NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=qw111596760144B215

Lots of possibilities for this sucker. I'm not surprised at all that it came from Japan.

Nice.

Just wait til they're mandatory for reasons of "public health."

This could be a very useful if we didn't need blood for blood transplants.

I think the original posters point is that a blood powered battery could be used to power electrical implants inside our bodies, which could then be powered indefinately by our own bioenegy supplies, in this case blood. It actually is pretty exciting stuff. Imagine wireless internet - you'd instantly become a genius simply because you could look up wikipedia/google whenever you needed it.

I think the original posters point is that a blood powered battery could be used to power electrical implants inside our bodies, which could then be powered indefinately by our own bioenegy supplies, in this case blood. It actually is pretty exciting stuff. Imagine wireless internet - you'd instantly become a genius simply because you could look up wikipedia/google whenever you needed it.

that'd be pretty sweet! SCREW THE SAT!

I got the impression it was thinking more along the lines of transmitting data about the blood glucose levels of a diabetic to a reciever outside the body with no need to prick the skin to get the blood out. Of course this could be used for more sinister purposes -- like to put every individual on a GPS service so that Big Brother could always see exactly where everyone was.

I think the original posters point is that a blood powered battery could be used to power electrical implants inside our bodies, which could then be powered indefinately by our own bioenegy supplies, in this case blood. It actually is pretty exciting stuff. Imagine wireless internet - you'd instantly become a genius simply because you could look up wikipedia/google whenever you needed it.

Something I've concluded though is that no amount of wiki/google data can really replace intelligence. Knowledge though, yes.

Something I've concluded though is that no amount of wiki/google data can really replace intelligence. Knowledge though, yes.

I agree. If I were not adequately intelligent enough to understand basic mathematical principles, looking up how to perform definite integration wouldn't help me much. What I meant is that someone of average intelligence, with competent abilities in maths, reasoning and english, could use these resources to complement their existing knowledge whenever needed. For example, I use wikipedia perhaps ten times per day - mostly to look up mundane things. Just a few hours ago I looked up the history of the Cornish Pasty, because I happened to be cooking one at that point in time. If I hadn't known what a cornish pasty was in the first place, I couldn't look it up, if you excuse the dumb example.

I got the impression it was thinking more along the lines of transmitting data about the blood glucose levels of a diabetic to a reciever outside the body with no need to prick the skin to get the blood out. Of course this could be used for more sinister purposes -- like to put every individual on a GPS service so that Big Brother could always see exactly where everyone was.

To be honest, it's fairly unlikely anyone will ever squeeze that much spare electrical energy out of the human body without having to make some serious dietary alterations, and as long as the government can't make people eat what it wants them to eat (though with the current obesity rates I'm starting to wonder if they should have sway over certain facets of diet) such high-energy devices will probably remain in the domain of the rich businessman who wants extreme Bluetooth security and government operatives - think how useful to espionage such a transmission tool would be. For now, though, methinks it might remain as a bloodless HBS monitor.

I got the impression it was thinking more along the lines of transmitting data about the blood glucose levels of a diabetic to a reciever outside the body with no need to prick the skin to get the blood out. Of course this could be used for more sinister purposes -- like to put every individual on a GPS service so that Big Brother could always see exactly where everyone was.

I doubt it has enough power for that kind of signal. We're talking about a signal that can probably just get through the body to a worn receiver.

This is also a strong step towards body-powered bionic limbs.

Now if they're smart enough to use that wire that contracts when electrical charge is applied to it to act as muscle fiber.... they're set.

*sighs at all he would have done had he stayed with the sciences*

This is also a strong step towards body-powered bionic limbs.

Now if they're smart enough to use that wire that contracts when electrical charge is applied to it to act as muscle fiber.... they're set.

*sighs at all he would have done had he stayed with the sciences*

Top-end prosthetic limbs already work by neural signals. They're difficult to use because they're very low-resolution and because the user has neither proprioception nor pressure sensation in the limb, but it's already doable. It was on Tomorrow's World once a few years ago, I think, some barman had an artificial arm from the elbow downwards, the hand of which worked on neural command (for want of a better term), but he couldn't hold glasses in it because he couldn't tell how much pressure he was putting on them and he'd smashed too many before. It was pretty damn high-tech for the time, and that, as I recall, was about two years ago.

However, powering something that big off the body? Again, I don't think it's doable. The device at the top of this thread uses glucose, but the amount of glucose needed to power something like that would produce hyperglycaemia in the user.

They've had body heat powered chips for a while.

http://www.google.com/search?q=chip+powered+by+body+heat

However, powering something that big off the body? Again, I don't think it's doable. The device at the top of this thread uses glucose, but the amount of glucose needed to power something like that would produce hyperglycaemia in the user.

