--Recent developments of low cost off-the-shelf programmable components, their modularity, and also rapid prototyping made educational robotics flourish, as it is accessible in most schools today. They allow to illustrate and embody theoretical problems in practical and tangible applications, and gather multidisciplinary skills. They also give a rich natural context for project-oriented pedagogy. However, most current robot kits all are limited to egocentric aspect of the robots perception. This makes it difficult to access more high-level problems involving e.g. In this paper we introduce an educational holonomous robot kit that comes with an external tracking system, which lightens the constraint on embedded systems, but allows in the same time to discover high-level aspects of robotics, otherwise unreachable. Educational robotics is a field promoting the use of robots as tools to engage learners on practical applications, problems, and sometime competitions. This approach can be backed up by constructionist and experimental learning theories. A lot of educational robotics platforms recently emerged and are now used in classrooms.

Abstract--Transcatheter valve repair presents significant challenges due to the mechanical limitations and steep learning curve associated with manual catheter systems. This paper investigates the use of robotics to facilitate transcatheter procedures in the context of mitral valve edge-to-edge repair . The complex handle-based control of a clinical repair device is replaced by intuitive robotic joint-based control via a game controller . Manual versus robotic performance is analyzed by decomposing the overall device delivery task into motion-specific steps and comparing capabilities on a step-by-step basis in a phantom model of the heart and vasculature. Metrics include procedure duration and clip placement accuracy. Results demonstrate that the robotic system can reduce procedural time and motion errors while also improving accuracy of clip placement. These findings suggest that robotic assistance can address key limitations of manual systems, offering a more reliable and user-friendly platform for complex transcatheter procedures. Transcatheter valve repair procedures are complex to perform and involve substantial learning curves. For example, in transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) of mitral regurgitation (Figure 1), clinical experience demonstrates that operators improve significantly over their first 50 cases and their performance continues to improve out to their 200th case [1]. A major component of mastering a transcatheter procedure is learning how to precisely control catheter positioning.

An external streaming device is the best way to access online video services without replacing your entire TV. By plugging one of these devices into your TV's HDMI port, you'll be able to use apps like Netflix and Hulu, possibly with a faster and smoother experience than your TV's built-in software. But between Roku, Fire TV, Google TV, and Apple TV, picking a streaming device can be overwhelming. We've reviewed them all and have come up with a list of recommendations for every need and budget. As TechHive's resident cord-cutting expert, I've reviewed practically every streaming device that's come out over the past decade, and I've been a cord-cutter myself since 2008.

Handheld gaming has been steadfastly popular since the original GameBoy was released in 1989, but a smartphone will better serve casual players than a single-use piece of hardware in 2024. Some of the most popular video games of all time, from Roblox to Minecraft, are available on iOS and Android. Still, while these titles (and many more) can be played using touch controls, the experience is suboptimal. For the best gaming experience possible, it's essential to use a mobile game controller. These devices connect to your smartphone over a wired or Bluetooth connection and provide physical buttons and control sticks, making playing games a lot more natural.

The stream of new video games seemingly never ends but, for some of us, nothing beats the classics. If you don't feel like hunting through eBay and local game shops for old cartridges to add to your loved one's collection, we've got some other gift ideas for the nostalgic gamer in your life -- from video upscalers for old consoles to retro-themed books and artwork. If you've never died of dysentery, have you truly ever lived? In the world of retro gaming, Oregon Trail holds a special place in the collective memory. Not just because it was possibly one of the first games people ever played, but it was likely how many of us learned about the struggles of our forefathers -- including dysentery.

A paralysed man can play Guitar Hero again after having his sense of touch restored with a brain-computer interface (BCI) that provides sensory feedback. Ian Burkhart, 28, suffered a severe spinal cord injury during a diving accident in 2010, which caused him to lose his sense of touch. US researchers found that, although Burkhart had almost no sensation in his hand, when they stimulated his skin, a small neural signal still reached his brain. They have since used their BCI to restore sensation in his hand by rerouting these tiny signals from the brain to the muscle, bypassing his damaged spinal cord. Ian Burkhart (left) is a 28-year-old man who suffered a spinal cord injury during a diving accident in 2010.

Founded in 2014 as a technology transfer venture company for the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture-based Miraisens Inc. says its haptic technology would make it possible to get a realistic sensation of touch through subtle changes of vibration patterns traveling through the fingertips. Miraisens founder and Chief Technology Officer Norio Nakamura, the developer of the technology, says the important thing is "how we trick our brain, which means what stimulus patterns should be given." Similar devices using haptic technology, which creates the sense of touch through force, vibrations or motion, have been developed by other companies to achieve just that, but they are generally expensive and inconvenient. Miraisens says its technology, dubbed 3D Haptics, can eliminate these worries as it is lightweight and small enough to be embedded in a game controller or TV remote at an affordable price. Miraisens Chief Executive Officer Natsuo Koda notes that haptics itself is not a novel technology; it has already been used in the flat and stationary home button on some iPhone models, Koda explains, which provides the clicking sensation when we press the button. But the firm's own technology can re-create a variety of sensations of touch in a 3D world, rather than on a surface -- a technology Koda says is "the world's first."

It's the ideal streamer for media hoarders who want to build a cheap a Plex server, for cord-cutters who want to roll their own over-the-air DVR, for Kodi enthusiasts (with that media center's morally dubious third-party plug-ins), for a certain breed of living-room gamers, and for people who just want as much computing power as they can get. At the same time, cheaper 4K streaming devices such as Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K and Roku's Streaming Stick have gotten better at the basics, providing adequate performance while rivaling or surpassing the Shield TV's HDR support at a fraction of its cost. In other words, the Nvidia Shield TV isn't for everyone, but it's an unbeatable streaming device for nerds with money to spend on their nerdy hobbies. I'm glad something like that exists, even if the overall value isn't quite what it used to be. Update, January 28, 2019: This review was updated in its entirety to reflect the Nvidia Shield TV's place in the current media-streaming landscape.

It's the ideal streamer for PC gamers who also want to play those games in their living room, for media hoarders who want to build a cheap a Plex server, for cord-cutters in search of over-the-air DVR solutions, for Kodi enthusiasts with that media center's morally dubious plug-ins, for 4K HDR TV owners who have an aversion to Roku, or for people who just want as much computing power as they can get. In other words, the Nvidia Shield TV is an unbeatable streaming device for nerds with money to spend on their nerdy hobbies. It's about time something like that existed. It has the same Tegra X1 processor, 16GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, dual USB 3.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, and an 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapter housed in a smaller enclosure.

NEW YORK--Nintendo of America President and Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aime is ready for the question of what went wrong with the company's poor selling Wii U video game console and how the fortunes of the make-or-break Nintendo Switch will be different went it launches March 3 for just under $300. "I would say the greatest challenge we had with the Wii U was being crystal clear in our communication of what the product was and what the product could do. When we first showed off the Wii U for example it was misinterpreted that it was simply a tablet and not a device that truly was connected to your TV and could create two-screen types of gaming experiences. With Nintendo Switch we are being very aggressive and clearly communicating the proposition that it's a home console you can take on the go wherever and whenever you want… We're working hard to make sure it's going to be a success." Indeed, in the house, the tablet-like device slides into a dock that is connected to the television, with players using standard video game controllers to have a go at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, or other upcoming titles.