Technology:Robots And Mind-Controlled Cars Inspire Students

The Big Bang Fair held in Birmingham is the biggest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths in the UK.

It aims to inspire young scientists and engineers by demonstrating how technology is used in the real world and encouraging them to work on their ideas.

One of the most eye-catching things on display this year is the mind-controlled Scalextric project, developed by students at Warwick University.
It uses a headset connected to a computer, which links up with a Scalextric set. Once it has been set up, the cars move around the track without the need for a controller.

In order for this to work, the headset wearer needs to feel relaxed. Once this is achieved, Alpha waves are produced by neurons in the brain and electrical impulses are generated.

"We're encouraging kids to get into STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) by showing them cool biomedical applications," said engineering student Sophie Webster.
"The Scalextric is a bit of fun … but if you have more electrodes you can connect it to a wheelchair and get a better map of the brain, so you can control direction as well as just speed."
She believes the technology could also have other applications.
She said: "You can also use the headsets to diagnose things like epilepsy. If you have a better map of the brain you can see unusual brain function or brain activity. So there’s lots of applications and it’s a really up and coming area of science."
The Big Bang Fair is a good opportunity for employers to meet students and the food industry decided to use the event to showcase the robots they use in factories.

One of the machines on display was automation technology company FESTO's DJ Robot. It is usually more at home packing boxes or sorting food, but in Birmingham it took on a different role - playing CDs and dancing to music.

"What we’re doing here is, we’re breaking down the components to make this a little bit more interesting," said FESTO's Lee Fletcher.

"We're just funking it up a little bit to really demonstrate to the students … that we can synchronise things together, which is why we’re demonstrating two robots."

All sixty-two people on board a Flydubai Boeing 737 were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames as it was landing in Rostov-on-Don, in Southern Russia, on Saturday morning, officials said. The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that two of the dead are Indian, a couple from Kerala.
“A Boeing 737 crashed as it was coming into land. There were 62 people on board. They are all dead,” said a spokesman from the local ministry, quoted by the official TASS news agency.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/fly-dubai-plane-with-55-on-board-crashes-in-southern-russia-live-updates/#sthash.9vjnOOZU.dpufAll sixty-two people on board a Flydubai Boeing 737 were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames as it was landing in Rostov-on-Don, in Southern Russia, on Saturday morning, officials said. The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that two of the dead are Indian, a couple from Kerala.

“A Boeing 737 crashed as it was coming into land. There were 62 people on board. They are all dead,” said a spokesman from the local ministry, quoted by the official TASS news agency.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/fly-dubai-plane-with-55-on-board-crashes-in-southern-russia-live-updates/#sthash.9vjnOOZU.dpuf

Flydubai plane crash: Russian Emergency Ministry employees investigate the wreckage of a crashed plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. A Dubai airliner crashed and caught fire early Saturday while landing in strong winds in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, officials said. (AP Photo) - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/fly-dubai-plane-with-55-on-board-crashes-in-southern-russia-live-updates/#sthash.9vjnOOZU.dpuf

Flydubai plane crash: Russian Emergency Ministry employees investigate the wreckage of a crashed plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. A Dubai airliner crashed and caught fire early Saturday while landing in strong winds in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, officials said. (AP Photo) - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/fly-dubai-plane-with-55-on-board-crashes-in-southern-russia-live-updates/#sthash.9vjnOOZU.dpuf