Editing NBC 2009Apr19

=Cyborg Meeting April 19th, 2009=

==People==

* Eric -
* Ryan - has a cording keyboard (he does 10 WPM), interested in building a wearable computer
* Mike - cyber cyborg - sense things that are going on inside your computer, immersive environment, multi-dimensional
* Sarah - monitor of the human self, text enrichment of the environment, internet connectivity of the environment
* Ayer - merge myself in the opposite direction into computer, selling 40% of his life on a website, ARG - augumented reality game
* Matt - tinker in electronics.  Clone of compass vibro anklet in a pendant.  Sleep watch.
* Ted - also wants clone of CVA.
* Milo - interested in cording keyboard, other types of input devices, what is machine learning doing regarding that... wants NB to have a sensory deprivation baths.  Ted: there is two in Oakland called "Float", $70/hour, they take reservations 10am-10pm. http://www.thefloatcenter.com/
* Rachel, eyes in the back of the back, sonar sensors and vibro motors
* Jeff - software background.  AI angle, modeling embodiment, pervasive in language, using devices to get data which would be fed into AI
* Skory - CVA
* David - vertically oriented CVA

==Show and Tell==

* CVA - Intro and third armature design.  Vibration haptics.  Discussion of washability.  Discussion of using accelerometer to detect walking.  Skory talks about his one buzz accelerometer, but accelerometers are way more sensitive to tilt than movement.  Sell kits of them - open source, get lots of people using them, encourage derivative innovation.

* Twiddler 2 - Ryan got this one on eBay, they are not being made any more.  12 buttons (3x4), held with strap in hand, trackpoint mouse and modifier keys for alt, ctrl, etc.  Horrible keymap.  Better one called "tab space".  Has a typing tutor for it, he can do about 10 WPM.   Milo wants a display on the back of the strap.

* Vertically oriented CVA - how well will the brain adapt to that?  David has ordered parts and is making progress.

* Explanation of Amazon's mechanical turk.

* Sleep Watches - sleep cycles, each person has unique pattern.  Should wake people up at the top of the cycles, when they will be refreshed rather than groggy.  Watch monitors your cycles and wakes you up at top of cycle nearest the time you specify (half hour window).  He has a 21 minute sleep cycle.  He is interested to get more data than just the start of your sleep cycle.  Device works using an accelerometer.  Body Bug: monitors your calorie consumption using accelerometer, heart rate monitor, body temperature, skin galvanic response.  Budget version: ActiGraph, they also make a sleep tracker watch.  ActiGraph website has products and links to papers of researchers using their devices.  theactigraph.com.  Her thing was about $200, but website now claims $450.  There is clearly low hanging fruit here since we could build something for <$100 easy...  Human Instrumentation Project - Ayer wants to work on this, determine resolution of our haptic senses.

* Haptic ascii, e.g. via morse code, input text into your brain.

* Haptic Clock - nobody has adopted this project!

* Motion Sensing Vest - sonar sensors working fine.  Range hard to tell, envelop of sensor is strangely shaped, really good to 3', then cone broadens out.  Ted will bring a MaxBotics Easy4 by on Tuesday.  Ted was building a collision sensor for a car but range and accuracy not good enough to be useful.  Rachel has only one sensor so far.  Armature progress - but under should blades is not a good place, up at back of shoulder will be a better place.  Ribbon cable is not suitable either, it's too stiff because armature warps with it and then motors are not against skin.  Conductive thread in the sensebridge bin fails to drive motor (at 3V) if it's longer than 6"! She has bought some thicker gage conductive thread which is better.  How do you connect conductive thread - it doesn't solder well.  You can tie it.  She plans to use crimping beads (small metallic pieces of tube), which she can stick into clothing, then you can solder to the crimping bead (you did that before for a different project).

* Discussion of Surgers - Rachel has one.  Stella has not gotten back to Skory about bringing her's in / teaching a class.

* David and Eric put together a [[HM55B_Order|group order for the HM55B]]