Group items tagged

"Austin Police Department hopes a virtual training facility "

by taking people out of the hazardous real training environment this tech can save lives

"Technology that links vehicles into "road trains" that can travel as a semi-autonomous convoy has undergone its first real world tests."

The da Vinci, a surgical robot costing up to $2.6 million, gives surgeons powerful new abilities in the operating room. But while some doctors tout shorter recovery times for patients and decreased risk of complications, others warn of high costs and the lack of a national training standard.

Amazing video showing new developments in medical training. Shows 'CPR' 'dummies' that feature an array of electronics to simulate a human being - including real pulses, airways, and respiratory system (the chest actually raises and falls as the 'dummy' breathes). Looks like a great training tool and can also be used to measure the effectiveness of the first aid given. Also talks about future development such as real 'skin'. Could also be useful to discuss limitations of models, such as the lack of 'blood' and other vital systems.

Interesting videos about the military use of simulations in training, and also the use of remote drones and robots.

A demonstration of biometrics using the way you type. The user trains the system 10 times by entering a test sentence. After training, the site can recognise or reject users based on the way that they type. Quite accurate! (tagged with 3.3 networks because that is where it appears in the syllabus)

Kinda frightening a little

A Dutch schoolteacher with no formal training in astronomy, Ms. van Arkel had joined tens of thousands of other Web volunteers to help classify photographs taken by deep-space telescopes. Stumped by the unusual image on her computer screen, she e-mailed the project staff for guidance. Staff members were stumped, too. And thus was christened the celestial body now known to astronomers worldwide as Hanny's Voorwerp (Dutch for "object"). Stories like Ms. van Arkel's are becoming more common, as the Internet opens up new opportunities for so-called citizen scientists. And as millions of people get involved in these participatory projects, scientists are grappling with how best to harness the amateurs' enthusiasm.

An interesting case study which looks at the cost of switching from Windows to Mac or Linux machines in a school. Provides good examples of the real world costs of IT, as well as other issues such as software availability and training.

An older article (2007), but still interesting. Covers the use of AI software to grade English comprehension exam answers. The article includes a bit about how the software works - being trained on good examples and then looking for common phrases associated with high marks.

The use of virtual reality applications to train soldiers heading to Iraq and Afghanistan.