The Rotten Apple watch.
Posted on 01/31/2023 8:44:40 AM PST by BenLurkin
Using the electrically conductive single-cell organism known as "slime mold," the researchers created a watch that only works when the organism is healthy, requiring the user to provide it with food and care.
They then tested how this living device affected its wearer's attitude toward technology, changing the usual one-way service into a mutually beneficial partnership.
The watches were designed and built by Lu to tell time and measure the wearer's heart rate. However, the second function is dependent upon the health and unique characteristics of Physarum polycephalum, a species of slime mold sometimes called "the blob," for its rapid growth, resilience and curious maze-solving abilities.
The organism is placed in an enclosure on the watch, and the user must regularly feed it a mixture of water and oats to induce its growth. When the slime mold reaches the other side of the enclosure, it forms an electrical circuit that activates the heart rate monitor function. The organism can also enter a dormant state when not fed, allowing for revival days, months, or even years later.
Lu and Lopes conducted a study with five participants who wore the watch for two weeks. Over the first week, the users cared for the slime mold until the heart rate monitoring was enabled. Then for the second week, the researchers asked participants to stop feeding the organism, causing it to dry out and disrupt the heart rate function. Throughout the study, participants wrote in journals about their feelings about the device and answered interview questions.
The researchers found a high level of attachment to the watch, with some users saying it felt like a pet—even naming it...
Even more surprising was the emotional response when study participants were told to neglect the organism, expressing guilt or even grief.
(Excerpt) Read more at techxplore.com ...
Next, “The Island” will sell you an “insurance policy” that will “win the lottery”
For the man who has everything....
Called the “Beltway Chronograph”.
aka Nancy Pelosi's brow cream.
Because everybody wants to walk around with slime on their wrist????
The researchers claim that the test participants actually became fond of their slime mold “pets”.
Ahhh, a symbiot machine.
Further proof of intelligent design...
We already have a national slime mold that we are feeding and taking care of. It doesn’t tell us the time.
It sits in the White House and sloughs along, occasionally spitting out incoherent syllables. It is often seen accompanied by its own personal doctor.
Now you know what to do with that old tofu hanging around in the frige.
Oh, tbat’s coming. Probably soon.
just what the world was waiting for- sleeping with their slime mold watch right next to their ear, nose or mouth at night, hoping there isn’t a breech in the seal-
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