[From BikePortland.org, where the post includes additional images] A look inside Oregon State’s bicycling and driving simulator laboratory Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on October 19th, 2011 A research laboratory at Oregon State University in Corvallis is the first in the nation to integrate an advanced driving simulator with a bicycling simulator. When the two are connected, researchers can collect real-time data on how vehicle operators react in an extremely realistic, three-dimensional roadway environment. Think about that for a minute. Imagine the possibilities of researchers being able to do everything from testing how road users react to each other, how…

[From Scientific American’s Assignment: Impossible blog, where the post includes additional images and a video] A Modest Proposal: Virtual Keyboards via Kinect Eyeglasses By Charles Q. Choi | October 28, 2011 In the series “A Modest Proposal,” my colleagues and I will propose inventions and projects that I think are eminently doable and would love made real. I love my iPad. I scan vast amounts of information daily for work and play, and tablet computers are ideal for displaying it. But tablets and mobile devices in general have a key weakness — as much as they help people consume information,…

[From MIT’s Technology Review] Biomedicine The Virtual Nurse Will See You Now In the hectic world of a hospital, a computer-simulated nurse can be surprisingly comforting. Tuesday, November 1, 2011 By Emily Singer Researchers at Northeastern University have developed a virtual nurse and exercise coach that are surprisingly likable and effective—even if they’re not quite as affable as the medical hologram on Star Trek. In fact, patients who interacted with a virtual nurse named Elizabeth said they preferred the computer simulation to an actual doctor or nurse because they didn’t feel rushed or talked down to. A recent clinical trial…

[From Technabob; a 0:50 minute video is available here along with additional details] Last-Minute Costume Idea: Cut a Hole in Your Torso with Two iPad 2s October 30th, 2011 by: Technabob If you still don’t have a Halloween costume, you’re probably left to the dregs of the random ill-fitting Scooby Doo and Teletubbies costumes at your local Wal-Mart. But if you and a buddy can spare your iPad 2s for the night, you could end up being the life of the party. By taking a pair of iPad 2s and strapping them to his chest and back using duct tape, Technabob…

[From The Huffington Post] Microsoft Shows Off 3D Concept ‘HoloDesk’ (VIDEO) The Huffington Post  Jason O. Gilbert Updated: 10/20/11 Hang on to your perceptions of reality: Microsoft just released a video of a 3D ‘HoloDesk,’ a radical system that allows users to seemingly manipulate 3D objects like balls and cubes with their hands. Check out the [4:15 minute] video to see what this means. Per the video description from the MicrosoftResearch YouTube channel: HoloDesk is a novel interactive system combining an optical see through display and Kinect camera to create the illusion that users are directly interacting with 3D graphics.…

[From Zee News; the Echoes web site is here] Virtual worlds help autistic kids develop social skills Last Updated: Saturday, October 22, 2011 Washington: A new study has suggested that the benefits of virtual worlds can be used to help autistic children develop social skills beyond their anticipated levels. Researchers on the Echoes Project have developed an interactive environment which uses multi-touch screen technology where virtual characters on the screener act to children’s actions in real time. During sessions in the virtual environment, primary school children experiment with different social scenarios, allowing the researchers to compare their reactions with those…