Remember when robots were these stiff, unresponsive automatons, that performed rudimentary, programmed tasks, and the thought of any higher intelligence response was the stuff of science fiction movies? Well, that's all changed, and more quickly than we might have imagined. Several breakthroughs and advances in robotics have made that science fiction movie pipe dream look a whole lot more like reality. Here are five really cool videos that illustrate how far we've come recently.
Robots can be controlled by human thoughts. Through means of a brain-computer interface, a human is able to instruct the robot to complete tasks just by thinking. We've recently seen robotic prostheses designed which reacted to human thought, via the surrounding muscle. Now we're doing it from a computer interface wired directly to the brain.
Robots anticipate human actions and act accordingly. They are no longer programmed to simply act, but are now learning to be reactionary, to "think" for themselves, based on a dynamic environment. The ability to adjust to changing surroundings is key to real-world adaptations for robotics.
Current robotic technology is becoming better and faster than before. Where just a few years ago, getting legged robot to walk was a major breakthrough, we're now setting speed records. The faster a robot can travel, and the more agile it becomes, the better able it can function. This guy ain't called "Cheetah" for nothing.
Robots are getting stronger and more agile. Remember these guys, the "Big Dog," or "Alpha Dog" robots? The nightmare fuel I shared a while ago? Yea, I just thought you might like to revisit them, 'cause they're bad-ass beasts, and they're only getting better. And there are more of them, too. A whole army of them!
Robots are being taught intrinsic motivation, or artificial curiosity. Similar to how children learn, robots are being trained via behavior reinforcement learning. They learn by processing their environment into different types of behavioral modules, as seen through video cameras, and translating that into movement data. This creates a usable representation of its environment, along with learned behavior associated with goal-oriented functions.
This may seem like the Terminator's Skynet to more than a few of you. Hard to imagine otherwise staring down those big Alpha Dog robots coming at you at almost thirty miles an hour, especially when you imagine they've also melded reactive behavior and a usable translation of their environment to their skill sets. To paraphrase that classic Simpson's line: I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords. And so should you.
Luckily, scientists are all working to create peaceful robots, of course, which is why we see advances like prosthetic limbs, and cute robot boxing toys. The days where everyone is able to drum up the cash for a giant warrior dog robot are well in the future. But one can always dream, right?
No, we haven't discovered life on Mars. Yet. But hopes are high, as the rover Curiosity and earlier rovers have confirmed the Red Planet does indeed have signs of conditions that would have supported life there at one time. It may be a matter of time before we discover the proof we're looking for. Until then we can only speculate. But instead of speculating if it had life, let's try and look at what kind of life it might have had.
One of the first things we need to determine is the temperature and climate necessary for life. It is in what some consider to be the Habitable Zone. But since Mars is half again further from the sun than Earth, it's a lot colder, and one of the trickier parts of this problem is creating a convincing climate model at any time in its history that produces conditions above freezing. The temperatures on Mars are estimated by infrared thermal mapper data at between 81 °F and −225 °F. And while life can exist in conditions below freezing, it does prove problematic, especially if there was no warmer time for them to evolve and adapt to less than optimal conditions. Being able to support life and being favorable for life are two vastly different things.
We have seen signs which point to the presence of water there in the past. We've seen clouds in Mars' atmosphere, and seen snow falling. Finding water-formed minerals including calcium carbonite, hematite, jarosite, and goethite on its surface also points to larger quantities of water at some time in its history. As water is a basic component of life as we know it, these are big steps toward confirming the presence of life there.
Just the hint of water is hardly an ideal situation for life. About 70% of Earth is covered with water. About 226,000 forms of life on Earth live in our lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans. Life is dependent on water, and far more than just having trace amounts of it around. So how would Mars have gotten that amount of water?
Some scientists theorize that the Tharsis Montes, a volcanic bulge containing the largest volcanoes in the solar system, is large enough to have caused changes to the climate of the entire planet. Since these volcanoes are so huge - the tallest has a whopping summit elevation of 59,000 feet - they could have spewed enough water vapor and carbon dioxide to create a much thicker and warmer atmosphere in a series of eruptions. Some estimate the amount of gasses released into the atmosphere could have given Mars a thicker atmosphere than Earth's. And because of the size of this bulge, it's theorized it has affected the spin axis and changed geographic locations of the planet's poles. Based on the picture above, it's not hard to understand why.
