ICT

Free blockchain-based platforms can make bank accounts accessible to those unable to afford regular banking technology. Image credit - Pxhere, licensed under CC0

ict | industry | science in society

13 March 2019

Blockchain could democratise banking, music – but at what cost?

Few technologies have the potential to disrupt old institutions as much as blockchain – a system that maintains records on huge networks of individual computers. As with any new technology, it could be used for social good – such as supporting people who are priced-out of the current bank accounts – but the big challenge is how to limit its unintended consequences.

The ability to coil and uncoil will help soft robots interact with their environment. Image credit - Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)

ict

05 March 2019

In a picture: How this robotic tendril mimics climbing plants – Dr Barbara Mazzolai

Dr Barbara Mazzolai, an expert in biorobotics, tells us about creating the first artificial plant tendril that can climb and reverse its movements through hydraulics.

Robots play a role in post-disaster relief work in situations that are too dangerous for humans. Image Credit - Centauro

ict | security

22 January 2019

The robots being readied to enter nuclear no-go zones

Robust, intelligent robots that react to their surroundings are being developed to work in situations that are too dangerous for humans, such as cleaning up Europe’s decades-old radioactive waste or helping during a nuclear emergency.

Through Grassroots Wavelengths, FM frequencies work off a transmitter connected to a mobile phone, broadcasting over a radius of up to 12 km. Image Credit - Andreea Bonea / RootIO, licensed under CC BY-NC

ict | open to the world | science in society

10 January 2019

Hyperlocal radio and do-it-yourself networks bring information closer to home

Modern communications technology means one can find anything, anywhere around the world, on the internet and via mobile phones. But people still live in communities and need information that is relevant to them.

Findings about the effect of a volcano's age on its likelihood to erupt will be applied to the Merapi volcano in Indonesia, among others. Image credit - Jimmy McIntyre, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

security | ict

07 January 2019

Age and foaming: how to predict when a volcano will erupt

The eruption of a volcano can have devastating consequences – killing people and destroying livelihoods, as well as releasing vast amounts of ash into the sky that disrupts air travel and alters the climate. Knowing what goes on underground, however, would facilitate better warnings for when an eruption will occur – and help save lives while keeping damage to a minimum.

Cozmo robots and their corresponding tablets are being distributed to participants to take home so that they can interact with them for a week for an experiment being carried out by social robotics professor Emily Cross. Image credit - Ruud Hortensius and Emily Cross

frontier research | ict

18 December 2018

From robotic companions to third thumbs, machines can change the human brain

People’s interactions with machines, from robots that throw tantrums when they lose a colour-matching game against a human opponent to the bionic limbs that could give us extra abilities, are not just revealing more about how our brains are wired – they are also altering them.

Commissioner Moedas likened the European Open Science Cloud to a 16th century coffeehouse where new ideas could circulate and flourish. Image credit - picture is in the public domain

ict | policy | open science

26 November 2018

Digital ‘coffeehouse’ to spark new scientific ideas now ready for use

The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), a virtual one-stop shop for researchers to share, access and reuse data, was officially unveiled at the University of Vienna, Austria, on 23 November, giving scientists, open data advocates, research institutions and policymakers a first glimpse of the portal.

Advances in digital braille devices could help the 30 million blind or partially sighted people in Europe gain better access to technology. Image credit - René Jaun's braille display by visualpun.ch is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

ict

20 November 2018

Tactile Excel sheets and graphics to boost job prospects for blind people

Touchscreens and digital graphics are everywhere, but for people who are visually impaired, they can be a major hurdle to using modern technology. But this is set to change, thanks to tactile technology that automatically converts complex digital graphics into braille and stick-on smartphone buttons that make apps navigable by touch.

Games apps designed to promote kids’ social skills could also help them avoid social exclusion in later life. Image credit - Pixabay/ StockSnap, licensed under CCO

ict | open innovation | industry

14 November 2018

The video games that improve kids’ social skills

Video games that are specifically designed to test and improve children’s social and emotional skills could enable parents and teachers to spot issues and help children improve their behaviour and performance at school as well as in later life.

The first step to improving something is measuring it, says Alicia Asín, co-founder of Spanish technology company Libelium. Image credit - Alicia Asin Perez

interview | ict

08 November 2018

How do we feed the world? The internet of things can help

Connecting objects and devices through the Internet of Things (IoT) can help solve the greatest challenges of our time, from cutting emissions to feeding a growing population, believes Alicia Asín, CEO and co-founder of Spanish technology company Libelium which makes IoT hardware. Asín was the second-place winner of the 2018 EU Prize for Women Innovators.