There's this nagging feeling, I've overlooked something in Second Life. Earlier posts have alluded to this distraction. Asking questions, seeing what other minds are writing , and visiting the multimedia coverage on the most well-known metaverse have all been distractions of late.
In respect to how this synchs up with any biotechnology application, a recent development in brainwave identification technology appears promising "biomelds." Biomelds are the biological equivalent of browser mash-ups in the information technology world, an add-on that enhances a pre-existing organism. Oscar Pistorius represents something close to a biomeld, but his add-on is at the macro level and doesn't get all the way down to the micro, nerve and digital connection, level.
The following serve as more appropriate examples of recent biomeld developments:
A nanotechnology biosensor for Salmonella detection
Nanovalves for Drug Delivery: A nanoscopic valve that responds to pH changes.
Eye Implants for Cats Could Help Blind Humans See
What does all this have to do with brainwaves and Second Life? A thought experiment, initiated during an Instructional Computing class at UF, collided smack into this story describing a cybertelekinetics biomeld called Mind Gaming. The headset in the Mind Games application taps into the wearer's thought patterns and brain physiology to control external movement. As recounted by Joel Garreau, in his book Radical Evolution, testing with the brain signals of primates into manipulating electromechanical devices has been taking place for sometime at DARPA, the secret defense research organization. With Emotiv's Mind Game controller being released this year, the behind closed door science of the military is quickly becoming the rest of the world's reality.
The class project is to identify design alterations based on present knowledge in the fields of neuroscience and cognitive psychology. We can pick anything to redesign, so my thoughts have drifted to melding the brainwave controller with one or more of the educational, immersive, virtual environments; appropriate examples of which are Second Life, Gaia, 3D learn, and Whyville. Follow up postings to this project are forthcoming.
Any ideas? What would you do with this new toy?
2 comments:
I thought maybe melding the brainwave controller with FCAT or other computerized tests. You think the answer, and the answer is marked. Of course, thinking about which answer is correct should not mark the test answer.
Using this, the tests could be designed with pictures, models and other graphics as part of the questions or answers.
On a separate note, I wonder why Oscar Pistorius was not allowed to compete in the Olypmpics. If his calves and feet had been a true biomeld, I can see an objection. But it is not like his add-on is driven by other than his own body muscles. I wonder if they thought the "foot" design was superior to the original foot.
The reasoning behind the ban on Oscar centers around the following contentions. The blades are longer than necessary, allowing him to cover more ground per stride. The prostetics do not fatigue and actually require less investment of energy. All muscles in body build up lactic acid with increased athletic activity, which is obvioulsy occuring in less areas than most in Oscar's case. Of course all of these claims have counter claims such as the disadvantage he encounders in the rain or wind, or the idea that he must generate more starting energy to get himself going.
His best times are off the world record times for fully able bodied participants, but are still competitive. I think the desire to restrict his participation is an attempt to draw a firm line in the sand before even more shady practices develop (such as a "true biomed" I guess). I like when the discussion just happens to involve sport by chance :)
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