The Mars of today and the Mars of eons ago could look drastically different. What is now frozen desert wastelands could have once been fertile plains and forests, and the cradle of life such as we have never seen on Earth. Would life on Mars have been that dissimilar to Earth's? We can probably assume the evolution of carbon-based life forms, but from there all bets are off.
Throughout Earth's history, the predominant phylum has changed several times. Fossil records indicate mammals weren't always the top dog. At one point plants, fish, amphibians, and dinosaurs were all top forms of life here. At one point, so were arthropods.
What if a similar phylum to Earth's arthropoda became dominant? We know from experience they can be very successful, and it's not hard to imagine a Martian landscape covered in giant bugs. Spiders, ants, scorpions, and the like are quite successful in arid lands and severe climates, and cockroaches live goddamn anywhere they want. It wouldn't be the first time someone envisioned bugs living on Mars.
Life on Mars could also be on a much different scale than Earth's. While larger life is more impressive and makes for better stories, my bet would be on smaller life. It's easier to imagine them surviving on less water and in more hazardous climates. Larger animals require so much more to be right in their environments, from food sources to temperatures to available space, that it's hard to see them surviving on a planet more hostile and extreme than our own. But given enough time, and assuming you believe in the theories of evolution, it's not hard to visualize a society of intelligent arthropods, at a fraction of our own size, living comfortably in the lands of ancient Mars.
One would, however, assume a completely different evolutionary chain to have happened in the event of life on Mars. Even a small change in environment can produce drastically different results. It's not hard to see where life on Mars would have taken a very different turn from that on Earth.
Mars and Earth are more alike than we might think. While many find it easy to picture something quite alien and different from life here, the reality is that Mars is not that dissimilar to Earth. The image below compares an outcrop of rocks on Earth with a similar outcrop on Mars. Can you tell which is which? You can visit NASA's Mars Exploration Program website to find out. You got it wrong, didn't you?
Certain functions and structures are the easiest and simplest ways of doing things, and that's critical to evolution. Many different types of animals all have the same basic components, primarily because that's the best way to do things. Plants all function in basically the same way. And they most likely will on Mars too, because the basic foundation for life - the chemicals and elements that make up the structure of Mars - is the same as that of Earth.
So it would be no surprise to find life there. It may be a matter of time and effort. Chances are, if we do discover life, it won't be little green men, but rather little green microbes. It won't be nearly as exciting from a layman's point of view, but for science it will be a discovery of monumental proportions. One thing is for sure: Ray Bradbury would have been excited beyond belief to know there really was once life on Mars.
An awful lot has been said throughout history on the subject of immortality. Religions of all denominations proclaim eternal life as the successor to death. Spanish explorer and conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon was obsessed with it. Humans for millennia have been trying to achieve it. And it's a major theme in speculative fiction, from Dracula to Highlander.
Immortals come in a number of varieties: deities, vampires, ghosts, zombies, alien races, observers, and even humans who, through science or magic, have escaped the grasp of death. Some forms portray immortality as gruesome; tales of warning perhaps. Some laud it as the holy grail of all life. And all make us question our own feelings when faced with such a possibility.
A recent news article - where Russian scientist Dmitry Itskov is working to create a humanoid robot, capable of housing artificial brains which contain a person's complete consciousness - got me to thinking about this subject. This project, if successful, would allow the human consciousness to escape the body before death, and live on forever in the body of an avatar. Some of our wildest science fiction could soon become reality.
Aside from the initial knee-jerk reaction of not wanting to die, it's an interesting quandary. One could quite realistically choose to avoid death, but could one choose to give up that borrowed time later on? There are many ethical and moral questions to be pondered here besides simple immortality. What about things like human relationships and sex? Since a venture of this nature is so incredibly expensive, what of the implications of Itskov suggesting that such cybernetic immortality can be exchanged for a price? At what point does one's intellect and contributions to society factor into the equation? And when will the ability to choose potential immortals be bought and paid for? Almost immediately after implementation, one would assume.
And while many people jump at the idea of living forever, many others are repulsed by the idea. The thought of always being around, outliving anyone you ever cared about, watching as those around you die off one by one is something they'd rather not face. To those of this opinion, it's a horror - a curse, not a blessing at all.
