Archive for Bionics
January 31, 2008 at 9:56 am
· Filed under Bionics, Politics ·Tagged bioinformatics
In Story-Oriented Coding I deal with how from ancient times, complex systems have always required human involvement. We are already in a transition to a time where that will not be the case. Setting aside for the moment the recently mentioned topic of humans who are not “strictly biological”, consider another this discussion of whether people or machines are best suited to come up with a comprehensive information system of life:
I’m really a big fan of everything that sounds “social” for the web. If the web can be seen as a big OS in a near future, I think that we can perhaps see people behind this OS as the algorithm that can organize and integrate the knowledge in an intelligent way. If scientists can have efficient web-tools to easily tag/label a piece of biological information, will it improve the integration we need for bioinformatics ? … So, as a conclusion, I dream about a system where the biological data (weblinks, publications, database entries, pictures, several nucleotides in a genome,…) will be linked together using words/labels/tags under the control of ontologies. … Hey man, you are describing the Semantic Web !! Yeah, that’s right. But how can we construct this Semantic Web : with the millions of human beings behind computers and using their brain or with the millions of processors inside several dedicated computers in the world and using algorithms ? Both perhaps. Humans define semantic and computers construct the web on it. It will perhaps be faster to let people do the intelligent part of the job rather than wait for the killer algorithm that can be as intelligent as us. A team of 10 scientists cannot do that in their “small” lab. But what about a team with all the scientists in their huge “Web-lab” ??
Folksnomy for bioinformatics: people vs algorithms?
Well, if we let machines define life for us, we’re stepping onto a very slippery slope where we may at some point become unable to alter that definition. The systems our lives depend on may become so intertwined with machines we won’t be able to simply reboot them. Nor will be be able to prevent machines from drawing conclusions and taking actions we don’t agree with. This isn’t sci-fi and when you add in technology augmented humans, things could get pretty funky. Whether you’re interested in the tech side of things or not, you have a strong interest in seeing that strictly biological humans remain in the loop. As mentioned here before, it’s happening faster than it appears so we need to get the conversation going now. Hopefully by the time of the 2012 U.S. Presidential election, this will be a publicly discussed topic.
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January 25, 2008 at 8:16 pm
· Filed under Augmented Reality, Bionics, News, People, Robots
Another oft-mentioned topic here has been the broader implications of a growing human population that is not strictly biological and just how fast this change is coming about. Today comes news(and an amazing video) about how a common, low-cost technology used by many MJ readers is helping to accelerate the change:
Bleill, 30, is one of two Iraq war veterans, both double leg amputees, to use the Bluetooth prosthetics. Computer chips in each leg send signals to motors in the artificial joints so the knees and ankles move in a coordinated fashion.Bleill’s set of prosthetics have Bluetooth receivers strapped to the ankle area. The Bluetooth device on each leg tells the other leg what it’s doing, how it’s moving, whether walking, standing or climbing steps, for example.
“They mimic each other, so for stride length, for amount of force coming up, going uphill, downhill and such, they can vary speed and then to stop them again,” Bleill told CNN from Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Double amputee walks again due to Bluetooth – CNN.com
While it is clearly exciting and wonderful for the folks being helped by advances in prosthetics, it is valuable to recognize that were racing towards a future where the blurring boundries between humans and machines creates unprecedented challenges. Read the rest of this entry »
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January 21, 2008 at 10:08 pm
· Filed under Augmented Reality, Bionics ·Tagged Metaverse, Sarah Connor, Singularity, Terminator
Although I’m not thrilled with the casting and at times the camera work and dialog border on irritating, I am quite impressed with how Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is weaving the plot and themes from the movie into the present time. Tonite they touched on a topic of major interest to me relating to the meshverse:
We’re all participating in the emerging meshverse, the question is what roles we are willing to play? Will we be food in a spider’s web or will we be co-creators of a more humane planet?
