Dragonfly inspires robotics team

Engineers in British Columbia are creating a tiny robotic dragonfly that could act as a literal fly on the wall, says CBC News.

Researchers plan to build a robot with two sets of wings, weighing less than a dime. They are studying how to use hi-tech plastics mimicking human muscle in designing robots.

Scientists say the military is interested in using the bug for surveillance purposes. The insect-like robots could also be used for search-and-rescue jobs in hazardous environments.

Cardiac surgeons have borrowed a three-dimensional (3D) stereoscopic imaging technology from the video-game industry to help them guide their tools during intricate beating-heart surgeries, reports Technology Review.

For several years, a team at Children's Hospital Boston has been developing a real-time 3D imaging system for use in beating-heart surgery.

An ultrasound device gathers a stream of 3D data and feeds it to a two-dimensional display, indicating depth with shades of grey. By keeping an eye on the display, a surgeon can see inside the heart during the operation.

The problem with to-do lists and schedules is that you need to fill them out. Now, a new generation of free online schedulers promises to end that drudgery, says Technology Review.

These new Web applications use natural-language processing to interpret spoken commands and ordinary written sentences to build calendars and personal organisers.

Perhaps the simplest of the new generation of schedulers is Presdo, based in San Francisco, which launched in late April to help users collaborate to schedule meetings and other events. Borrowing from Google's successful bag of tricks, Presdo's home page is as simple as it gets: just a floating text box. Type in "have brunch with Margaret on Sunday," and Presdo translates your command into data, bringing you to a page where you and your guests can check and tweak the details of the event.