Dog and monkey

ITV News - Flood forms furry friendship

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A monkey and a dog in northern Mozambique have surprised locals by becoming firm friends after flooding in 2002.

Villagers in Caia are not sure how the unlikely pair met, but think they bonded as they fought to survive the raging waters in the area.

The monkey Kiko and dog Billy eat, walk and even sleep together. The sight of the skinny dog emerging from the bush with a tiny monkey on his back is now a common sight in the region.

The two friends now live with a family that runs a bar in Caia. While the pair avoid getting too close to people, they will wander happily around the yard.

Billy isn't the only one looking out for the monkey. He has other siblings who help protect Kiko from hungry neighbouring village dogs, who have tried to turn the little monkey into a breakfast snack.

Otters holding hands

YouTube - Otters holding hands

Vancouver Aquarium: two sea otters float around, napping, holding hands.

Bionic feet

Invention: Bionic feet





Motors that mimic the way human muscles work are revolutionizing the development of prosthetic limbs. Among the leaders in this area is the Biomechatronics Lab at MIT in Cambridge, US.

Researchers from the lab have now patented a bionic foot and ankle that attempts to match the biomechanical behavior of a normal human foot throughout the walking cycle and over a variety of terrain.

The limb consists of an artificial shin and foot connected via a powered, rotating ankle joint. A motor within the ankle varies factors such as the angle of the foot, the stiffness of the joint and the force absorbed and released during each step. This allows the limb to match the performance of a human foot when walking on a flat surface and even when climbing or descending stairs.

The prosthetic feet should feel more natural to a wearer and should also adapt to different terrain, such as a flight of stairs, without requiring extra effort.

Robo-Monkey?

Monkey Controls Robotic Arm With Mind. Beware Of Robot Monkeys.

"The monkey in the video has a chip in its brain that controls a robotic arm. He uses the arm to feed himself a piece of yellow food. Probably a banana."

Another step closer to SkyNet

Robot Gains Self Awareness In Lab

A new robot has been developed at Meiji University in Japan that can tell the difference between its own image in a mirror, and an identical robot mimicking it -- an ability known as "mirror image cognition." This "SELF AWARENESS" is the first created in a robot. The research is being headed by Junichi Takeno, the same guy who built a robot named Kansei designed to exhibit artificial consciousness.

A new beginning

Since I haven't posted to this blog in over a year, I am altering the way I publish. It's always been a link dump but I was adding my own thoughts to each article. Now I will just be dumping links and articles without commenting on them. (Except for the times when I do.)

Go.