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The Spanish authorities have arrested 23 top members of Batasuna, the outlawed political wing of the armed terrorist group ETA (10/06/2007)
What do we know about Bilbao besides the Guggenheim? (23/09/2007)
How much do you want to spend on a good bottle of wine? (9/19/2007)
Oscar-nominated composer Alberto Iglesias has been awarded Spain's 2007 National Film Award (9/04/2007)
Seville, Spain's most flamboyant city (9/2/2007)
Spain international Antonio Puerta has died after suffering a heart attack (8/28/2007)
Spain's Paradise (8/26/2007)
Eurofighter Typhoon (8/22/2007)
Spain Offers a Legal Migration Route (8/11/2007)
More holidaying Britons have become victims of theft in Spain than anywhere else (8/11/2007)
Cubans in Madrid (8/03/2007)
The worst thing for someone who has planted vines (8/04/2007)
British rock group Coldplay have revealed that their new album will have an "Hispanic theme" (7/25/2007)
The Inquisition in Spain: Expected and Even Hailed (7/20/2007)
Wildfire experts from Spain have been training firefighters in Northumberland and Cumbria (7/19/2007)
"The margin squeeze that Telefonica imposed on its competitors not only raised their costs, but also harmed customers," the Commission said (7/04/2007)
A group of stressed-out people in Spain have been given a chance to let off steam by demolishing a hotel in Madrid (7/03/2007)
Scientists in Spain say that they have found a tooth from a distant human ancestor that is more than one million years old (6/30/2007)
Israeli writer Amos Oz has been awarded Spain's prestigious Prince of Asturias prize for literature (6/28/2007)
Dozens of passengers refused to take a flight from Spain to Scotland after fuel spilled from their plane before take-off (6/27/2007)
US director Woody Allen has held a secret premiere of his new film Cassandra's Dream in Spain (6/20/2007)
Goodbye Beckham (6/19/2007)
Passengers to Spanish airports should allow extra time to check in because of new security measures (6/18/2007)
US rock star Bob Dylan has won Spain's Prince of Asturias Arts Award - one of the country's most prestigious honours (6/14/2007)
The leader of banned Basque separatist party Batasuna has been arrested in northern Spain (6/08/2007)
A Spanish court has ordered the interception of two US boats (6/05/2007)
Spain, home to one of Europe's oldest national anthems, has never had an official verse to go with the tune (6/05/2007)
Six Scottish holidaymakers have been arrested by Spanish police after a drunken rampage on a plane (5/23/2007)
Independent political parties dominated by expatriates are campaigning for the first time in Spain's local elections (5/12/2007)
The race to create more human-like robots stepped up a gear this week as scientists in Spain set about building an artificial cerebellum (5/09/2007)
Spain's Crown Princess Letizia has given birth to a girl, named Sofia - her second child with Prince Felipe (4/30/2007)
County firm sells tapas to Spain (4/27/2007)
The sell-off in shares of Spanish real estate companies has eased after three days of falls that fanned fears of a possible property crash (4/26/2007)
Fears of a Spanish property crash have increased, prompting a sell-off in real estate shares (4/25/2007)
Italian energy firm Enel and Spanish construction firm Acciona have launched a bid for Spanish power firm Endesa (4/11/2007)
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| The race to create more human-like robots stepped up a gear this week as scientists in Spain set about building an artificial cerebellum | ||
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| May 9, 2007 | ||
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The race to create more human-like robots stepped up a gear this week as scientists in Spain set about building an artificial cerebellum. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls motor functions. Researchers hope that the work might also yield clues to treat cognitive diseases such as Parkinson's. The research, being undertaken at the Department of Architecture and Computing Technology at the University of Granada, is part of a wider European project dubbed Sensopac Greater subtlety Sensopac brings together electronic engineers, physicists and neuroscientists from a range of universities including Edinburgh, Israel and Paris with groups such as the German Aerospace Centre. It has 6.5m euros of funding from the European Commission. Its target is to incorporate the cerebellum into a robot designed by the German Aerospace Centre in two year's time. The work at the University of Granada is concentrating on the design of microchips that incorporate a full neuronal system, emulating the way the cerebellum interacts with the human nervous system. Implanting the man-made cerebellum in a robot would allow it to manipulate and interact with other objects with far greater subtlety than industrial robots can currently manage, said researcher Professor Eduardo Ros Vidal, who is co-ordinating work at the University of Granada. "Although robots are increasingly more important to our society and have more advanced technology, they cannot yet do certain tasks like those carried out by mammals," he said. "We have been talking about humanoids for years but we do not yet see them on the street or use the unlimited possibilities they offer us," he added. One use of such robots would be as home-helps for disabled people. Interacting robots The next stage of the Sensopac project is to develop an artificial skin for robots, making them look more human-like as well as being information-sensitive in the same way as human skin is. This system is being developed by the German Aerospace Centre in collaboration with other research groups. The ambitious project is just one of many attempts to create more human-like robots. Another European research project - dubbed Feelix Growing - has been given 2.3m euros to develop robots that can learn from humans and respond socially and emotionally. The medical community is making huge strides in the use of man-made parts for failures in the human brain. Last year US scientists implanted a sensor in a paralysed man's brain that has enabled him to control objects by using his thoughts alone. The fast pace of current robotics research has prompted deeper questions about how androids would be integrated into human society. Some have called for a code of ethics for robots while others question how humans will cope in the face of machine intelligence. |
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