The dangers of forgetting the physical world whilst playing in virtual realms will most certainly be one of the dangers of the future. Hopefully will new technologies, Better Bodies will make living in the real world almost as much fun (maybe more) as the virtual.
Here are some of my selections for a Human(?) Body 2.0 -
Designer Body 2.0: .
Atomically precise diamond lattice bones combined with high density nanotube fiber muscle provide the core structure and general motive ability for most new body designs. The atomically tailored skeleton and musculature provide a huge gain in the strength to weight ratio compared to natural bodies. Niche markets may explore the use of exoskeletons or even having no core structure at all.
A layer of polymorphic matter over the core structure enables quick form changes. External appearances are also alterable with a variety of surface effects and adaptive cosmetics. Additionally, greater physical extension and sensing into the environment is enhanced with active wireless networks to drones, quantum clouds, and nanoswarms.
Most individuals select designer bodies that practice Body Boundary Isolation. BBI follows strict minimization and management of matter entering and leaving the designer body’s boundary layer or smart matter. This body feature guards the core body against nano-infiltration, contamination, and corruption. This degree of control over body function gives unprecedented freedom from environmental constraints such as unfettered operation in extreme environs like vacuum and submersion, eradications or taming of infectious virus and bacteria, elimination of personal environmental contamination, and security against modern threats such as matter hackers and aerovores.
Sense Mapping and World Model Generation
Designer bodies of the future include sensor systems that are vastly improved over nature’s evolved hodgepodge. The primary senses are significantly expanded and new senses with expand our experience of the world around us. Regular vision will include the standard visual spectrum as well as infrared, UV, Terahertz (for density modeling) ranges. Improved hearing organs will broaden the spectrum of hearable sounds and also enables acoustical radar with added feature modules. Smell and taste will also be enhanced to provide super sensitivity to variations in flavor and scent, expanded to the point of identification and discrimination of trace elements and molecules. The sense of touch will be extended through the use of sense integrated motes and nanoswarms, allowing for a full tactile experience of the local environment. All these gestalt data gathering methods are overlaid on a 360 degree internal mapping of the user’s local area. This feature allows the user to shift their active view to any point in the world model rather than the traditional first person view. Inputs to the world model are collected from the core body’s sense organs, external drones, cloud motes, nanoswarms, and even publicly available sense gathering equipment. The Supracortex module’s world map shows previously sampled maps (historic, not in current view, represented in grey tones) joined to the current viewing sample. Interesting effects like passing by a slightly opened door will enable the viewer to map a large area of the room’s interior without peering into it or even breaking stride. Linear information like audio, radio, binary, machine code and encrypted signals are filtered through the Suprathalamus module, recorded, and sampled or experienced on demand. A fully configurable heads up display (HUD) can be mapped onto the user’s point of view automatically. As this technology progresses and users gain mental flexibility with absorbing information, the HUD view may become obsolete as the information being fed via visual representation will simply be known factors without the need for graphical representation. Onboard GPS (global positioning systems) and inertial tracking will enable users with relatively recent world maps to navigate without any live sensory feed with accuracy.
Physical Extentions
Controls: Gaining extra limbic features usually starts with a 1st stage growth of extra limbs and Supralimbic brain module for use on wearable keyboards allowing rapid text input. The 2nd stage of adding limbic features quickly atrophies the extra limb and uses the acclimated neuronal pathways for direct control of physical extensions by the Supralimbic brain module.
Special Purpose Limbs: Augmentation of the basic human form will be inevitable. Multiple limbs with multiples of superior rotation joints will be common. Length and style of limbs will be customizable by preference and need with some active adaptability. Animal forms, machine forms, and hybrids become fashion statements and eventually blur together. On the spot reconfiguration allowed by polymorphic matter will enable temporary limbs to form as needed. The simple tools will become obsolete as designer bodies will accommodate any action where a classical tool was once required.
Drones: These are physically visible satellite objects under the direct control of the core body. The sizes of drones may range from centimeters to kilometers (vehicles and ships will be less like vehicles and more like appendages in the future). The types of drones used will be many and various in shape, size, and function. A few examples of some common drones are: mobile sensor platforms, animal form drones, nano-fusion plant drones with energy transmission capability, telepresence duplicates, and disposable simulacra for extreme sports or dangerous jobs, guardian drones with weapons platforms, vehicle and ship drones, and many more; all under the direct conscious or unconscious control of the user’s core mentality.
Polymorphic Matter and Quantum Clouds: A quantum cloud uses the utility fog concept augmented by quantum dot sites. This technology enables true polymorphic material capable of shifting its shape and altering its material properties. Polymorphic matter can be configured to emit or absorb energy. Many future body designs will incorporate an outer layer of polymorphic matter for “on the fly” form adaptations. Also, it will be very common to incorporate as an extension of the core body: a Quantum Cloud under radio control (or locked quantum entangled instantaneous control) to encompass their immediate surroundings for full sensing data and manipulation of local environments. Alteration and control of the polymorphic matter layer and the quantum cloud are regulated through the Supralimbic module. Sensor data relayed from the quantum cloud is integrated into the world model via the Suprathalamus and Supracortex modules.
Nanoswarms: These are sub-micron sizes motes, with and without the capability to generate artificial atoms. They contain IPS (individual positioning systems), power transference capability, sensing apparatus, locomotive turbines, and manipulators. Larger motes are propelled using micron wings and rotors. Small motes travel using Brownian motion assist: They have extendable arms in all directions with multi-axis hinges. In order to move in their desired direction the arms absorb vibration impacts (charging their batteries) coming from their target vector and resist (or amplify using stored energy) impacts from opposing vectors. The speeds achieved using the Brownian locomotive are slight better than standard gas diffusion speeds, but are directionally vectored. These motes assist in the Supracortex world modeling functions by expanding into surrounding volumes and attaching to surfaces to provide a surface map with their IPS data. Replenishment of a nano-swarm is usually required due to losses of motes from damage, power-loss, high winds, or fast movement of the core body taking the bulk of the swarm away from an individual motes onboard power range. Replacements are available in pre-packaged quantities as well as manufactured on demand with a Nanofactory gland.
New Body Systems and Organs:
Vasculoid/Gastroloid: This feature provides the core body with an intelligent material and energy transport system replacing the heart, lung, liver, arteries, veins, blood, and more. Traditional organs like the stomach, pancreas, kidney, intestines, limbic system, and more will also be replaced with molecularly efficient counterparts (i.e. the gastroloid). While it may not replace historical eating and drinking as a source of pleasure and entertainment, import of material and energy from external sources will be vastly more controlled and efficient. Systems such as the critical regions of the brain deemed to complex for outright replacement will receive continued supply of oxygen and hormones from the Vasculoid/Gastroloid systems.
Nanofactory Gland: This organ takes direct feed from the designer bodies’ reserves of materials and energy to build nano sized mechanisms: seeds for external manufacturing, internal assembler repair bots, replacement components for sensing swarms, etc. Control of the organ and design of production is directed by the Supracortex and Neolimbic modules. Self-replicating assemblers are designed to be unable to operate outside the Nanofactory glands confines to prevent messy accidents. The interior of this gland walls are lined with nanocillia manipulators, artificial atoms via quantum dots, and nanoimaging tools. The interior more closely resembles a vibrating solid than a liquid due to constant physical control and manipulation of raw matter and subassemblies with an interior’s high density quantum cloud and fabrication nanoswarms.
NanoCells: Non-statistical nano-fusion cells allow for safe high density energy storage for the energy intensive features included in most posthuman designer bodies. NanoCells may be comprised of capped nanotube arrays to hold dense hydrogen for optimized fuel cells and fractal nanocapacitors. Food for energy and materials are not existential requirements any more, but will still be largely enjoyed for its entertainment value. Absorbing and storing energy from nano-fusion and solar sources into convertible hydrogen or directly into fractal nanocapacitors provide vast energy reserves for the many energy intensive applications of the posthuman designer body.
Additional Mentality:
Supracortex: This intelligence amplification module performs the highest of cognitive functions, math processing, logic, world modeling, extrapolation, etc. Onboard sentient programs (i.e. daemons; usually in the form of a popular celebrity or job skill type: detective, scientist, personal trainer, interior designer, cosmetician, military strategist, engineer, doctor, etc.) provide extra observations and information using specialized viewpoints and skill sets with an active internal dialog. This module also overlays artificial reality onto its internal world-map as a configurable heads up display; names and information, physical information like velocity and material, and integrated data from the Suprathalamus and Supralimbic.
Suprathalamus: This module confers language and signal translation, including machine codes, programming languages, and broadcast signals like radio and tight beam. It incorporates constant (virus monitored) feed and communication from the world net, public sensing devices, and drone systems data upload.
Supralimbic: Hyper reflexes result from driving the limbic system with electronic interconnects instead of neuronal connections. Auto ballistic computation and digital control of movements allow for superior accuracy. Preprogrammed motions and macros make an autopilot function for the core body, drones, or nanoswarms. This feature also mediates direct drone control, new “limb” body architecture, and fine control of previously unconscious functions (heart rate, breathing, hormone production, etc. Active real time neuronal link to external devices via quantum entangled computers make remote control theft of swarms and drones impossible. Quantum entangled connections also eliminates time lag for relativistic distances. True distributed node intelligences is on the horizon.
Neuronal overlays: Adding secondary connections to all neurons and synapses boost objective and subjective speed of thought and provide the capability for self cognitive modeling. This feature improves base biological brain region functions by adding more connections between existing special function regions. Allowing this module free reign from the slower biological modules can provide for a geometrical increase in speed of thought, a critically important feature for the high speed, multitasking, information dense environment of the future.
Augmented memory: This feature provides total recall as well as fast retrieval in digital format to augment current biological memory. Full importation of skill sets, memories (real and artificial), and baseline physical data, courtesy of the Suprathalamus online connections, can be used by the Supracortex in world modeling and projections.