Futurity.org » Carnegie Mellon University

Digital formats split up electronics market

Adam Reger-Pittsburgh — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:30:41 +0000

U. PITTSBURGH / CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Digital converters lower the risk of getting “stranded” with a losing, incompatible format—like when VHS made Betamax obsolete.

Consumers now have more choice, and firms may be able to increase total market shares by accommodating themselves to compatible formats, cross-licensing, and avoiding standards wars.

To think clearly under stress, focus on values

Shilo Rea-Carnegie Mellon — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:49:50 +0000

CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — New research provides the first evidence that self-affirmation can protect against the damaging effects of stress on problem-solving performance.

Understanding that self-affirmation—the process of identifying and focusing on one’s most important values—boosts stressed individuals’ problem-solving abilities. The findings, published in PLOS ONE, will help guide future research and the development of educational interventions.

“An emerging set of published Carnegie Mellon University studies suggest that a brief self-affirmation activity at the beginning of a school term can boost academic grade-point averages in underperforming kids at the end of the semester. This new work suggests a mechanism for these studies, showing self-affirmation effects on actual problem-solving performance under pressure,” says J. David Creswell, assistant professor of psychology.

Diverse neuron ‘dream teams’ beat the rest

Jocelyn Duffy-Carnegie Mellon — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:42:32 +0000

CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Scientists have used a statistical model to evaluate the fitness of individual neurons and find which ones will make the most successful “team.”

In a process similar to the way a sports fanatic puts together a fantasy football team, a computer simulation then pitted the groups of neurons against one another in a playoff-style format to find out which population was the best. Researchers then analyzed the winners to see what types of neurons made the most successful squads.

Keyboards shrink for extra tiny devices

Byron Spice-Carnegie Mellon — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:47:51 +0000

CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — A new iterative zooming technique could make it possible to enter text on ultra-small computers, like smartwatches.

Smartwatches may soon be on their way from companies such as Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft. But as capable as these ultra-small computers may be, how will users enter an address, a name, or a search term into them?

Wave hand. Turn any surface into a touchscreen

Byron Spice-Carnegie Mellon — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:27:05 +0000

CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — New technology makes it possible to create touch-based interfaces almost at will, with just the swipe of your hand.

The system goes beyond previous work that allowed a depth camera system such as Kinect to be combined with a projector to turn almost any surface into a touchscreen.

Find and fix ‘bugs’ in surgical robots

Byron Spice-Carnegie Mellon — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:26:00 +0000

CARNEGIE MELLON / JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Researchers have used a new technique to detect glitches in the software that controls surgical robots.

The team analyzed a control algorithm for a research robot that would help a surgeon perform surgery at the base of the skull.

Patients don’t want to be bargain hunters

Robert Perkins-USC — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:30:49 +0000

USC (US) — When it comes to health care, high deductibles aren’t enough to motivate patients to shop around for cheap medical services, a new study reports.

Consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) offer low premiums but high deductibles on the premise that patients who are faced with deductibles of $1,000 or more for individual coverage (or twice that for family coverage) will look around for the best bargain.

Cash + competition can boost weight loss

Jessica Mikulski-Penn — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:42:44 +0000

U. PENNSYLVANIA (US) — People offered cash awards to lose weight may drop more pounds if they’re competing with others in the same situation.

A new study enrolled employees of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 to 40 kg/m2 and compared two weight-loss incentive strategies.

From Saharan dust comes California snow

Jocelyn Duffy-Carnegie Mellon — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:36:27 +0000

CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Snow in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains can get its start as airborne dust particles that travel from deserts in Asia and Africa, scientists say.

Because snow in the Sierra Nevada provides a significant source of water to the region, finding ways to predict ice-initiated precipitation is crucial for water resource management, researchers say.

See the game from a football’s perspective

Byron Spice-Carnegie Mellon — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:48:21 +0000

CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Embedding a camera in the side of a football could give spectators a new, ball’s-eye view of the playing field.

Football fans have become accustomed to viewing televised games from a dozen or more camera angles, but researchers suggest another possible camera position: inside the ball itself.