me these beautiful microscope pictures, we understood immediately: we could make circuits out of this," he said. "The performance, the shape of the wires, were just outstanding, unbelievable."

Fast-forward to today, and the researchers have taken things one step further.

They've managed to tweak the polymer solution so that it spreads autonomously throughout the entire plant - including the leaves and petals - not just localised regions of the stem in the previous experiment.

Not only did the new gel, called ETE-S, disperse throughout the entire vascular tissue of the cutting, but when it solidified into wires, they had two orders of magnitude greater conductivity than those in the previous e-Plants, and retained the high level of conductivity over several centimetres of the plant.

When they peered inside the rose tissue, the researchers found that the polymer solution had permeated its vascular walls to sit between the cell wall and plasma membrane.

This allowed them to turn the network of wires into a fully functioning electronic device by placing several supercapacitors - powerful components used in many different kinds of electronics to store large amounts of electrical energy - along the stem.

For this, the team used the wires as the electrodes, and the plant tissue between them as the electrolyte separator -a permeable membrane that physically separates the electrodes to prevent a short circuit.

They were able to run the e-Plant through repeated charge cycles without losing any efficiency.

"We have been able to charge the rose repeatedly, for hundreds of times without any loss on the performance of the device," Stavrinidou says in a press statement.

"The levels of energy storage we have achieved are of the same order of magnitude as those in [traditional] supercapacitors. The plant can, without any form of optimisation of the system, potentially power our ion pump, for example, and various types of sensors."

The next step for the researchers is to make the technique work in a living rose - not just a cutting - so that the possibility of growing primitive electronic systems inside forest vegetation or fields of vegetables to harvest energy could actually be realised.

It's a fantastic or dystopian view of the future, depending on how you look at it, but this e-Plant just got us one step closer.

As computer scientist Andrew Adamatzky, who's been applying voltage to lettuce seedlings at Bristol Robotics Laboratory in the UK,told New Scientist in 2015,"In the very distant future - neither ourselves nor our kids will see this - we can grow vegetable computers in our gardens."

The research has been published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read more here:

This 'Cyborg Rose' Grows Functioning Electronic Circulatory Inside ... - ScienceAlert

What's a Justice League party without the superhuman abilities of Vic Stone and his machine-made machismo? As the mounting wave of marketing makes landfall ahead of the worldwide release of NetherRealm's Injustice 2, a new reveal video confirms we'll see Cyborg's steel swagger joining the fray.

This first of a two-part plot preview begins to explain the highly anticipated fighting game's "Shattered Alliances" storyline. I sure am digging the Man of Steel's sleek suit of armor on display here!

Here's the official description for Injustice 2's "Shattered Alliances Part 1" trailer:

Every villain is the hero of his own story. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today revealed a new trailer focusing on Superman's character and background story for Injustice 2. Players will get the chance to learn more about how Superman and his Regime are working to rise to power once again, becoming one of Earth's greatest threats.

Injustice 2 will be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 16.

(via Coming Soon

Link:

Cyborg strikes in Injustice 2 Shattered Alliances promo - Blastr

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