Jack Hirschfeld wrote:
>Well, supposing we worked on a computer output of tactile "display" where
the many textures we encounter in life could be replicated from some kind
of digital storage.
Hi,
I did some research about a year ago on tactile displays. I'm not sure if
there's anything on the market yet but they have this shock vest for the
nintendo game system. The game player puts on the vest and it lets the
player feel shotgun blasts, getting run over by a tank, riding in a dune
buggy, etc etc.
There's this force feedback device that fits around a person's hand that
can control a virtual representation of a hand. It's called an Exos
Skeleton. I'm not sure if it has tactile feedback yet. At UNC - Chapel
Hill, they have this device that lets researchers combine molecules to
form new drugs in a virtual environment. The device controls the
interfacing of a molecule to another molecule. If the controlled molecule
doesn't "fit" into the other molecule, the researcher can feel the device
"bounce" back. The device is a force feedback mechanism. Researchers keep
"playing" around with interfacing two molecules and supposedly it's a very
effective way of creating new drug molecules in a virtual environment.
A while back, I read about this new type of metal that was developed that
bends when an electric current is applied. I think they are using it in
tactile "displays", but I'm not sure.
Your brother in law's ability is neat. One thing I recently learned is
that "feelings" can be "created". There are people who know how to
re-induce drug states. A good one is using your forefinger and thumb to
pull out your cheek away from your gum. If you do it right, it will numb
up. Supposely, this re-induces novocaine injections at the dentists
office.
I think I'm getting off topic, but my personal opinion is that a good way
to represent "feelings" in a knowledge database will be through
"synesthesia's". An example would be using colour's to represent feelings.
Great artists supposedly had this ability.
-- Andrew Moreno Andrew Moreno <amoreno@cyberspace.org>