I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
- Steven Wright
That's my opinion on the matter too. While death is said to be the last great adventure, I'm not quite ready to give up adventuring where I am just yet. I'm having far too much fun. I don't think, even after pondering it as long as I have, that I'd be too disappointed with immortality. I think I'd kind of like it. After all, it'd give those "back in the day" stories some real meat, wouldn't it?
A lot of this argument centers around quality of life. "I wouldn't want to outlive my usefulness, my ability to really get out and live!" we opine from the comfortable sanctuary of the couch. We say this, while hiding the fact that not only haven't we been anywhere or seen anything special in longer than we care to admit. We love the adventurer, the world traveler, the guy who gets into these fantastic, chaotic situations around the world, but we only love it because we can watch from the safety of our own little world.
And it seems the main argument is that we'd have to sit around for all eternity watching our loved ones die, but really, that happens even now. And we continue to live and move on, as does the circle of life. We're constantly making new friends, losing track of some of the old ones. Would immortality really change this pattern? I don't think it would.
So how about you? How does Itskov's possibility of cybernetic immortality strike you? Is it the coolest idea ever? A nightmare too horrible to consider? Some combination of nightmare and dream?
It's a pretty common phrase nowadays: "I forgot my phone." Hear it quite often, as a matter of fact. Everyone has cellphones, everyone's life is practically tied to them, and they're little, often misplaced, items. Along with that phrase, you'll also hear ones like "my phone died," or even "I lost my phone." Happens all the time.
The technology is on the way to make those phrases obsolete, to throw them right in with "I would have called, but I didn't have a quarter," "I couldn't get a hold of you because your phone was busy," "I couldn't find a pay phone," and "I can't find the number because I don't have a phone book."
Pictured below, what we use today to write messages, take pictures, watch videos, read books, buy items, pay bills, retrieve information, and play games. Among other things, such as actually talking to someone located elsewhere.
I think the end result will be a merging of several technologies, the first of which is "wearable, depth-sensing perception." We're also seeing more of these sorts of advances with contact lenses supporting alternate reality. Soon the two will merge, creating the first non-device-centric communication ability.
The next data point in this progression is implantation. It's bound to happen. We're seeing how this can be integrated with surgically implanted intraocular lenses. Now imagine this, but fused with cellular phone, Internet, and GPS technology. You'd quite literally have the virtual world available in front of you at all times. Your phone would be with you at all times, because it would be a part of you, accessible with the touch of an imaginary button.
Of course, not everyone likes that. Many would love to be able to escape from connection, to disappear into the woods on an extended camping trip, or go on vacation, without the need for a constant link to home, work, friends, or family. Like it or not, we're connected, and that connection will only get stronger.
It's the future of communications, the forefront of the virtual world. The only question is, how soon will it get here? How soon will that connection fuse with us, allowing us to skip the devices and connect on our own? Do we even want that? And if we don't, how long will it be before we do want it?
There are a ton of cool technological advances out there, with seemingly hundreds more every day. Every time I turn around, I'm amazed by what I see. Our knowledge of what's possible scientifically is expanding at an exponential rate. What was impossible yesterday becomes a reality tomorrow.
So in light of that, here are a few fun ideas, things we need to develop from the infant technology we have already discovered. They're concepts we will likely see at some point in the future. The technology is already sound; all we have to figure out is the logistics.
MagLev Transit
MagLev is magnetic levitation, the science of levitating something by using magnets. Now, imagine that as a full-sized locomotive, pulling cars filled with passengers, merchandise, foodstuffs, natural resources, you name it. Japan is already working hard on this technology, creating bullet trains that have achieved speeds of over 581 KPH. This could easily take over as a viable way of moving people place to place in the future, and could replace air travel for many domestic destinations.
3D Printing
We've seen the advent of 3D printing using a specially engineered composite material to create semi-functional objects, accurate to within 40 microns, or smaller than the width of a human hair. We've seen it expanded to include 3D metal printing, where metal powder is layered into the form needed and then forged at high temperatures. It's grown to include everything from ceramics to chocolates. The next step seems to be identifying a process that's cost-effective for mass use. Just think of how this could change the dynamics of merchandise as we know it, how we purchase what we need. And as soon as we make the leap to printing food items and human organs, it will completely renovate the business of living.
