Fiber optic neuron switch

http://www.brainfacts.org/about-neuroscience/technologies/articles/2013/ed-boyden-a-light-switch-for-neurons/

In the video above, Ed Boyden shows how fiber optics can be used to (de-)activate some parts of the brain in order to investigate which regions are responsible for e.g. blindness or PTSD. This is done by inserting DNA of light-sensitive proteins into brain cells, which become like solar cells. When an optic fiber shines his light on that cell, it becomes active, and the other way around.

This process is explained in the video from 5:00 approximately, but especially the last one and a half minute is interesting. They start to talk about neural codes as binary numbers and downloading memories.

I find the underlying technology very interesting, but I think that for a first step, the illnesses have to be cured in order to help the ones that need it most. Downloading/uploading memories is (for now) maybe a bit too far, because that is something unique for a person which may not be fooled around with.

Faster internet for students

When looking at the internet accessibility in American (secondary) schools, the average American household has approximately the same amount of internet usage. This means that maybe over 200 scholars in one school make use of with a broadband for their education that provides for one single family.

Experts believe that a high-speed broadband of minimum 100 Mbps is necessary to give the children a better education, with more visual images and videos, and letting the children learn things more at their own pace. With Obama, change has indeed come, because he announced an ambitious effort to provide high-speed broadband to every classroom within five years. This way, America will hopefully catch up with countries like South-Korea and Singapore, where already 100 % of the schools are accommodated with fast internet.  

Further on in the article, the author says that countries like the two mentioned above outperform America when it comes to reading, math and science. And that is probably also true. But for me personally, I don’t think that a more advanced digital education is the main reason for that. More depends on the teacher and his or her way of teaching, and the upbringing and home situation of the student. What is your opinion about that, do you believe digital education is such a major advantage, compared to the “conventional” methods?

Thank you.

Source:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/using-fiber-optics-to-bring-schools-up-to-internet-speed/2013/11/12/210bc1b8-48c7-11e3-b6f8-3782ff6cb769_story.html    

Travel at the speed of light

Transferring data from point A to B at the fastest speed possible is desired by probably every company and household in the world. At this moment, fiber optic cables are already faster than any alternative available.

A couple of months ago, researchers from the UK have made a huge step forward in reaching this goal. They have developed a hollow fiber optic cable, thus filled with air, which can transport data at an immense speed of 99.7 % of the speed of light. The current cables are made out of silica glass and their transfer rates  about 1000 times less. To illustrate: this gives you the opportunity to download at 10 terabytes per second!

However, don’t expect these revolutionary cables to be placed at your home anytime soon. At first, the big datacenters stacked with supercomputers will have priority (and money). Maybe in the future, when these cables are optimized and have become cheaper, everyone will get to enjoy massive data transfer speeds.

Another advantage of hollow optic cables is that the loss of data (when the cables are turned or folded), is nearly eliminated. This is because when the cable is made out of glass or plastic, the refractive index causes the light to bounce around in the cable core. A hollow core with an ultra-thin rim prevents this mostly.

How about you, do you think faster data transfer rates are necessary for personal use, or is it only an advantage for the big data centers?

Thank you!

Sources:

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/151498-researchers-create-fiber-network-that-operates-at-99-7-speed-of-light-smashes-speed-and-latency-records

http://www.dvice.com/2013-3-26/new-fiber-optic-cable-approaches-speed-light-transfer-speeds

Fiber optics used in medicine

Fiber optic cables are best known for their use in telecommunication. However, they also have very interesting applications in a domain where you wouldn’t immediately expect it: medicine. Fiber optics have properties that allow surgeons and other medical personnel to image certain places inside the human body much better in comparison with the conventional techniques. These properties are its ability to carry light, small size and flexibility of the fiber.

Take for example the bronchoscope, which is used for examining lungs. This device consists mainly of a thin fiber optic cable with a lens at the end. This hose is then inserted through the nose or the mouth, going to the lungs. The greatest advantage of this technique is that the system is controlled from the exterior, so it is not necessary to invade the body with more unwieldy devices.

Another example is the endoscope. The working principle is about the same, but in this case the scope is mainly used for the examination of organs and their interior surfaces. Simply put, a small cut is made in the body where afterwards the scope is put through.

A last example is the laparoscope, which again uses the same principle but in this case it especially takes place  in the pelvic area. The scope itself is a bit more rigid than the previous two, but results in less pain, less risk, less scarring and faster recovery time.

But how do these scopes transmit the images to the surgeon? Typically, two types of optic fibers are being used. A central bundle of “complex” fibers transmits the image from inside the body, while an outer circle of “simple” fibers projects enough light inside the body to make the image visible. Sometimes, a third bundle is added from which a laser beam is being transmitted, performing small-scale operations. Also body temperature can be measured using optic fibers.

Sources:

http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/optical-fibers-used-in-medicine

http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/k12/curriculum/guides/science/grade8/Fibre_Optics_STSE_Unit_2.pdf