From: Adrian Tymes (wingcat@pacbell.net)
Date: Wed Mar 05 2003 - 14:00:53 MST
--- "Dickey, Michael F"
<michael_f_dickey@groton.pfizer.com> wrote:
> I personally think the most extropic thing
> extropians could do in regards to
> the obesity 'problem' is to create a simple,
> inexpensive, and attractive
> manner for the average person to easily overcome
> their obesity problem.
> This has all-ready been solved in concept in a
> suggestion I saw another list
> member make, I believe it was Spike but I am not
> positive.
Actually, I think I may have been the one to describe
the device you mention. I don't keep a list of all
posts I've made in my head (yet: my memory has
presently not been upgraded sufficiently), but I know
I've been thinking about a device like that for quite
a while, before I even heard of the Extropians.
> A cheap, simple implant anyone could get. Ideally,
> it would be even better
> if such a device could power external electronic
> devices.
It'd produce miniscule amounts of power - but then,
many devices only need miniscule amounts of power.
So, no using yourself as a battery for an electric
car, but you could maybe use this to run (or at least
trickle-recharge, when it's not actively being used) a
PDA. But the first versions would probably have very
low efficiency in power conversion, and as such could
not generate any usable amount of energy - though what
energy they do generate would have to be disposed of
somehow (possibly via an inductive loop, the second
part of which is placed on or near the skin near the
implant every day, maybe week, to activate the
discharge so as to avoid needing wires or sockets
permanently sticking out of the skin).
> I found this idea quite fascinating when it was
> proposed on this list a few
> months back, it didn't seem to generate much
> interest, but it's a great idea
> IMHO. In my own limited research into the topic I
> found a class of fuel
> cells called 'Microbial Fuel Cells' which do just
> this, and they are being
> researched to power robots called 'Gastrobots' since
> they function on a
> 'stomach'
Actually, MFCs seem to run on starch. You'd need to
adapt them to run on glucose. But I see no reason it
could not be done in theory.
> There are a heck of a lot of intelligent electrical
> engineering, physics,
> and chemistry people on this list, perhaps a
> calloborative effort could
> bring such a device into existence.
The electrical bits of this, including controllers,
would be relatively easy. It's the biochemical parts
that present the biggest challenge. But the biggest
challenge, at least to us, would seem to be the
practical matters of actually doing it.
For starters: assuming we agreed on an enzyme or
controllable microbe that one could expose to glucose
in the blood stream, how would we manufacture a
prototype? How would we test it? (Yes, it's great to
say, "in theory, one could do animal testing". Does
any of us have the appropriate equipment or licenses
for this? If not, how could we obtain such?)
Granted, one could start up a business around this
product alone, so that presents one possible source of
funding (VCs). But that'll only open up to those who
at least sound like they know how to do what they wish
to do...
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