Augmented Reality
We've seen this in its infancy already. Mobile virtual information available upon need. Augmenting such things as eye glasses and phones with this information. In the future, saturation is the key: the ability to reach any and all information needed instantly. Couple this with technology below, and we'll have the ability to integrate the virtual world seamlessly with ourselves.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology now allows us to view things on a scale smaller than that of the microscopic, down to the level of single atoms. We're already working on nanoengineering, designed to create anything atom by atom, as small as imaginable. In just a few years, we could be able to create fully functional engines, electrical circuits, and complex machines, the size of just a few molecules. Imagine doctors with the ability to inject a camera into your blood stream and send it completely through your body, even through capillaries, looking for diseases or other health issues. Imagine the ability to create specially adapted devices allowing us to remove tumors, cancerous cells, etc., all without cutting a patient open.
Wireless Power
This is not a new concept. Nikola Tesla imagined the technology around a century ago. And we're finally seeing practical applications. You can buy wireless phone chargers, where you can charge your phone without actually plugging it into the source of power. The next step is unplugging completely, providing wireless power around the globe, allowing us to unplug for good.
Mind-Controlled Bionics
It's already possible. It's already been done. And the ceiling doesn't have to end with recreated body parts. Integrating these prosthetic appendages permanently into the human body is the first step, but from there, this technology can be adapted and expanded to exploration and discovery, controlling machines to go where humans can't, and yet controlling them as though they were extensions of our own bodies.
Invisibility
It's the stuff of science fiction, the Holy Grail of science, but it's getting a lot closer to reality than fiction with recent technological advances. Although this appears at first blush to have more military and government applications, it's something that would benefit many areas of society in practical application.
Holograms
The applications for this go beyond business meetings and teleconferencing. Think of this in educational terms, where students could go beyond seeing an illustration of something in a textbook to actually seeing it, actively participating in something, no matter where they were. And the prospect of this as a logical evolution of entertainment is pretty exciting too. If you thought 3D changed movies, just watch as this sort of technology replaces it.
Force Fields
This has more applications than just space travel. Sure, the immediate evolution is that to protect astronauts, but here on earth it could be just as effective, and advances could provide the ability to more effectively protect against radiation.
Machine Translation
Although this is showcased in a military setting, the possibilities of it are endless. From here, it's quite possible we'll see this technology grow smaller, and even embedded or implanted in us, creating the ability to speak in one language and be understood in another. In the future, it may be entirely possible to go anywhere in the world and face no language barriers whatsoever.
Yea, folks, we live in some exciting times, and I'm stoked to be a part of them! What are your thoughts? How do you see these technologies adapted to our future?
We've seen the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence come a long way from the early days of computing. I thought I'd make a list of the top coolest things we've seen in those areas. So, without further ado:
10. Applications to scenarios inhospitable to humans.
This is a twin of the Mars rover "Curiosity", designed to traverse the as yet inaccessible terrain of Mars. This type of robotic development allows us to expand our reach further out into the universe in scientific exploration and the search for sentient life. This isn't just for outer space though, as robotics are being designed for earth-based applications, such as fighting fires or defusing bombs.
9. Advanced bionics.
This is but one example of what bionics have contributed to the world of medicine. The artificial limb here is very life-like in its abilities and motions, allowing the user almost the complete abilities of a real limb. In another few years, we could see this taken to such a level, it might be impossible to distinguish between a bionic limb and a real one.
8. Mobility assistance to humans.
This technology is called a hybrid assistive limb (HAL) suit, and is designed to help people who are injured or weak get around easier. The suit also increases the strength of the user, allowing a person to carry heavier objects than they normally could. It also has sensors linked via the skin to the user's brain, allowing it to help users move in the way they are thinking. Anyone want Superman capabilities?
7. Advanced robotic mobility
This is BigDog, created to assist the U.S. Army with field operations. The mobility and agility on this thing is incredible. It recovers well after being kicked or slipping on ice, it can slug through or over many types of uneven terrain, and likely will be able to carry large weights at a reasonably fast speed. As of this video, it was able to run at 5 mph. And it looks pretty badass as well. Similar hominoid robots are being developed as well. Sorry for the nightmares, folks.
