Advancements in Cyborg Techmology

[Brother Mythos]

Many will argue about what constitutes true cyborg techmology. However, I believe hardware connected directly to, and communicating directly with, the human brain meets the most stringent of requirements.

"Soft e-skin that communicates with the brain"

As per the article:

"This new e-skin is soft as, well, skin. The conversion elements are seamlessly incorporated within the skin, which measures a few tens of nanometers thick.

The development holds promise for more natural interaction between AI-based prosthetic limbs and the brain. It also is a step forward in efforts to construct robots that can "feel" human sensations such as pain, pressure and temperature. This would allow robots working with accident victims, for instance, to better relate to signs of comfort or distress."

Unfortunately, the papers this article is based upon are behind a paywall. However, those of you who are institutionalized may be able to access those papers through your respective institutions.

Here's the link:    https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-soft-e-skin-communicates-brain.html

[Brother Mythos]

"Engineers develop breakthrough 'robot skin'"

As per the article:

"Smart, stretchable and highly sensitive, a new soft sensor developed by UBC and Honda researchers opens the door to a wide range of applications in robotics and prosthetics.

When applied to the surface of a prosthetic arm or a robotic limb, the sensor skin provides touch sensitivity and dexterity, enabling tasks that can be difficult for machines such as picking up a piece of soft fruit. The sensor is also soft to the touch, like human skin, which helps make human interactions safer and more lifelike."

So, this is a second group that's also developing 'robot skin.'

Here's the link:   https://techxplore.com/news/2023-10-breakthrough-robot-skin.html

[Pergamos]

"Engineers develop breakthrough 'robot skin'"

As per the article:

"Smart, stretchable and highly sensitive, a new soft sensor developed by UBC and Honda researchers opens the door to a wide range of applications in robotics and prosthetics.

When applied to the surface of a prosthetic arm or a robotic limb, the sensor skin provides touch sensitivity and dexterity, enabling tasks that can be difficult for machines such as picking up a piece of soft fruit. The sensor is also soft to the touch, like human skin, which helps make human interactions safer and more lifelike."

So, this is a second group that's also developing 'robot skin.'

Here's the link:   https://techxplore.com/news/2023-10-breakthrough-robot-skin.html

My wife and I were just talking about this, not the development but the need for it.  A popular use for robots is as caregivers for the elderly or disabled and one of the things that all humans need, that the elderly and disabled often only get from their human caretakers, is touch. Robots with humanlike skin could fill that need although I maintain that they would also need to exude pheremones.

[Brother Mythos]

My wife and I were just talking about this, not the development but the need for it.  A popular use for robots is as caregivers for the elderly or disabled and one of the things that all humans need, that the elderly and disabled often only get from their human caretakers, is touch. Robots with humanlike skin could fill that need although I maintain that they would also need to exude pheremones.

Would you care to expand upon your writing that "... I maintain that they would also need to exude pheromones."? This is something I've never thought about in the context of caregiving to humans.

For what it's worth,  the technology to do this is already here, and is quite inexpensive. For years my wife has been buying "plug in cat calming pheromone diffusers." And, they do work, although it takes some time for their calming effect to become noticeable.

Also, with a quick Google search, I found a number of perfumes and deodorants already on the market that claim to emit pheromones. And, while the actually effectiveness of the stuff currently out there is questionable, I know of nothing wrong with the overall concept.

[Pergamos]

People need human contact, that includes conversation, which an AI might manage, or a human interacting remotely, it also includes touch, thus the need for realistic cyberskin, and it requires being able to smell one another, not the aroma, but the pheremones.  We're constantly communicating chemically and that's one of the basic social needs that we have, even if we aren't consciously aware of it.  For a robot caretaker to properly take care of someone they'd need to not only feel, but smell like a human.  Presumably we'd replace the "I'm at work, I'm annoyed by this needy helpless person" pheremones a human caretaker would have with "I love and care about this person and am fulfilled by taking care of them" pheremones, that might come from a devoted loved one.

[Brother Mythos]

People need human contact, that includes conversation, which an AI might manage, or a human interacting remotely, it also includes touch, thus the need for realistic cyberskin, and it requires being able to smell one another, not the aroma, but the pheremones.  We're constantly communicating chemically and that's one of the basic social needs that we have, even if we aren't consciously aware of it.  For a robot caretaker to properly take care of someone they'd need to not only feel, but smell like a human.  Presumably we'd replace the "I'm at work, I'm annoyed by this needy helpless person" pheremones a human caretaker would have with "I love and care about this person and am fulfilled by taking care of them" pheremones, that might come from a devoted loved one.

Thanks for the insights. To me, robots are just machines, and I doubt my perception of them will ever change. But, even to me, it does make sense to "humanize" them for human caregiving purposes.

[Pergamos]

People need human contact, that includes conversation, which an AI might manage, or a human interacting remotely, it also includes touch, thus the need for realistic cyberskin, and it requires being able to smell one another, not the aroma, but the pheremones.  We're constantly communicating chemically and that's one of the basic social needs that we have, even if we aren't consciously aware of it.  For a robot caretaker to properly take care of someone they'd need to not only feel, but smell like a human.  Presumably we'd replace the "I'm at work, I'm annoyed by this needy helpless person" pheremones a human caretaker would have with "I love and care about this person and am fulfilled by taking care of them" pheremones, that might come from a devoted loved one.

Thanks for the insights. To me, robots are just machines, and I doubt my perception of them will ever change. But, even to me, it does make sense to "humanize" them for human caregiving purposes.

I haven't met a robot that felt or smelled like a human yet, but I suspect that would make me way more likely to think of it as a person, even if I knew it was just a machine rationally.

[Brother Mythos]

"XoMotion created by SFU researchers to be world’s most advanced exoskeleton for mobility challenged"

"Next generation exoskeleton technology developed by SFU researchers is poised to offer people living with mobility challenges a new chance at free and independent movement."





As per the article:

"XoMotion allows individuals with mobility challenges to stand up and walk on their own, without additional support. When in use, XoMotion maintains its stability and simultaneously encompasses all the ranges of motion and degrees of freedom needed for users to self-balance, walk, sidestep, climb stairs, crouch, and more.
 
Sensors within the lower-limb exoskeleton mimic the human body’s sense of logic to identify structures along the path, and in-turn, generate a fully balanced motion.

SFU professors Siamak Arzanpour and Edward Park, both researchers in the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, began work on the device in 2014 with a vision to enhance exoskeleton technology and empower individuals with mobility challenges to have more options for movement."

So, it won't be long before someone develops this:

 


Here's the link:   Exoskeleton for Mobility Challenged