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Submission + - Actor James Earl Jones Dead at 93. Agreed to AI Recreating His Voice. (nypost.com)

Submitted by cold fjord
cold fjord writes: Actor James Earl Jones, star of stage and screen has died at 93. Jones is famous for roles in such films as the Star Wars series, Field of Dreams, The Hunt for Red October, the Lion King, Conan the Barbarian, and Doctor Stragelove. Jones also appeared as a guest star in various television shows such as the Big Bang theory, and others, Jones defied expectations as he was mute between ages 6-14, after which he spoke with a stutter for years. Jone's high school English teacher inspired Jones to memorize and recite poetry, and eventually engage in debate and dramatic readings. Jone's favorite? Edgar Allen Poe. Jones went on to college at the University of Michigan where he joined ROTC. After graduation Jones was commissioned as an Army 2nd Lieutenant and completed Infantry Office Basic Course and Ranger school. After leaving the Army Jone's theater career blossomed. Early on Jones had a reputation as a Shakespearean actor which soon widened into a number of roles in other plays, eventually leading to television and movie roles. Jones won a number of awards, including two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a special Tony for lifetime achievement, a Grammy, and an honorary Oscar.

Jones retired from voicing Darth Vader in 2022, but agreed to have an artificial intelligence program re-create his voice in future shows.

Submission + - A Paralyzed Man Can Walk Naturally Again With Brain and Spine Implants (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Gert-Jan Oskam was living in China in 2011 when he was in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the hips down. Now, with a combination of devices, scientists have given him control over his lower body again. “For 12 years I’ve been trying to get back my feet,” Mr. Oskam said in a press briefing on Tuesday. “Now I have learned how to walk normal, natural.” In astudypublished on Wednesday in the journal Nature, researchers in Switzerland described implants that provided a “digital bridge” between Mr. Oskam’s brain and his spinal cord, bypassing injured sections. The discovery allowed Mr. Oskam, 40, to stand, walk and ascend a steep ramp with only the assistance of a walker. More than a year after the implant was inserted, he has retained these abilities and has actually showed signs of neurological recovery, walking with crutches even when the implant was switched off. “We’ve captured the thoughts of Gert-Jan, and translated these thoughts into a stimulation of the spinal cord to re-establish voluntary movement,” Grégoire Courtine, a spinal cord specialist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, who helped lead the research, said at the press briefing.

In the new study, the brain-spine interface, as the researchers called it, took advantage of anartificial intelligence thought decoderto read Mr. Oskam’s intentions — detectable as electrical signals in his brain — and match them to muscle movements. The etiology of natural movement, from thought to intention to action, was preserved. The only addition, as Dr. Courtine described it, was the digital bridge spanning the injured parts of the spine. [...] To achieve this result, the researchers first implanted electrodes in Mr. Oskam’s skull and spine. The team then used a machine-learning program to observe which parts of the brain lit up as he tried to move different parts of his body. This thought decoder was able to match the activity of certain electrodes with particular intentions: One configuration lit up whenever Mr. Oskam tried to move his ankles, another when he tried to move his hips.

Then the researchers used another algorithm to connect the brain implant to the spinal implant, which was set to send electrical signals to different parts of his body, sparking movement. The algorithm was able to account for slight variations in the direction and speed of each muscle contraction and relaxation. And, because the signals between the brain and spine were sent every 300 milliseconds, Mr. Oskam could quickly adjust his strategy based on what was working and what wasn’t. Within the first treatment session he could twist his hip muscles. Over the next few months, the researchers fine-tuned the brain-spine interface to better fit basic actions like walking and standing. Mr. Oskam gained a somewhat healthy-looking gait and was able to traverse steps and ramps with relative ease, even after months without treatment. Moreover, after a year in treatment, he began noticing clear improvements in his movement without the aid of the brain-spine interface. The researchers documented these improvements in weight-bearing, balancing and walking tests. Now, Mr. Oskam can walk in a limited way around his house, get in and out of a car and stand at a bar for a drink. For the first time, he said, he feels like he is the one in control.

Submission + - US Senators issued satellite phones (cbsnews.com)

Submitted by SonicSpike
SonicSpike writes: Amid growing concerns of security risks to members of Congress, over 50 senators have been issued satellite phones for emergency communication, people familiar with the measures told CBS News. The devices are part of a series of new security measures being offered to senators by the Senate Sergeant at Arms, who took over shortly after the protest an the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The satellite phone technology has been offered to all 100 senators. CBS News has learned at least 50 have accepted the phones, which Senate administrative staff recommend senators keep in close proximity during their travels.

In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee last month, Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson said satellite communication is being deployed "to ensure a redundant and secure means of communication during a disruptive event."

Gibson said the phones are a security backstop in the case of an emergency that "takes out communications" in part of America. Federal funding will pay for the satellite airtime needed to utilize the phone devices.

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