6. Extrinsic stimuli-based abilities.
Similar to the BigDog example above, this robot is able to respond and adjust its balance based on extrinsic stimuli. It's not hard to imagine a scenario where this technology is used in all manner of gyroscopic technology in the future.
5. Neurologically-based control systems.
This robot demonstrates the ability to not only learn from sensory input and provide that information to its other moving parts, but is also tremendously faster than an external computer-controlled counterpart. Much like a living being can respond to terrain and not step in a known hazard the second time, this robot can too.
4. Response to touch.
Here we have a robot that not only responds to touch, but responds in a very human-like way. Yes, we're not quite out of the creepy realm of the "Uncanny Valley", but we're close.
3. Deductive reasoning and learning.
This robot demonstrates actual reasoning abilities, along with simple rote memorization. It's relatively easy to program a robot to learn factual information, but quite another to insert reasoning into the equation. Reason is one of the first steps toward becoming a being of higher intelligence.
2. Mimicking humanity.
Whether this prospect terrorizes you or fascinates you, we're well on our way to creating a robot virtually indistinguishable from a human being. A comparison of cutting edge robotics now with that of ten years ago allows the speculation of this happening within the next decade or so.
1. Human-like interaction.
Robotic speech is slowly being replaced by more human-like speech, and interaction that more closely resembles that of real people. Genuine spontaneous human-like reaction is probably the last barrier to cross, but we're getting there.
Some of these creations are godsends. Some could probably induce nightmares, or evoke all manner of twisted ideas. Regardless, they're all just the tip of the iceberg with robotic engineering, and point to incredible possibilities in the future. I say within ten to twenty years, you won't be able to tell man from machine.
1872: "Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction." - Pierre Pachet, Psychology Professor, Toulouse University
1873: "The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon." - British Surgeon-Extraordinary Sir John Eric Ericksen
1876: "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." - Western Union officials via an internal memo
1895: "Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible." - Lord Kelvin, president of the Royal Society
1943: "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM
1949: "Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." - Popular Mechanics magazine
1957: "I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year." - Prentice Hall, Editor of Business Books
1977: There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp.
1981: "640K ought to be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and CEO
We've been laughably wrong over and over throughout history regarding technology and science. Nothing illustrates this better than viewing the exponential growth in new technology since 1899, when the commissioner of the U.S. Office of Patents said, "Everything that can be invented has been invented." My apologies to any of his decedents viewing this blog, but just wow! Talk about short-sighted! Last year alone, the United States issued 244,341 patent grants. What's more, there has been a steady increase of patents, and considering the breakthroughs we see every day, it's not likely to peak any time soon.
Just in my lifetime, the growth in technology has been astounding. I don't mean to make you feel old, dear reader, but it's likely you remember a time of rotary telephones, slide rules, and giant square televisions. And what the hell was the Internet back then? Now it's an inconvenience not to be able to take care of business, pay bills, and buy merchandise online. In fact, the National Retail Federation projects consumers will conduct 36% of their holiday shopping this year online, up from 32.7% in 2010. It's not hard to imagine that people who didn't even grow up with a computer in the house will soon conduct almost all of their commerce online.
Our children take for granted the constant technological innovation. Even as the latest innovations roll out for sale, they nod and smile, and wonder when the next model is coming out. And they're right in their complete and total numbness to the speed of progress. After all, just a couple of years after you buy the shiniest, fastest computing machine on the market, it's already well on its way toward obsolescence. In fact, wait a few years more, and it will be hard to find current programs that even run on it.
In 1991, 14.4K dial-up modems were the state-of-the-art way to connect to the Internet. Twenty years later, if we don't have 4G capability with our little wallet-sized phones, we're behind the power curve. My current phone has two hundred thousand times the memory of my first computer! That isn't a typo. Two hundred thousand times the memory capacity!
So how far into the future will we be able to look back and laugh at how impossible we thought time travel was? How long will it be until we just send an object via the Internet to someone? How long before we travel that way ourselves? How about viewing a virtual overlay of augmented reality through our own unaided eyes?
Science fiction writers try to predict the future. It's what makes their stories believable. The better they are at it, the longer their stories remain valid, and the more real they seem.
