In 2016, at the Frontier Conference of the White House held at the University of Pittsburgh, the then-U.S. President Barack Obama had a fist with Nathan Copeland, a robot arm user, while visiting innovative projects. A mechanical arm that completes direct tactile feedback via a brain-computer interface can allow paralyzed patients to complete the action of pouring water from one cup into another more quickly and naturally. On May 21st, a research team from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States published a study “A brain-computer interface that evokes tactile sensations improves robotic arm control” in the top international academic journal “Science”. Research says that when a person controls an object with his mind, the robotic arm can provide direct tactile feedback to the person’s brain. In the past, robotic arms could only be guided by vision. The team has been working with Nathan Copland. Fifteen years ago, the teenage Copeland was paralyzed in an accident. He has now learned to control the movement of a robotic arm through a brain-computer interface. Copeland said, “When I only have visual feedback, I can only see that the hand touches the object. If I use it to pick up things, sometimes things will fall off.” Copeland needs to complete a typical grasping task. About 20 seconds. “With sensory feedback, he can do it in 10 seconds,” said Jennifer Collinger, an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh. (Note that the colon is only used in very formal or important occasions) Collinger said that tactile information is very important for the use of prosthetic robotic arms, “because it is difficult for you to grasp an object that you can’t feel.” Even for simple things, such as picking up a cup and trying to move it. Maintain proper pressure during the process, which depends to a large extent on the tactile feedback of the hand. Therefore, Klinger and a team of researchers spent years looking for ways to add sensory feedback to robotic arms and hands. The research team used a two-way brain-computer interface to record neural activity in the motor cortex and generate tactile sensations through micro-stimulation of the somatosensory cortex in the cortex. In the experiment, the researcher first placed electrodes in the area of ​​the Copland brain that processes sensory information, so that electrical impulses can be used to simulate a series of sensations. Collinger said, “It turns out that the sensation produced by stimulating the fingertip-related areas of the brain is like coming from one’s own hands.” Next, the University of Pittsburgh team studied how to generate these signals when the robotic arm is in contact with an object. The last step is to time when Copland completes some tasks, such as picking up a stone or pouring water, how much time it takes if there is tactile feedback. The results show that Copland completes some manual tasks at roughly the same speed as humans use their own hands. Copeland revealed, “The intensity of this sensation actually varies according to the amount of force the hand exerts on the object. So I can also tell if I have grasped it. There is an additional benefit, after the increased tactile sensation , The feeling of using the robot arm is more natural. This kind of control is very intuitive, so that I basically just think about things, but it seems to be moving my own arm.” Jeremy D. Brown, assistant professor of John C. Malone in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, said that the significance of the research results goes far beyond the robotic arm. “High-tech prostheses also work better when simulating the sense of touch. Some are achieved through vibration or other forms of tactile feedback. This is the same way that many smart phones help users type on the screen.” The latest prostheses operate just like our natural limbs. Their elbows can be bent, their wrists can be rotated, and their fingers can be grasped. But most sensors still only have basic capabilities, such as detecting resistance or temperature. Before they have direct tactile feedback, they are actually very clumsy. And when using my hand to touch the surrounding objects, as Brown said: “I can feel pressure, feel sliding, feel whether the object is wet or dry. I can feel its texture, I know it is rough Still smooth.” Scientists are just beginning to learn how to make artificial hands and fingers that can detect these subtle features of objects. Brown said that as prosthetics or robotic arms provide more sensory feedback, they will become more useful. “The sense of touch is not just for flexibility. It’s not just the ability to reach into your pocket for the key. It can also hold your lover’s hand and feel the emotional connection.”

Leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development visited the forestry seed models applying scientific and technological advances of the Vietnam Forest Science Institute. Photo: Iftib. Achievements in the field of forest seed The Forest Seed and Biotechnology Research Institute under the Vietnam Forest Science Institute is a leading research unit in the forestry sector on the application of biotechnology in forest seed improvement. Researches on biotechnology of the Institute are oriented in three main directions: Research to complete the propagation procedures for newly selected varieties to serve the transfer of propagation techniques for the same original breeds. seed research and production units; Using molecular indicators in research on selecting high yield, high quality and breeding new varieties using mutation and genetic engineering, and has achieved many outstanding achievements. The Institute has successfully researched and built propagation procedures for nearly 30 hybrid acacia, acacia, cajeput, eucalyptus and eucalyptus hybrids and transferred them to many production facilities. Several propagation processes on an industrial scale have been completed by the Institute through the implementation of pilot production projects and projects, of which 2 propagation processes have been recognized as technical progress. . The Institute has transferred the process of industrial-scale micro-propagation to more than 30 production facilities across the country and these facilities have mastered the technology, some units have been able to produce 10 million seedlings / year, partially meeting the need of planting clones. With clonal propagation, the original seed used as a material source for multiplication through many times will have the phenomenon of aging. The seed degradation will reduce the propagation efficiency and degradation of forest quality. As a supplier of original breeds for production, the Institute has conducted research to build and complete the process of restoring and rejuvenating the original seed source, ensuring the quality of the original seed for production. Therefore, after 20 years, the hybrid acacia hybrids selected for creation and recognition in the previous period are still effective in production, with high productivity and quality and are trusted by the production units. The forestry seed sector has achieved a great deal of success through the application of biotechnology advances. Photo: Iftib. Application of molecular indicators and mutagenic polyploids The application of molecular indicators in breeding has been promoted by the Institute to shorten the breeding time as well as improve the efficiency of breeding programs. Through applied research, the Institute has selected 21 SSR indicators related to fast growth in hybrid acacia, 20 SSR indicators related to growth traits in hybrid eucalyptus. With the use of these indicators, 7 lines of acacia hybrid (BB055, BV350, BV376, BV434, BV523, BV584 and BV586) achieved yield from 26 to 35m3 / ha / year, 10 lines of hybrid eucalyptus grow rapidly (UC16 , UC51, CU113, CU123, UC52, CU182, UE72, UC55, CU98, CU82) yield from 30.7 to 45m3 / ha / year were selected. In which, 7 lines of hybrid acacia BB055, BV350, BV376, BV434, BV523, BV584 and BV584 and 2 lines of hybrid eucalyptus CU98 and CU82 have been recognized as a new forest plant variety allowing for production. In recent years, transgenic studies increase the length of wood fibers ( EcHb1 ) for uro eucalyptus and hybrid eucalyptus has also been implemented by the Institute. Scientific staff of the Institute developed the vector structure GWB2 / 35S / EcHB1 / NOS carrying the target gene. EcHB1 . Thereby building the gene transfer process EcHB1 increased wood fiber length with transgenic efficiency of 1.06%, from which 19 lines of UU hybrid eucalyptus (of which 4 lines were identified with wood fiber length exceeded 14% or more compared to the control). ) and 40 transgenic UP hybrid eucalyptus lines carrying the target gene EcHB1 . These lines have normal morphology and grow equal or faster than the control plants. These transgenic varieties are currently being continuously tested before being put into production practice. In addition to the research on breeding by molecular indicator and gene transfer, the research on polyploid breeding by the method of causing mutation in combination with crossbreeding has been deployed by the Institute for Acacia species. The Institute has successfully created varieties of Acacia and tetraploid acacia from improved seed sources and crossbreed with diploid varieties to create triploid hybrid acacia. Biotechnology plays an increasingly important role in agriculture in general and forestry in particular. Photo: Vafs. Dr. Nguyen Duc Kien, Director of the Forest Research and Biotechnology Institute said. In order to achieve these successes, apart from the collective efforts of the Forest Research Institute and Forest Biotechnology, it is impossible not to mention the help of ministries, branches, especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as other scientists at home and abroad. However, these are only initial results, so they do not fully reflect the potential of biotechnology in research and selection of forest plants. In the coming time, in addition to the implementation of traditional breeding methods based on natural variables, the research and application of biotechnology including the use of molecular indicators and techniques. Genetic transformation and gene editing will be one of the breakthrough research directions and be focused on developing in order to improve the role and contribution rate of biotechnology in forest plant breeding programs. Thanks to a strategic and methodical implementation of the seed improvement program, the research of polyploid breeding has achieved certain results, in which the Institute for Forest Breeding and Biotechnology has achieved certain results. selected, created and recognized 4 triploid hybrid acacia lines X101, X102, X201 and X205 as new forest plant varieties according to the Decision No. 1458 / QD-BNN-TCLN, dated 20/4/2020 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with Yields range from yield from 26 to 35 m3 / ha / year. The wood properties of the triploid acacia varieties at the age of 4 years are equivalent to that of the diploid hybrid acacia at the age of 5-7, meeting the basic requirements of raw wood for the production of paper, MDF, board peeled boards.