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PATENT LITIGATION is on the increase, especially in the healthcare sector. It is fair to assume that any IP of value will be challenged in a US Court, not only for infringement, but for validity, and not rarely, overturned on the basis of obviousness or prior art. The money at stake is enormous and settlement and damages sizes are increasing annually. " " http://lnkd.in/dVFqAvZ View in LinkedIn

SINGLE PINHOLE GLASSES are shown used by a scribe in a 1410-1430 painting (Goncal, Paris, Durmicolio de La Mare de Deu, Frederick Mare Museum, Barcelona). Pinholes can increase the depth of the field of focus and achieve better visual clarity. Slit eye masks were described in the 6th century AD, and again in 1623. They were popular in Germany in the 1890s. So this painting, not of a slit mask, may be one of the earliest records of a single pinhole pince-nez. " " http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1444-0938.1932.tb01100.x/abstract View in LinkedIn

FREDERICK MARE was an obsessive Catalan collector (1893-1991) who amassed a truly enormous collection, and what has to be one of the biggest collections of statues of the crucified Christ and of his mother Mary. It is now housed in the former "Palace of the Spanish Inquisition", next to the great Cathederal, in the gothic quarter of Barcelona. This giant collection was a secret beyond his family until his mid-life. He started life as a mausoleum sculptor, and later had sculptures commissioned by the city. (The Frederick Mare Museum View in LinkedIn

BOT LOVE, "researchers are finding that in some cases, people have started to treat robots like pets, friends, or even as an extension of themselves. That raises the question, if a soldier attaches human or animal-like characteristics to a field robot, can it affect how they use the robot? What if they "care" too much about the robot to send it into a dangerous situation?"" " http://lnkd.in/dtya4ve View in LinkedIn

CONVERGING LINES of interactive electronic toys for children and functional robots that are more sophisticated versions capable of touch-screen interactions. It is not hard to imagine such a toy in a child's home rather than TV. Combine the converging engineering trajectory of robotic prostheses, such as fully functional eyes and limbs, and the increasingly human-centric robots in development. View in LinkedIn

HALL OF SHAME. "JP Morgan has agreed to pay $4.5bn (£2.8bn) to investors who lost money on mortgage-related securities during the financial crisis. The settlement is with 21 major institutional investors. Mortgage-related investments were a major factor in the crisis, which began in 2007 with the collapse of the US housing market. Last month JP Morgan agreed a separate, preliminary $13bn deal with the US government over mortgage securities."" " http://lnkd.in/d_CYjjy View in LinkedIn

ROBOTICS ROADMAP FOR CONGRESS for dirty, dull and dangerous work, driven by the Silver Tsunami of the aging world population. "Robotics technology has advanced sufficiently to allow for “human augmented” labor that enables acting on the vision of co-workers who assist people with dirty, dull, and dangerous tasks."" " http://www.todaysengineer.org/2013/Apr/Robotics-Roadmap.asp#sthash.Qr6TIR2f.dpuf View in LinkedIn

DOMESTIC BOTS."In Bristol, Molly the robot helps the elderly; in Lyon, iCub plays children's games. And, globally, some extraordinary developments are under way in artificial intelligence that could have a profound effect on the way we live."" " http://lnkd.in/dmNBG78 View in LinkedIn

MEGABOTS used by Rio Tinto copper company in Australia save humans from dangerous work. "Imagine Google's self-driving cars, except gigantic: each 210-metric-ton truck is 27 feet wide and 51 feet long, and can carry 320 metric tons. Although 15 of the dump trucks work in Australia's iron-rich Pilbara region, they are controlled from a Rio Tinto headquarters in Perth, Australia—930 miles away. Key to the trucks' success is their ability to operate 24 hours a day." Autonomous drills are next at Rio Tinto. " " http://lnkd.in/dqmktKa View in LinkedIn

THE 710 WARRIOR ROBOT, the dark side of robotics. "The newest prototype, which is also designed for explosive ordnance disposal on the battlefield, can lift up to 220 pounds... and carry loads of 150 pounds over rough terrain. Built with an electric motor strong enough to pull a car, the hulking 710 Warrior weighs 346 pounds and can travel at 8 miles per hour...its cameras beam what they see to operators who watch in real time."" " http://lnkd.in/dkPuBiJ View in LinkedIn