We've seen stories get it disastrously wrong. The Terminator series, for example, has predicted a number of doomsday scenarios. In the original, released in 1984, artificial intelligence becomes self-aware in 1997. They pushed that prediction forward to 2004 and then 2011 with subsequent sequels, and even prompted BBC News earlier this year to ask "How close were the Terminator films to the reality of 2011?" Even with an amended timeline, one can easily make the argument they were way, way off in their predictions. In fairness though, that wasn't the only thing they were off on.
Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey was actually pretty close to the mark with its predictions of the future. Released in 1968, it's known in part for scientific accuracy. The film shows a space station orbiting Earth, a moon outpost, and a mission to Jupiter. While we're behind schedule on some of those accomplishments, we've been working with space stations in low Earth orbit since the mid-1980's. And it's not hard to imagine we'd have an outpost on the moon if we'd kept the interest up. We haven't been back to the moon since 1972, but certainly not for lack of ability to do so. The possibilities of missions to Mars or Jupiter might also be far closer to reality if we hadn't seen such a high mishap rate with the Space Shuttle program.
Another interesting facet of the film was the computer technology. HAL, a "heuristic algorithm" of artificial intelligence, is rather similar to advances in the field we're seeing with such AI forms as Cleverbot and Apple's Siri. While 2001: A Space Odyssey was a decade early in predictions of such intelligence, those predictions were eerily accurate in terms of the applied technology. Compare:
Yep. Eerily similar. Of course, that does beg the question, does art imitate life, or is it the other way around? In either case, Kubrick was fairly close there, way back in 1968. It's hard to imagine a science fiction storyteller getting any closer with predictions of the future.
So how do we predict the future that accurately in stories? I've opined on the subject before, but the truth is, if we were that good in predicting the future, chances are we wouldn't be in the economical mess we're in right now, facing the worst recession since the Great Depression. No, we're not that good at predictions at all.
But I'm going to take a stab at it. I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict where the future of technology leads. We've seen the trends in the past. Technology is shrinking in size, becoming more portable and more interactive. We're seeing the demise of physical media and the rise of the virtual world. That is nothing new. In fact, chances are, you'd agree we're going to see the death of almost every physical form of media such as CD, DVD, BluRay, and even newspapers, magazines, books, and other such formats. Maybe not right away, but they're all facing a very dire future, and will likely be as popular with future generations as the 8-track is to today's. But that's the easy prediction.
Harder to predict is the future of bio-medical engineering and its applications. Nanotechnology is expanding by leaps and bounds, and it will only be a matter of time before nano-surgery becomes standard practice, not the exploratory science. Doctors will be able to construct or reconstruct anything within the human body without even raising a scalpel.
We've seen recent advances with wearable computing and screen-less computers. We've seen technology such as geo-tracking and wireless information transfer expand exponentially over the past few years. The computer industry is redefining itself at such a rate that its advances seem almost like magic.
It's all going to come together, in ways we would think very intrusive today. In another few decades, we will have media channeled to us individually, channeled via constructed relays from our brains to wireless connections embedded and integrated into our very flesh. Want to watch a movie? You won't watch it on a screen, or even projected in front of you. It'll be relayed to your eyes, played neurologically to your mind via your own biological connection to the virtual world. Want to listen to music? You'll be able to access it and play it back to your own mind, completely unheard by anyone but yourself.
A decade or two after that, we'll see the extinction of all physical memory. Using that same connection, we'll be able to tap into our minds and utilize those areas of the brain we don't actively use, and use them for memory storage or computing applications. The mind is exponentially more powerful than the technology we use for memory today. Tapping into the human mind for that will give us an unlimited amount of storage capacity, as one mind is far more powerful than the computing needs of a single person.
Eventually, we'll all be connected as much in the virtual world as the physical one. The Internet will disappear, replaced by nothing physical at all. We will simply have a virtual mirror of the physical world, available any time we need it, able to connect to media and one another with a simple command, or even a thought. They say imagination is one of the most powerful things in the world, and we will see the fruits of that with a very real virtual world, melded completely with the physical one.
It's a scary concept, in terms of how we view society today, but a very real possibility. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Space has always been fascinating to us. Long before technology allowed us to venture beyond the atmosphere, we've been fascinated with celestial objects. Ancient cultures made gods out of them. We've sacrificed our fellow humans to them. They've affected daily life in numerous ways, from art to superstition to navigation to who knows what else.
