November 25, 2013
The Tennessean: Nissan is bullish on fantasy football website
Can college football and the principles of the stock market merge to create the perfect sports fantasy game? That’s the question that budding entrepreneurs Will Schreiber and McArthur Gill sought to answer as they headed into their final semester at Vanderbilt University last spring.
November 22, 2013
Fast Company: Meet Russell, a robot that helps autistic children develop social skills
In a room at Vanderbilt University, Russell tries to engage a 3-year-old autistic girl. However, Russell is not a human, he is a humanoid robot created by scientists at Vanderbilt designed to gauge a child’s social interaction. Russell’s feedback helps autistic children with something they struggle with: the ability to imitate others, a skill essential to learning.
NSF Science Now: Episode 17
National Science Foundation features in an online video the work of a novel supercapacitor design invented by material scientists at Vanderbilt University. Lead developer Cary Pint, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is interviewed.
November 21, 2013
RedOrbit: Robots might make better teachers for children with autism
Vanderbilt researchers are developing a learning environment for autistic children, who often display a strong affinity for technology, built on the foundation of state-of-the-art computing and robotics. Zachary Warren, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Nilanjan Sarkar, professor of mechanical engineering and computer engineering, are quoted.
CNet: Next up in robot suits for the paralyzed: Mind control?
Duke researchers are looking to push robotic exoskeletons into the realm of thought control, eliminating the need for hand controls and reaching those unable to use their upper bodies. The Indego exoskeleton, developed at Vanderbilt by Michael Goldfarb, H. Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering, for people with lower-body paralysis, is mentioned.
November 19, 2013
Science 360: Video: Humanoid robot ‘Russell’ engages children with autism
An interactive humanoid robot developed by Zachary Warren, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Nilanjan Sarkar, professor of mechanical engineering and computer engineering, helps children with autism build fundamental social skills. The team is also building video games to incorporate into therapy.