Participating in the Big Simulation
There was even a mention of the concept of the Singularity which long time readers have seen here before more than a few times. While watching, it occurred to me that Twittering comments would probably be a good way to capture thoughts that might turn into a longer post here(or not). I resisted the urge to jump up and get the laptop – it wasn’t that hard 
opting instead to see/feel how it might pan out. As mentioned in my first post of the year, I’ve been re-evaluating this blog and in that context had set up a Twitter account but hadn’t posted anything to it. After thinking about it a bit, I’ve decided to go ahead and and Twitter into the mix here. I have quite a few entries unpublished here because I either
- wasn’t sure of how valuable/interesting they were
- didn’t have time to add any context/value to them
- wasn’t sure how they fit into other themes/topics here and related blogs I write
I’ve decided now that Twitter is probably an effective way to share these things so you may want to start following the MJ Twitter flow.
I should note that my man Csven has been dealing with the same kind of issues:
However, gluing all those pieces together into something coherent and worth the time it’d take to read doesn’t make sense either, especially when the technological landscape – among other things – is so dynamic. I can only imagine how many posts here have been avoided because they attempted to cover too much ground and overwhelmed people. They’re too long. Not just for readers to digest, but for me to produce.
reBang
and his approach help nudge me to shift gears. I think an increasing number of people will feel more and more these subtle and sometimes not so subtle transitions as we hurtle towards the Singularity. It’s likely we’ll see many more and at a faster pace too. If you missed it, Connecting the Dots might help in navigating the transition.
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October 18, 2007 at 11:43 am
· Filed under Bionics, People, Robots, TVIR
In a podcast interview discussing robotic dogs, chatterbots tied to large databases like Wikipedia, and more, Dr. Robert Epstein answers the question
If you develop an actual emotional attachment to this ephemeral being that doesn’t actually exist, is it any less real to you?
by saying “Oh, it’s entirely real.” He goes on to point out, as I’ve been saying that we’re heading toward a new world much faster than people think.
It’s interesting to wonder what happens when you combine a chatterbot with a realistic looking android:
like the one seen in My Date With A Robot.
Update: the answer is something like: Aiko
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July 24, 2007 at 12:57 pm
· Filed under A Quick Link, Augmented Reality, Bionics, Mind Amplification
iLimb is an $18K prosthetic hand with realistic appearance and capabilities. Touch Bionics, the firm producing the iLimb says the i-LIMB Hand and patient interact in a symbiotic way. This is an example of how as other entries in the Meshverse Journal on Prosthetics have noted, a population of humans who aren’t strictly biological will emerge. Naturally, there are videos and bloggers commenting
“They tell you to try and think as if you have two hands,” McKillop told the Telegraph newspaper.
“It is a real learning curve, and every day it gets easier. I was amazed how much I could do within the first hour of trying it.”
National Geographic
“I can pick up a Styrofoam cup without crushing it,” said Sgt. Arredondo. “With my other myoelectric hand, I would really have to concentrate on how much pressure I was putting on the cup. The i-LIMB hand does things naturally. I can just grab the cup like a regular person.”
Gizmodo(lots of good pictures here)
The iLimb also boasts a range of different grips and configurations, and can rotate about the wrist axis. This allows a user to turn a key in a lock, pick up or manipulate objects between thumb and index or middle finger, or type (though only with the index finger). The extended index finger option is also useful for pointing, seemingly, and an “OK” sign is also achievable. There was no mention of any option to extend the middle finger alone or first two fingers simultaneously – which would seem an obvious necessity.
Touch also offers realistic skin coverings, making the iLimb appear much like a normal hand. They note, however, that this option isn’t universally popular. “Some patients, mainly military personnel, particularly love the robotic nature of the uncovered iLimb Hand and prefer not to wear it with a cosmesis glove,” says the company. This isn’t recommended, however, for practical reasons: but Touch has done its best for those wishing to show off their cyborg chic: “Because of the need to provide a grip surface and to protect the hand from dust and water, Touch Bionics has developed the iLimb Skin. This is a thin layer of semi-transparent material.”
Odd Culture(emphasis mine)
See also Man’s bionic limb moves by thought control
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