| Military deploys VR NeuroTracker game to train special ops forces (video) May 9th 2012, 09:42  We've seen virtual reality used to simulate the experience of being in space, to train engineers and even to help patients regain mobility, so it's no surprise that the military is recognizing VR's potential, too. The US Special Operations Command recently announced that it will employ NeuroTracker -- a system currently used to train athletes in the NFL and NHL -- to assess and improve commandos' response times and perceptive capabilities. The VR setup tasks commandos with following the movements of four different balls projected on a 3D screen, the catch being that four "decoy" objects are also bouncing around. NeuroTracker assesses how well an individual can keep track of the designated targets, and also helps determine how he or she would be able to predict trajectories in the field. Once a user has completed the first game, several variations come into play, including a version that speeds up the balls' movements and one that pits two players against each other. CogniSens, the company behind NeuroTracker, says the game develops perceptive abilities just like a workout develops muscles; there's even a high-intensity gameplay option that combines the mental challenge with physical conditioning exercises. Continue reading Military deploys VR NeuroTracker game to train special ops forces (video) Military deploys VR NeuroTracker game to train special ops forces (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 05:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Wired | | Email this | Comments | | First signs of Google's new 'semantic search' spotted, put to good use May 9th 2012, 09:17  So, Google wasn't merry-dancing when it promised to update its search engine with new "semantic" algorithms. One of our readers sent in the screen grab above, which shows what happens when they search for "Howard Carter." In addition to all the regular links, there's a box on the right that seems to be distinctly aware of who that poor fellow was (er, happy birthday old bean). We haven't been able to replicate these results, which probably means it's a limited roll-out at this time. Nevertheless, if we're right, then this archaeologist's name will have wormed its way through Mountain View's constantly updated knowledge database, which we're told can link facts together rather than just match keywords. Carter's cause of death? Hmm, clearly the system still as a few things to learn about mummies and curses.
[Thanks, Joseph] First signs of Google's new 'semantic search' spotted, put to good use originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 05:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | ADATA ships its Premier and Premier Pro SSDs to US, gives your laptop a dose of energy May 9th 2012, 09:06  If you remember those Premier SP800 and Premier Pro SP900 solid-state drives that ADATA teased us with in February, you'll be glad to know that they've crossed the Pacific to reach the US and Canada. The two SSDs are meant to give a swift kick to the performance of laptops with regular-sized, 2.5-inch drive bays. Both use SandForce controllers, but are focused on very different areas: the Premier's SATA II interface, 280MB/s reads and 260MB/s writes suit it most to newcomers looking to escape the land of spinning hard drives, while the tangibly faster SATA III, 550MB/s reads and 520MB/s writes of the Premier Pro cater more to the speed junkie set. Tracking down the Premier's 32GB and 64GB flavors might be a challenge, based on our early checks, but we've already found the Premier Pro's 64GB, 128GB and 256GB varieties lurking on Newegg at pre-discount prices between $100 and $300. Continue reading ADATA ships its Premier and Premier Pro SSDs to US, gives your laptop a dose of energy ADATA ships its Premier and Premier Pro SSDs to US, gives your laptop a dose of energy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 05:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Newegg, Premier SP800, Premier Pro SP900 | Email this | Comments | |
