Teddy Bear Robotic Companions
A plush robotic teddy bear sat on display at TechFest, a two-day Microsoft event that started today. Steven Bathiche, a research and development program manager, is looking to go beyond the bears you know. (re: Harry Harrison)

Brain 'Pacemaker' For Depression Sufferers
For the first time, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been shown to treat people suffering from major depression. DBS has been used to successfully treat epilepsy and Parkinson's. (re: Larry Niven)

Young Blood Found To Revive Aging Muscles
Dr. Thomas Rando and his group have been studying specialized cells called satellite cells, which are the stem cells in muscles. (re: Robert Heinlein)

Huygens Was Right - Titan Is Wet
Coming down through the clouds, the probe took pictures of what looked like river channels, beaches and islands - and landed in the mud! (re: Various)

Dyson Intelligent Vacuum Cleaner Is Self-Diagnosing
James Dyson has added a new feature to his vacuum cleaners - they can tell service personnel exactly what the problem is. All you need to do is "phone home" - that is, call the service center. (re: Arthur C. Clarke)

Demolition Robots Help Destroy Building
Robots suspended from cranes will be used to demolish the structure of one of Madrid's tallest buildings. The building was damaged by fire; the ruined structure is too dangerous to be handled by human workers. (re: Isaac Asimov)

America's Army And The Last Starfighter
America's Army, the official U.S. Army game, is an online video game that has registered about 4.7 million users. More than 30,000 people log onto the game's servers every day; thousands more play in unofficial leagues. It claims to present the most (re: Various)

CSS Skywalker - First Step To SF Orbital Resorts
CSS Skywalker, an orbital hotel designed by Bigelow Aerospace, will consist of a 22x45 foot inflatable space habitat that can be easily configured for its guests. In the configuration shown below, the top level is set aside as a lounge; the middle le (re: Arthur C. Clarke)

Mouse With Human Brain May Live
Stanford University has given researcher Irving Weissman permission to create a mouse-human hybrid. The intent is to inject human brain cells into the brains of developing mice to see what happens. (re: H.G. Wells)

Rotundus And Rover: Robotic And Fictional Guardians (Updated)
The Rotundus robot is a rather unusual spherical bot that moves using an internal pendulum. The robot was originally designed for planetary exploration at the Ångström Space Technology Center, part of Uppsala University, Sweden. (re: Niven and Pournelle)

Space Rescue Technology In Fact And Fiction
NASA is preparing a backup shuttle and rescue crew in case shuttle Discovery has problems in May. Rescue flights have been become more of an issue since shuttle Columbia broke up in reentry two years ago. SF writers have been working on this since th (re: Various)

Eunicycle Single-Wheel Gyro-Stabilized Scooter
Dr. Trevor Blackwell has constructed a self-balancing, powered unicycle he calls the Eunicycle. It's pretty close to what Robert Heinlein had in mind in 1940 in The Roads Must Roll. (re: Robert Heinlein)

Water-Repellent 'Bumpy' Glass Mimics Lotus Leaves
The lotus is a good model for a water-repellent surface; they are waxy and covered with tiny bumps that make water roll off. Surfaces like ordinary glass are naturally wettable; when water is poured onto it, its surface tension is reduced so it sprea (re: Frank Herbert)

Sega idog Robot Puppy (Update)
Sega unleashed its newest creation in Tokyo; a robotic dog called idog that can compose, play and dance to music. (re: Ray Bradbury)

Throwbot - Pocket-Sized Recon Robot
Redstone Arsenal is developing the Throwbot, a soda can-sized robot to aid soldiers in quickly gathering more information about their immediate environment. (re: Robert Silverberg)

ERNIE The Robot Pharmacist - More Accurate Than Humans
A robot pharmacist named ERNIE dispenses more than 90 percent of Evergreen Hospital Medical Center's drugs. ERNIE has packaged nearly 400,000 doses in the past nine months and works twenty-four hours per day. (re: Larry Niven)