Succeeded in transforming brain activities of a human who is seeing an image into the original image and visualizing it on the computer

The co-lab. team of "Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATRI)" and other organizations succeeded in gathering brain activities of a viewer is actually seeing an image,
reconstructing the gathered data into the original image, and visualizing the image on the computer.
The in-brain image visualizing method, when further developed, may objectively extract subjective experiences, which do not physically exist, for example, mental images and dreams.
The method also showed that it is possible to extract what the human brain perceives from the brain.
The researchers also showed that it is possible to extract complex contents in the brain as the results from that the brain perceives things, just as they are. Further, the method opened up new possibilities of the via-brain information communication technology such as the brain-machine interface (BMI).
For details, read "NEURON", Vol.60, No.5, Decebmer 11, 2008.
Authors & Title:
Yoichi Miyawaki, Hajime Uchida, Okito Yamashita, Masa-aki Sato, Yusuke Morito, Hiroki C. Tanabe, Norihiro Sadato, Yukiyasu Kamitani. "Visual image reconstruction from human brain activity using a combination of multi-scale local image decoders".

A brief of the technology follows for reference. The field of vision is divided into segmental areas having different resolutions. Contrast values of those areas are predicted on the basis of the brain activity patterns, which are obtained through the measurement by the fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). The resultant predictive values are combined to reconstruct an overall original image.
Geometrical figures and alphabets, which were not used for leaning brain activity patterns, could be reconstructed by using the visualizing method. Additionally, a correct image could be specified from among more than 100,000,000 candidates.
Further, an image that the viewer was seeing could be reconstructed into a motion image by analyzing the fMRI scan data gathered every two seconds.
The description given above is a brief of the press release from ATR.

keywords: ATRI, brain activities, in-brain image visualizing,NEURON,fMRI,
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The technology strongly attracted my attention.
I felt that the technology has a great potential to push forward the man-machine communication technology front.
I understand that the technology described is out of the categories currently handled in this site.

EBARA-BALLARD, Delivered New Residential Fuel Cell Cogeneration Systems for Just-Before Mass-Production Experiment

EBARA-BALLARD Corporation started to deliver new residential fuel cell cogeneration systems (ENEFARM) for the large-scale demonstration test under execution, from the Fujisawa factory in Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture.
The FC cogeneration systems are designed and manufactured while envisioning that the residential FC market will be effective in 2009 (next year).
The new FC cogeneration system is improved to practical levels.
The endurance time of the cogeneration system is about 10 years.
The price of the cogenerator is about 120 man-yen (man-yen = 1,000,000 yen, 1 USD = about 92 yen on 2008.12.5 11:16).
The FC cogeneration system is sufficiently practical for general homes if the government subsidy and the long-term loan are used, I think.
Have some of major conditions to raise the initial market already been satisfied?
Current social and economical environment, including CO2 reduction and domestic demand boosting, will encourage creation and expansion of the fuel cell market, I believe.
For the subsidy, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy has got down to brass tacks.
Noise generated during power generation and the unit size were remarkably lowered and reduced.
From the data accumulated through the long-time continued demonstration test , it is taught that the amount of gas consumption is somewhat increased, but the amount of electric consumption is reduced to 1/2 to 1/3.
The company sets the sales target at about 10 % of 3 million households (per year), which replace water heaters, and plans to sell several tens thousands units in 2011.
[Copyright by FuelCell japan: http://www.fcpat-japan.com/]
(Source & reference: TOWNNEWS-SHA CO.,Ltd.)

Sanyo Special Steel Triples the Output Power Density of DMFC

Sanyo Special Steel Co., Ltd., in cooperation with Associate Professor Toshio Shudo (Hokkaido University), has succeeded in tripling the output power density of the DMFC. 134 mW/cm2 is the output power density of the DMFC.
This figure sufficiently exceeds 100 mW/cm2, which is the temporary target figure set by NEDO.
This figure was achieved by use of a unique separator structure.
As known, the conventional separator uses grooves for the passages for fluid flow.
The company's separator uses a porous body for the passages for fluid flow.
Spherical stainless powder having the particle diameter of about 0.1 mm was applied to a separator substrate and sintered into a unit body as a separator.
Fluid, e.g., hydrogen, passes through a large number of perforations formed in the sintered body. The new separator has many advantages of uniform fluid supply, improved reaction efficiency, excellent separator conductivity, and increased current. The separator is also applicable to the PEFC, as a matter of course.
Prof. Shudo will present the new separator technology at the 28th HESS Conference Lecture Meeting (Dec. 11 and 12, 2008, Tokyo; click here).
The DMFC incorporating the new separator will be exhibited at FC EXPO 2009 (Feb. 25 to 27, 2009, Tokyo Big Sight).
Source: News release from SANYO SPECIAL STEEL