I opined recently in a post on Curiosity Quills whether the decline in our space program would significantly alter the type of speculative fiction our children would read from that which we read. I wondered whether the focus would shift from science fiction about outer space to more virtual reality, cyberspace-oriented science fiction. It seems plausible, considering the end of the Space Shuttle program and the costs and logistics of a successful mission so a place even as relatively close as Mars.
But I wonder if I may have been a little premature in my pondering. I've seen a number of interesting scientific discoveries lately that make me consider another alternative, and that is, we won't have to go out into space to continue our fascination with it. Bringing it home via magnificent telescopes, video recording systems, and digital recreations of what only mathematics sees in space might just be the catalyst.
Consider the new planet made of diamond that was recently discovered. Or the Tatooine-like planet that revolves around two suns. Or the fact the planetPluto may have oceans hidden beneath it's surface. All three of these discoveries have been in the news within the last month or so, and all are exciting new developments in space research. Maybe we'll end up designating poor Pluto as a planet once again.
Technology grows in leaps and bounds, and that includes the tech that allows us to expand our reach into space without ever leaving the ground. We're seeing more and more beautiful photos like these from NASA, allowing us the unique experience of space at a distance.
And while it would be überawesome to be an astronaut, and who hasn't dreamed of that as a child, the odds of a kid actually growing up to be an astronaut are well, astronomical. Precious few actually get the chance to go up in space, unless of course you have large amounts of cash lying around without purpose and want to do it as a tourist. That's where programs and projects like the Hubble come into play. They allow that exploration without the travel. They allow kids who won't have that chance to be actively engaged with the science of space exploration and research.
We can see worlds far beyond our own, and even speculate whether they have life on them or even contain livable environments. We might even be able to detect life on even the remotest of them someday soon. That's a lot, considering we're looking at objects fifty kajillion light years away from being seen with the naked eye.
We're a curious species, and whether or not we continue or discontinue a program, our curiosity won't be easily sated. We'll continue to wonder what's out there beyond the boundaries of our vision, and we'll continue to reach out to find it.
So who knows, maybe I speculated wrong in my earlier post. In fact, I'm sure I did. Not because the premise was necessarily wrong, but because I didn't take into consideration the other aspects of technology we are developing. And while we will continue to break down the barriers of the cyberspace frontier, it won't come at the expense of abandoning outer space.
We may be decades or even a century or more from actual space travel to another celestial body besides the moon. We may never get there as humans, but we aren't going to remain that stationary with the technology that allows us to view it from where we are. And that's what's going to further drive space age science and the speculative fiction that derives from it. As more and more of these exciting discoveries are made, our imaginations will remain fueled with thoughts of what's even further out.
Our kids may well see the same space-inspired fiction we grew up reading and watching, but because of the remote technology that allows us to see it from a distance, instead of manned space vehicles exploring the visible space around us. Rather than shifting focus, this type of fiction will expand its focus. We've already seen several new sub-genres appear in the last several decades or so, and we'll continue to see more. Our kids won't abandon the types of speculative fiction we grew up with, they'll just add more to the mix, and that's a great thing.
This past Saturday, I took the family down to one of my favorite places, the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Located in the Experience Music Project, a wildly colorful and uniquely designed building, it sits in the shadow of the Space Needle in downtown Seattle.
The building was originally built for the Experience Music Project, which was a way for creator Paul Allen to bring something to the local community that wasn't available anywhere else. His vision was to engage people, inspire them, and get them excited about music, not just show them artifacts in a museum. He expanded this concept with the addition of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in 2004, bringing us exposure to artifacts and unique memorabilia we otherwise wouldn't have been able to see.
The museum has a very large number of artifacts, but shows very few at a time. Not only is this done to preserve the artifacts, so as to not display them for a long time, it's also to continue to engage a large membership and refresh exhibits with a variety of content. After all, who wants to go see the same old thing all the time?
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame is currently closed, as it is being renovated along with the rest of the downstairs in preparation for the new horror exhibit opening soon. That was a disappointment to me, because as a writer of science fiction, it's always an awesome experience to walk along the row of glass-etched tributes to the genre's greatest writers. Authors like Philip K. Dick, H. G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Issac Asimov, William Gibson and many others in that Hall of Fame have been a great inspiration. It opens back up next summer, so I guess I'll just have to wait and visit again then.
