An optical-character-recognition machine for the blind that's capable of reading most types of printed text aloud, the CCD flatbed scanner, speech-recognition software, the first synthesizer that created sounds virtually indistinguishable from those produced by their acoustic counterparts, and a whole bunch of other nifty things we can barely comprehend came from Ray's brain.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

After posting a net loss for year ending Mar. 31 on weak demand, Sega Sammy is forecasting a return to profit this year, helped by the popularity of a pachinko machine featuring manga character Hokuto Ken and the release of a new Sonic the Hedgehog videogame.

FORBES: Magazine Article

So, for instance, in "World of Warcraft, " the coordinates of your character are part of the state that your machine controls.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Another new feature is that gamers can let one of their friends connect to their machine and take control of their character to help if they have got stuck, or allow several friends to watch their live progress as spectators.

BBC: PlayStation 4 console announced by Sony in New York

With the advent of the first electrical cipher, the German Enigma machine in 1918, cryptanalysis changed its fundamental character.

FORBES: I've got a secret

The machine has been dubbed a MacGyver Bot, after the TV character who cobbled together devices to escape life-threatening situations.

BBC: US Navy funds 'MacGyver' robot that can create tools