The demands of the modern world are growing day by day and this is putting more pressure on scientists to do research. However, as stated by Griffiths, “There is no hope of doing perfect research”. Naturally, there have been a lot of criticisms (批评), as many scientists immediately announce that their research methods are very safe and that they have the perfect research theory (理论).

However, scientific history is filled with examples, in which a perfect scientific solution that was based on decades of scientific research has been overturned (推翻) with new theories. Naturally the first example that comes to mind is the fact that Newton’s Theories were thought to be very safe and they were used in all fields of science. For centuries, thousands of scientists around the world used Newton’s Theories to formulate (规划) other theories.

However, after nearly two centuries of use, Newton’s Theories were found to be not as perfect as they were thought. Through Einstein’s publication on the General Theory of Relativity, it was found that Newton’s laws were imperfect in explaining all motions (运动) that were taking place in our universe. It was found to be imperfect under some conditions, even though, Newton’s laws are still used today to predict motion at low speeds.

Thus, perfect research is only a myth (神话). Of course, this does not mean that a scientist should simply give up and accept imperfection in his or her research efforts. Improvements and changes in research techniques and methods are a natural part of evolution (进化) and it is each scientist’s responsibility to take it forward as much as possible.

While the final answer to the universe’s questions may never exist, a time will come when there will be fewer questions as new answers are found and more improved research is carried out by scientists around the world.

Though not as mainstream as devices like smartphones and fitness trackers, more companies are now experimenting with the concept of connected garments. Among the pioneers is London-based CuteCircuit, which has been creating fashionable smart clothing since 2004. The company’s latest creation is the “Sound Shirt,” which allows deaf people to “feel” live music by transforming the tunes into touch feelings in real time.

The fashionable jacket achieves the incredible function using software that changes the music into data and wirelessly sends it to the 16-micro actuators(促动器)placed inside the cloth. The devices vibrate(振动)in sync(同步)to the intensity(强度)of the music being played, allowing the wearer to feel each instrument individually. For example, violin can be felt on the arms, while the deeper, heavier bass notes can be felt close to the stomach. The series of touch-like feelings across the wearer’s body enables them to feel the entire composition, resulting in a fully amazing musical experience.

To ensure the shirt is comfortable, the designers chose to leave out wires and instead wove conductive(可传导的)material into the garment’s cloth. Francesca Rosella, co-founder and chief creative officer of CuteCircuit, explains, “There are no wires inside, so we’re only using smart material—we have a combination of microelectronics and very thin, flexible and conductive material. All these little electronic motors are connected with these conductive material so that the garment is soft and stretchable.”

CuteCircuit, which has been testing the Sound Shirt for three years, expects to make it available to the general public shortly. Priced at $3,673, the smart jacket will not be cheap. However, twin sisters Hermon and Heroda Berhane, who lost their hearing at a young age, believe the hi-tech garment is a worthwhile investment, especially for deaf people with a passion for dancing. “It’s almost like feeling the depth of the music,” says Hermon. “It just feels as though we can move along with it.” Heroda agrees, adding, “I think it could definitely change our lives.”

Microsoft has developed a new smart phone app that interprets eye signals and translates them into letters, allowing people with motor neurone disease to communicate with others from a phone.

The GazeSpeak app combines a smartphone’s camera with artificial intelligence to recognize eye movements in real time and convert(改变) them into letters, words and sentences.

For people suffering from ALS（渐冻症）, also known as motor neurone disease, eye movement can be the only way they are able to communicate.

“Current eye-tracking input systems for people with ALS or other motor impairments are expensive, not robust under sunlight, and require frequent re-calibration and substantial, relatively immobile setups,” said Xiaoyi Zhang, a researcher at Microsoft who developed the technology.

“To mitigate the drawbacks…we created GazeSpeak, an eye-gesture communication system that runs on a smartphone, and is designed to be low-cost, robust, portable and easy to learn.”

The app is used by the listener by pointing their smartphone at the speaker. A chart that can be stuck to the back of the smartphone is then used by the speaker to determine which eye movements to make in order to communicate.

The sticker shows four grids(方格) of letters, which each correspond to a different eye movement. By looking up, down, left or right, the speaker selects which grids the letters they want belong to. The artificial intelligence algorithm（程序） is then able to predict the word or sentence they are trying to say.