The displays exhibited currently are James Cameron's Avatar, and Battlestar Galactica, as well as the Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana exhibits on the EMP side, which I personally found equally fascinating, but a little off topic for the blog. Avatar runs through September 3, 2011, and Battlestar Galactica through March 4, 2012.
Avatar
To start this part of the discussion, here are Director James Cameron and Actor Giovanni Ribisi talking about the project at the opening of the exhibit in a Seattle Times news video:
Before you even get inside the Avatar exhibit, you're met with a very cool interactive experience. Floating jellyfish-like creatures from the movie waft around on a large screen at the entrance, and react to the shadow you cast on the screen. If you stand still long enough, they will land on your hand.
Once inside, you find a wonderful array of interactive exhibits, such as one that allows you to digitally design your own plants that might be found on Pandora.
Definitely the exhibit that garners the most attention, however, was the interactive motion capture 3D studio, where you can create a clip of yourself, digitally reconstructed to one of two scenes in the 3D Avatar world. It essentially enables you to star in your own 30-second Avatar movie clip...
...which of course, I did. The clip instantly uploads to YouTube, where you can have it e-mailed to yourself and view it later. This was my experience.
I'm evidently not quite ready for Hollywood, but it was certainly entertaining and educational.
Battlestar Galactica
This exhibit was my son's favorite part of the trip. He plays the online game, and found it fascinating to see what he was playing "in real life". The only downside for him was worrying about spoiling the ending for himself, which I found quite amusing.
The exhibit features three full-size prop spaceships, probably the coolest part, in my opinion. They're all scuffed up, and look like they've seen their share of battle.
In addition to the ships, there are a large number of costumes and other props, as well as interactive exhibits that focus on the shows' concepts and conflicts.
As an author, another interesting part was the genesis and time lines of the two shows (1978 and 2003). I find myself drawn to the behind-the-scenes work that goes into a project, and the decisions that help shape them into their final versions. Comparing the two shows allows a glimpse into that, or at least it does for me.
Coming in October
And now for a sneak peek at the new horror exhibit, Can't Look Away, opening for members on October 1, 2011, and to the general public on October 2.
EMP's senior curator Jacob McMurray has been putting together the new downstairs horror exhibit for more than a year now, and it sounds like a lot of chilling fun! He's been working with directors Eli Roth (Super 8), John Landis (Animal House, An American Werewolf in London), and Roger Corman (Little Shop of Horrors, Death Race 2000), to curate a selection of films to serve as the launch pad for the exhibition. The goal is to cover a wide range of the genre, looking at different generations and different kinds of films. They'll examine the psychological aspects of it, looking at why we as humans are so fascinated with horror, even though it scares us.
Interactive exhibits will include a scream booth, where you can go into a soundproof booth, watch a horror film clip, where hopefully you'll scream on cue. Your scream will be captured on film and shown on the screen outside the booth. Is it bad that the first thought that came to me about this exhibit is that it will probably appeal most to the husbands and boyfriends in the crowd?
There will also be a shadow monster interactive, where your shadow is captured and digitized, allowing you to turn different body parts into strange grotesques and create monsters from your own human form. I can see my kids spending a while at this part of the exhibit.
For the behind-the-scene geeks in the crowd, there will be exhibits on sound in horror movies, focusing on sound effects and music, and how they are layered together to create the desired effect in the movie. Again, the geek in me comes out. I'm really looking forward to this one.
In addition to the interactive areas, the exhibit will house a number of iconic artifacts, including one of Freddy Krueger's gloves, one of the Jason Voorhees masks from Friday the 13th, and Jack Torrance's axe from Stephen King's The Shining. Perhaps the most exciting artifact is an original manuscript from Bram Stoker's Dracula. Seeing those alone will be worth the price of admission. I know I'll be one of the first visitors there when it opens.
Finally I'd like to extend a special thank you to PR Director Anita Woo and the rest of the staff at the EMP. They were very knowledgeable, and more importantly, were willing to take the time to answer all of my geeky questions. For directions to the EMP, tickets and further information, you can visit the EMP's Website. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
