All of the parts for the tDCS device have arrived! This means I can build the mark 2 today. (I have two working prototypes that were built to prove the concept but never used on a person) The mark 2 is the version that I am comfortable putting on my head. I'll post pics and videos of the build as I complete it. I'll be at Noisebridge today putting this together.
I've been compiling information about TDCS for a bit now here is the concept tree.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
tDCS update: I have the first prototype 90 percent done. I also have all the parts for the second gen of this device which I will be building as soon as I get the pcb from the manufacturer. Once the second gen version is done I will begin basic tests involving an IQ test before and after.
This video explores the primary danger and ethical dilemma created by the widespread adoption of advanced Augmented Reality technology. While I disagree with some of the premises (I don't want to spoil it for anyone) of the short film it is a very good idea of what is possible with augmented reality. In particular I will enjoy seeing everyday activities gamified.
Scroll down for spoilers.
This short film deals with the ethical implications of augmentation technology and access to that tech. One of the primary issues that is dealt with is an issue that is prevalent over and over again in transhumanist discussions is the fact that whoever creates the first working example of the technology holds a vast amount of power. In deciding whether to share it or how to distribute it they create a new type of inequality. That of access to augmentation technology. In sharing it they gain more power over the people who use the technology. The person who uses augmentation technology without understanding and knowing how it was built or what it can do submits themselves to the whims of the creator of said technology. As the video so eerily pointed out.
So what is Transhumanism anyway and why should you bother to learn such a long syllablous (that's a made up word that means full of syllables like transhumanism or prestidigitation) word?
Transhumanism is the belief that people should take a driving role in their own evolution in the hopes that mankind can reach the singulatiry. The singularity is the point at which our technology has become so complex that it builds on itself at an exponential rate. Transhumanists hope that the singularity will bring with it advances in medicine and technology that will augment human ability and prolong human life (eventually indefinitely). There are a number of transhumanist movements and not all of them are technology dominated. Transhumanist also believe that social, cultural, economic, and political means are needed to have a say in our evolution. Politics and culture can have a massive impact on our evolution by setting the trends and determining mating habits. While cultural aspects are important in the transhumanist movement technology is the key.
Over the next few weeks I will focus on where the rubber meets the road in the transhumanist movement; technology. After all a transhumanist movment is not much of a movement if there is not vehicle by which to guide out evolution. Technology is this vehicle. The next blog post will cover Brain Computer Interfaces using the Emotiv Epoch EEG headset. We will cover the basic technology behind how it works, demonstrate the operation of the device and cover the ethical and moral implications of the spread and maturation of this type of technology to our greater culture.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Wow so I started off a little late and now I am a bit behind. (Who am I kidding I am WAY behind.) Who hasn't been there before? If only there was something that could make me more efficient. What if there was just some way of thinking that would do it? Or a device that could turn up my intellect the way I turn up the volume on my speakers?
Over the next few weeks I will be covering technology and methods that attempt to surpass the limit of the human brain. We will explore the Transhumanist movement to see what the future of the human experience could include. We will also be doing a number of projects. We will start with Brain Mapping with an Emotiv Epoch. You have to know what the brain looks like to accurately explore it. Next we will explore the brains plasticity by adding senses to the human body. We will be gaining the super power of electromagnetic sensing through the use of magnets affixed to the tips of my fingernails. Finally the coup de gras, building a device that actually makes you smarter. We will explore tDCS (Transcranial Direct Current Stmulation) and build a device that the military uses to increase the learning curve of it's soldiers 2.5 times. Because when you start off late you have to run twice as fast.
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