Tech Universe: Tuesday 5 July

Bullet trains are impressive - but MagLev is the future, and going off the rails is extremely expensive. Photo / Thinkstock

TOOTHYBOT: Japan's Hanako 2 dental robot has a silicone skin and mouth lining for added realism. With 10 degrees of freedom, the robot can also blink, sneeze, shake its head, cough and choke, just like a real patient. The robot can also recognize some words. At least it will only need to learn to say "Nnnggg" and "Arrgkl" to answer the dentist's questions. More at Diginfo.tv and video here.

FLOATING TRAINS: Japan will spend nine trillion yen on a magnetically levitated train line between Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. The Maglev trains don't touch the ground because of the forces between coils on the ground and superconducting magnets in the train. More than 60% of the line will be in tunnels under mountains. The 514 Km trip between Tokyo and Osaka will take around 1 hour, though that track won't open until 2045. That's crazy fast to travel at ground level.
More information here.

SHOCKING SIGNS: The PossessedHand from the University of Tokyo is a programmed armband that sends small amounts of electricity to muscles in the forearm that control movement. This lets the wearer know which finger to move. As a learning aid, the cuff could help wearers learn how to play a musical instrument or how to sign with the deaf. So, it's basically a 'shock collar'. Physorg has more.

HAVE HAL WILL TRAVEL: Seiji Uchida cannot stand without help after a far accident almost 30 years ago. Now he's heading for the rocky Mont Saint Michel in France, thanks to an assistant who will carry him to the top of the hill. His assistant will wear a robot suit called the Hybrid Assistive Limb, or HAL, that makes it possible to carry loads up to 80 Kg. I can see a whole new trend in travel with this. Details on Discovery.

GUTSY MERMAID: Scientists from Ryukoku University and Osaka Medical College have a new way to get images from inside your colon and stomach: a one-centimetre self-propelled remote controlled capsule endoscope. They've called it The Mermaid. It can be swallowed or inserted and doctors drive it with a joystick while watching its movements on a screen. The level of control means doctors can capture images exactly from problem areas. Imagine equipping it with tiny lasers for zapping tumours too. All the gory details here.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz