Claytronics - The
Human Experience Redefined
Chong Hui Qi (huiqi.chong.2013@accountancy.smu.edu.sg),
1st Year student, Bachelor of Accountancy, Singapore Management
University
Executive
Summary
This
paper examines the potential breakthrough of Claytronics into numerous
industries such as telecommunications, healthcare, education etc. based on the
concept of transmissible synthetic reality also known as Pario. This paper will
then analyse on the potential positive impacts and drawbacks on its
applications, as well as other possible health, environmental and social
implications.
1
Introduction
The
Claytronics Project is an on-going research project at Carnegie Mellon
University in collaboration with Intel Labs Pittsburgh, led by a Carnegie
Mellon computer science professor, Professor Seth Goldstein. The team of
researchers combined both nanotechnology and telepresence together, to produce
Claytronics.
Claytronics is a collection of programmable
matter, known as catoms, or claytronic atoms, and they are the basic building
blocks of Claytronics. Each catom is capable of receiving electronic
instructions, processing information, moving in three-dimensional space
relative to other catoms, and adhering to other catoms to maintain a 3D shape.
Adhesion could be achieved by magnetism or electrostatic forces. As of 2011,
successful trials have been carried out with relatively large-scale catoms that
can move relative to one another in two dimensions using electromagnets that
can be switched on and off as required. It is anticipated that catoms will be
mass-produced at the sub-millimetre and even nanometre scale, allowing collections of
millions of catoms to be manipulated, and developing a wide range of
applications (Phil Riddel, 2013).
The focus of this paper is on
Pario. Pario pushes the concept of “Virtual Reality” a step further; instead of
audio and visual stimulations, it provides an additional physical sensation to
our human experience. The data of a physical object or person is captured,
encoded and transmitted, to reproduce a replica of its original in terms of
shape, appearance and motion etc. such that a conscious mind may or may not be
able to distinguish from the experience of actuality. This concept is otherwise
known as “Synthetic Reality”, where a user can interact with computer-generated
objects as if they were the real thing.
Synthetic reality has significant
advantages over current technologies such as virtual and augmented reality
(Goldstein and Mowry, 2004). For example, there is no need for the user to use
any form of sensory augmentation such as head mounted displays or haptic
feedback devices and will be able to see, touch, or even use the object itself.
The invention of Claytronics will arguably revolutionize the lives of man.
2
Historical Perspectives
Proponents
and critics have been debating over Claytronics as a form of exploratory
engineering ever since the idea first came out in 2005. And it is imperative that we note all these opinions
are centred on the concept of reality – augmented reality, simulated reality,
and virtual reality. What really distinguishes between the opinionated visions
of proponents and critics is the boundary which would take exploratory
engineering out of the realm of mere speculation and define it as a realistic
design activity that is often indiscernible to such critics, and at the same
time is often inexpressible by the proponents of exploratory engineering.
Yet both critics and proponents often agree that
much of the highly detailed simulation effort in the field may never result in a
physical device, hence without the practicality means, scientists saw no need
for this project on Claytronics. It was only when its founding fathers - Seth Goldstein, associate
professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon, and Todd Mowry, Director of
the Intel Research Lab-Pittsburgh, were investigating the idea of physicality
and the need of physicality in today’s world, where convenience supersedes most
priorities in the consumers’ world that Claytronics began to find its presence
in today’s technology.
In summary, the critics contend that while Claytronics
is consistent with the laws of science concerning its operation, all it merely
does is communicate information in the form of imaginative 3D images – there is
still the absence of a path to build the device modelled, providing no evidence
that the desired device can be built. Proponents contend that there are so many
potential ways to build the desired device that surely at least one of those
ways will not display a critical flaw preventing the device from being built.
3
Current Situation
As of 2012, only four catoms have been successfully operated
together in three dimensions (Guin,
2012). However, the aim is to have catoms operate on a
large-scale basis, in order to put into useful, practical applications. Colour
and texture are also areas to be researched further. As of 2006,
researchers have already created a prototype catom that is 44 millimetres in
diameter (Wang, 2007). When particles are small enough, it stimulates texture. The
goal is to eventually produce catoms that are one or two millimetres in
diameter-small enough to produce convincing replicas. It is anticipated that in
the long run, three out of the five human senses, namely sight, touch and sound
can be achieved.
Claytronics is
currently still under on-going research.
4
Future Considerations
4.1
Telecommunications
The telecommunications industry
has changed radically over the years, from the use of smoke signals and drums
in prehistoric times, to the use of electrical methods such as the telephone in
the 18th century and progressively till today, the use of electronic
methods such as the radio, television, internet, computer and mobile
networking. However, these forms of communications centralize mainly on either
auditory, visual communications or both.
With Pario, the human-to-human communication
will completely revolutionize. There will be three platforms, namely auditory,
visual and physical touch to interact upon. Communication is made more
realistic where one interacts with other computer generated persons as if they
were real. Shape, movement, visual appearance, sound and tactile qualities of
each person will be mimicked, just like a replica (Goldstein and Mowry, 2004).
Video-conferencing today is
limited to two-dimensional images. In the future, however, Claytronics can be
used to transmit three-dimensional images, even if the recipient is
considerably far away. Such application is termed as parioconferencing
(Goldstein and Mowry, 2009), where virtual meetings can be carried out with the
physical presence of the person can be felt. This would be a useful tool
especially for large companies such as Multi-National Companies (MNCs), which
outsource their businesses to their counterparts overseas. Meetings can be
discussed from wherever they are and they will experience a meeting with their
counterparts assembled from millions of catoms but yet be unable to distinguish
the difference of synthetic reality from true reality.
Parioconferencing is also
beneficial in saving time for those with tight schedules. For instance,
ministers can save the time and trouble of travelling across the globe to
another country for G8 and G20 Summits meetings. This is the future; 3D
video-conferencing.
4.2
Healthcare
A
global trend in the healthcare industry today includes the increasing
healthcare needs due to demographic changes especially the rapidly ageing
population in countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, which further
increases the strain on the healthcare sector. In Hong Kong for example, the
proportion of elders aged 65 and above will double from 1/8 in 2007 to ¼ by
2033. The elderly dependency ratio will rise from 170 in 2007 to 428 in 2033
and the elderly population has increase in healthcare needs, where an elder
will utilize, on average, six times more in-patient care than a person aged
below 65 (Figure 1 and 2: Food and
Health Bureau, 2008).
Figure 1.
Projection of total population, elderly population and elderly dependency
Figure 2. Average number of
public hospital bed days utilized by age (2006)
Such
strain on the healthcare sector can be reduced by telemedicine, in which can be
extended further with Pario to enhance its application. Telemedicine, equipped
with Pario, will allow a patient to consult a doctor in a different continent,
but each being able to feel the physical presence of the other with claytronic
emulations. Transportation costs will be cut and time previously wasted from
queuing will be saved, thereby increasing efficiency in the healthcare sector,
all these without being short-changed and experiencing anything less compared
to a real consultation with the doctor.
Another
possible application in the future would be the increased efficiency and
accuracy at which urgent and intricate surgeries are performed. The organs to
be performed on can be magnified into claytronic replicas for the surgeon to
work on in a physically more open environment. Concurrently, the claytronic
replica of the surgeon will mimic the surgeon’s actions and perform the surgery
accordingly.
4.3
Education
The educational impact of Claytronics
will be widespread if this project were to be successful. When looking at
education, the focus of teaching and learning is based on only a few platforms
– visual, hearing, imagination. It is essential that we realise the medium of
books and whiteboards and markers has been long existent and such traditional
methods are a common sight in war-stricken countries with low priorities for
schools – countries such as Africa. As for the platform of learning through hearing,
teachers are phasing out with the use of increasingly advanced technology such
as online learning programs.
What about the medium of
imagination? Even with today’s high tech gadgets, we should realise that very
little methods have touched on the learning platforms of imagination. In fact,
this is very important as how one perceives information will ultimately try to
form an image in one’s brain. This is the most basic, yet unavoidable way humans
learn. Claytronics can thus be the new platform for imagining and learning.
With Claytronics, instead of visual drawings or even plain reading, images can
be built with catoms and coupled together with visual details and hearing
explanations, providing a whole new way to teach and learn. And it is widely
known that learning centres today are centralising all their resources on
better teaching methods and platforms to reach out to children – with Claytronics,
the learning curve would definitely become steeper.
4.4
Modelling
Given its shape-shifting
abilities, Claytronics will eliminate the need for excessive consumer products.
There will be no need for having a chair, a table, a couch and a bed, when one
can have his needs met with Claytronics. Furniture will have double-duty and be
able to morph into any form of furniture to adapt to one’s needs accordingly. This
goes the same for cell phones. Jason Campbell, a senior researcher at Intel,
said in an interview that the Claytronics will change the way people interact
with devices such as computers and cell phones in significant ways (Gaudin, 2008). Catoms can be
manipulated to create a larger keypad for text messaging, or to expand its
video display as needed and when not in used, be commanded to minimize into a
small form for easy storage. In addition, because each catom has the ability to
store energy, once it is configured, there will not be energy expended when one
wants a certain form or shape to remain (G4TV, 2008).They can be personalized
as well, with its structure moulded precisely to suit the needs of the user.
Self-heal is another property; Claytronics is able to fix scratches and damages
should there be any (Damus, 2012). The possibilities are endless.
With the shape-shifting abilities
of Claytronics, product designing for businesses will be made more interactive
and productive. For example, the styling of a new car design can be made
simultaneously, with product designers in different countries about to see,
touch and modify the same model, in terms of shape, colour, length and
orientation (Figure 3: Faizi and
Sabonis, 2013).
Figure 3.
Product designing possibilities, one of the many applications of
Claytronics
5
Potential implications
5.1
Health
Claytronics
consists of programmable particles which can’t be seen with the naked eye. The
extremely small size of catoms means that they can be easily inhaled into the
human. Immunity may deteriorate as these foreign particles may cause stresses
on phagocytes (white blood cells that ingest and destroy foreign matter), which
might lead to inflammation and as a result, weaken the body’s defence against
other pathogens. Another issue that is of concern is the possible interference
of these non-biodegradable particles with biological processes of the human
body should they accumulate in large masses.
It
might be the very first time in history that man can get (physically) sick from
a computer virus, few decades down the road (Koks, 2008).
5.2
Environment
Given
the small size of catoms, there is a possibility that they are able to get into
water supplies or get released into the air during production. Being
non-biodegradable, they will accumulate in the soil or water. Should animals
ingest them, the food chain will be disrupted should they suffer or risk health
threats.
Another
issue of concern would be the disposal of these catoms as waste during faults
in production.
5.3
Social
5.3.1
Affordability
As a highly advanced technology, the cost of manufacturing catoms
is high, especially when dealing with large objects or a person which requires
millions of catoms operating together. Machines involved when operating this
technology are also very costly. In fact, perhaps even those with above average
income will not be able to afford it.
Governments and companies are probably the only few entities to be
able to afford such equipment at such high costs. Therein lies the problem - If
only the rich and powerful are able to afford it, what good can it serve to the
general public? Will such a project sustainable at such high costs? Unless
scientists manage to find a way to power up these catoms to serve their purpose
in a cheap and affordable way, it is highly unlikely that Claytronics will be
affordable to the general public. Ultimately, the question is whether consumers
are willing and able to venture into and invest in this technology given its
high costs.
5.3.2
Availability
As
with accordance to affordability, materials needed to build the machines
required to power up catoms must be easily accessible for this project to be
sustainable in the long term. However, this remains a puzzle to be solved as
the project is still underway, hence machinery required to use Claytronics are
not yet finalised.
However,
the biggest problem lies with the usage of nanotechnology in Claytronics. It is
a plain fact that nanotechnology is not open for usage for the general public. Calls for tighter regulation of
nanotechnology have occurred alongside a growing debate related to the human
health and safety risks of nanotechnology as well. Thus, use of
nanotechnology is definitely limited and this questions the usability of Claytronics.
Moreover,
as an advanced technology, not many scientists may possess the knowledge to use
machinery to control the catoms; some may even not know of its existence.
Hence, only a selected few of scientists involved in the invention process will
be skilled enough to use Claytronics. How such knowledge will be disseminated
to other scientists will also affect its accessibility. Mass-production of
Claytronics is an issue of consideration.
5.3.3
Over-reliance
Claytronics
paves the new way of human-computer interaction so real that one may not be
able to differentiate it from human-human interaction. This marriage between
the tangible and intangible brings about many benefits but there is a need to
be cautious that such usage on this technology does not extend to over-reliance
on it such that the occurrence of authentic human interaction is reduced.
6
Conclusions
In summary, Claytronics will
redefine the human experience. Pario will introduce thrilling changes into
lives of man in many major industries, including healthcare, education,
modelling and especially, telecommunications. We need to take precautions,
however, in light of the potential drawbacks Claytronics poses.
It has to be noted that this
paper has its limitations which include the lack of specific examples,
statistics and analytical evidence to support what were proposed. This stems
from the lack of resources as well as open-source information available for
reference, especially when The Claytronics Project is still an on-going one. In
addition, this paper could have covered in greater detail, on the hardware and
software of Claytronics, as well as its research challenges faced.
Nevertheless, the author has, to the best of her abilities and knowledge,
provided her analysis, evaluations and insights throughout the paper.
7
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