If it were being used, hyperglycemia would not be a problem. The person would probably have to eat more sugar to avoid hypoglycemia. But it could probably be done.

If they figure out one that, like muscle, could run off of glucose or fatty acids, they'd be set.

If it were being used, hyperglycemia would not be a problem. The person would probably have to eat more sugar to avoid hypoglycemia. But it could probably be done.

If they figure out one that, like muscle, could run off of glucose or fatty acids, they'd be set.

No, no, no, see, what I'm saying is you'd need to eat sugar at an alarming rate to keep it working, and because it's in the bloodstream the body will unwittingly distribute it everywhere equally, as it does, to prevent toxic buildup in any one area. There's only so fast the pancreas can respond with the insulin, y'know, and it's during that time that the person'd become hyperglycaemic.

No, no, no, see, what I'm saying is you'd need to eat sugar at an alarming rate to keep it working, and because it's in the bloodstream the body will unwittingly distribute it everywhere equally, as it does, to prevent toxic buildup in any one area. There's only so fast the pancreas can respond with the insulin, y'know, and it's during that time that the person'd become hyperglycaemic.

I don't think it would really happen that way. Insulin would not be required for the arm to absorb lots of glucose, and it would absorb a *lot*. Thus, after one or two passes, it would have absorbed enough to forego any problems.

Like I said though, it would be better if, like most of the body, it could use fatty acids as well.

I don't think it would really happen that way. Insulin would not be required for the arm to absorb lots of glucose, and it would absorb a *lot*. Thus, after one or two passes, it would have absorbed enough to forego any problems.

Like I said though, it would be better if, like most of the body, it could use fatty acids as well.

...no, I'm not talking about using the insulin for the arm to absorb glucose, I'm talking about it being released to stop that much glucose killing everything else in the body. You've seen what hyperglycaemia does to diabetic people? And like you said, it'd use a lot, requiring a more or less constant very high supply of glucose. To do that, the blood glucose would need to be permanently high, causing damage elsewhere. I don't think something like that could ever run off blood glucose, that's all I'm saying :)

But yeah, use of fatty acids would be interesting, and useful for smaller devices (what a weight loss aid! Go jogging and lose extra weight listening to your bioPod!). Looks like for the time being it's batteries or nothing though.

Then the next step should be creating more energy efficient devices. Obviously, it is possible to build a limb that can be effectivly powered by bioenergy without any long term consequences to the rest of the body. We know this because most people have four of them. The trick is duplicating that level of energy efficiency.

No blood for energy, dude.

Then the next step should be creating more energy efficient devices. Obviously, it is possible to build a limb that can be effectivly powered by bioenergy without any long term consequences to the rest of the body. We know this because most people have four of them. The trick is duplicating that level of energy efficiency.

Yeah, and it only took a few billion years to perfect :D

No blood for energy, dude.
BWAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA! :D

Yeah, and it only took a few billion years to perfect :D
I thought it only took one "day"... :confused:











/me runs :D

hopefully it doesnt require large doses of K3 (menadione)

"Prolonged consumption of megadoses of vitamin K (menadione) results in anemia, which is a reduced level of red blood cells in the bloodstream. When large doses of menadione are given to infants, they result in the deposit of pigments in the brain, nerve damage, the destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis), and death. A daily injection of 10 mg of menadione into an infant for three days can kill the child. This tragic fact was discovered during the early days of vitamin research, when newborn infants were injected with menadione to prevent a disease known as hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. Today a different form of vitamin K is used to protect infants against this disease."

http://www.chclibrary.org/micromed/00070510.html
http://www.geocities.com/ab_hossain/vitk.htm

not deadly for adults, although debilitating (sp), but i wouldnt suggest these implant for babies or infants if it requires a daily dose of K3 above or around 10mg, well i wouldnt suggest the doses at all. also for babies because of teh smaller body mass it may REQUIRE doses of K3 to keep the electron flow high enough to power the device... but then maybe the K3 is destroyed in the process of drawing the electrons thus preventing any serious health risks due to the K3... but still.

Woohoo! Cyborgness, here I come!

Personally, I think the only thing they need to do is get those spiffy little wires that contract when electricity hits them, make bundles of them, and at the nerve points, some chip or other that boosts the electrical signal from the nerve so that it can adequately effect the wires, which would, thus, act like actual muscle tissue.

The main trick is that real muscle tissue has stored energy. Perhaps blend in some memory metal?

Joy consumes me - we're that much closer to Ghost in the Shell.