Swiss researchers show off brain-controlled, AI-augmented wheelchair

They're far from the first to try their hand at a brain-controlled wheelchair, but some researchers at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (or EPFL) in Switzerland seem to have pulled off a few new tricks with their latest project. Like some similar systems, this one relies on EEG readings to detect specific brain patterns, but it backs that up with some artificial intelligence that the researchers say allows for "shared control" of the wheelchair. That latter component is aided by a pair of cameras and some image processing software that allows the wheelchair to avoid obstacles, but it doesn't stop there the software is also able to distinguish between different types of objects. According to the researchers, that could let it go around a cabinet but pull up underneath a desk, for instance, or potentially even recognize the person's own desk and avoid others. Head on past the break to check it out in action.

iOS 4.1 confirmed for September 8th on Apple's UK website

According to Apple's UK website, iOS 4.1 will hit on Wednesday, September 8th. The US website still displays the non-commital "Coming Soon" message, so we'll have to keep our eyes peeled. We're going to go ahead and guess that all those shiny new iPods will come to retail that day too... but don't hold us to that one. Like we said, it's only a guess.

Logitech takes its wireless Z515 and tethered Z305 speakers on the road

Sure, that laptop you're staring out might have been purchased by your company's IT department, but who hasn't snuck on a film or game to fill the desperate void between PowerPoint presentations and time sheets? Problem is, those teeny tiny tinny laptop speakers aren't exactly immersive. That's where Logitech comes in with its new Laptop Speaker Z305 ($99.99, pictured above). A compact USB speaker that hangs off the open display to deliver 360-degree audio that will "fill the room," according to Logitech -- no additional software required. Otherwise, why not untether with Logitech's Wireless Speaker Z515 (pictured after the break) when it arrives for $59.99. The Z515 offers a range of about 50 feet (15 meters) over a 2.4GHz USB dongle with up to 10 hours of life from its rechargeable battery. Both will be available for purchase in the US and Europe begining this month. See the pitch in the video after the break.

HTC Peep cooked, served a l'orange by Twitter's new authentication scheme

It's been known for some time that Twitter would be moving away from basic authentication to OAuth for third-party apps; in fact, they'd already officially pushed back the drop-dead switchover date once to mid-August before finally pulling the plug this week. Be that as it may, it makes sense that a bunch of lesser-known, less-maintained apps would fall by the wayside once the old security mechanism got shut down but HTC's Peep? Really? Sure enough, we've been able to confirm on our own Desire that the Twitter app HTC bundles with its Sense UI for Android is no longer working this morning, giving users an "incorrect username or password" error when they try to connect. We're not sure if they'll be able to fix this with a Market update across the board or if it'll take a bunch of firmware updates to get everyone back on the up and up, but either way, something tells us Twitter isn't going to flip the switch back on for these guys