Bizarre Smartwatch Contains Living Organism

“They were very human reactions. Some people were sad, some felt really connected. "

Nanny

Scientists at the University of Chicago have created a very interesting and somewhat lively smartwatch. It includes a heart rate monitor powered by an electrically driven clay mold, one of the weirdest biomechanical devices we've ever heard of.

According to research presented at the 2022 ACM Symposium on Software and User Interface Technologies, it's important to watch the clock because the Physarum polycephalum slime molds , known colloquially as "blobs," must be distributed unilaterally. Close the electrical circuit that feeds the heart rate monitor. This means it needs to be watered regularly and fed with oats to keep it growing - this is where things get really interesting.

"People are made to think about their relationship with devices in a very interesting way," lead author Jasmine Lu, a research fellow at the Human Computer Integration Laboratory at the University of California, Chicago, said in a press release.

This makes sense since most of us take our gadgets for granted and don't treat them as pets (unless they're Tamagotchis, of course). It's a completely different matter when a significant living being suddenly appears that not only inhabits the clock, but is an integral part of its function.

Similarity of time

The device elicited enthusiastic responses from the five participants, who wore it for two weeks each and recorded it in journals and interviews.

The first week was mostly about growing slime until she was finally able to feed her pacemaker.

During the second week, in a brutal condition, the researchers told the participants to stop eating the mucus altogether.

“People were shocked; Almost everyone said, “Really? Should I do it? They remember co-author Pedro Lopez, an assistant professor of computer science at Chicago. “There was a lot of reaction from people. Some people were sad, some felt really disconnected.

All of this raises interesting questions about our relationship with technology, how we support these devices as they become more and more embedded in our daily lives.

Based on how consumer devices are designed these days, Lowe says, "These aspects of care are rarely addressed or accessible; they're designed for you to throw in the trash instead of doing anything else with them."

Read more about wearable devices: Devices for Opioid Users that Inject Narcan for Overdose