Tech Podcast: Robotic limbs assist in Japan

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We say farewell to 2010 with a quintessential episode of The World’s Technology Podcast. In other words, we circle the globe and bring you the tech stories you don’t hear anywhere else. Our highlight this week is a look at some new robotic technologies out of Japan that are assisting the disabled. One is a kind of exo-skeleton that is allowing a stroke victim to walk again. Another is a robot that will help the blind take a walk. The BBC’s Rolad Buerk reports from Japan. You can see a video version of Roland’s story, or read more about the robots he profiled. Also, we will return to Haiti almost a year after a devastating earthquake to hear about a plan to use banking via mobile phone as a way to assist in the ongoing recovery. And you can read more about Mercy Corps’ pilot mobile banking program in Haiti. Then, we’ll set off to Cuba to hear about the island nation’s homegrown answer to Wikipedia, called EcuRed. Along the way, we’ll also hear about efforts to make networks of both computers, and humans, a bit smarter when it comes to making decisions. Hint: it involves something called human-agent collectives, not SkyNet.

And finally, we’ll take a look at some inspector gadgets. The inspectors in question are a class of new recruits at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. And the gadgets are designed to help them detect weapons. You can even check out a slideshow of the gadgets.

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