Mental typewriter

A computer controlled by the power of thought alone has been demonstrated at a major trade fair in Germany, reports New Scientist. The Berlin Brain-Computer Interface ? dubbed the “mental typewriter” ? could provide a way for paralysed patients to operate computers, or for amputees to operate electronically controlled artificial limbs. The device was created by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin and Charit?, the medical school of Berlin Humboldt University.

New-age circuit

Researchers at Oregon State University have created the world’s first completely transparent integrated circuit from inorganic compounds, another major step forward for the rapidly evolving field of transparent electronics, according to the journal Solid State Electronics. The circuit is a five-stage “ring oscillator”, commonly used in electronics for testing. Transparent electronics, scientists say, may hold the key to new industries, employment opportunities, and new, more effective or less costly consumer products.