Before we go anywhere further, let's recap what AW and SAO is all about.
Synopsis
Accel World
The year is 2046. Haruyuki Arita is a young boy who finds himself on the lowest social rungs of his school. Ashamed of his miserable life, Haruyuki can only cope by indulging in virtual games. But that all changes when Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and a virtual reality called the Accel World.Sword Art Online
In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online
Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released
where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of
technology called Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log
out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the
100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if
they die in the game, they die in real life.Consoles/Devices
NerveGear
The NerveGear was created by Argus. It only has a single interface that
covers the player's whole head and face. It completely controls the
player's consciousness by redirecting the signals the brain sends to the
body and sending its own waves to stimulate the five senses. It has its
own battery source, as well as a high frequency electromagnetic
microwaves emitter. NerveGear, when first produced, only puzzles,
education related, or environmental type games were brought out.
AmuSphere
AmuSphere is the revised version of the NerveGear which was co-developed by RECTO Progress Inc.. The system has been modified to make it safer than its predecessor by changing the microwaves emitter to a low frequency one and the incorporation of various sensors that continually monitor blood pressure and brain waves which provoke a safety log out feature in case that the person's statuses become abnormal. In addition, the AmuSphere does not completely block out signals from the body, like its predecessor, the NerveGear did.
Neuro Linker
A Neuro Linker is a collar like personal computer that can communicate wirelessly with the user's brain. It has two functions: Virtual Reality which enable users to experience the virtual world realistically and Augmented Reality which makes the user able to interact physically with the virtual reality, just like Brain Burst. The main point of this device is to make brain interface controller to be more portable to be handled in any time and situation, just like a mobile phone or laptop. Amazingly, they managed to cramp all the performance of a ridiculously large gaming CPU and it's desktop into not more than 1 inch thick strip that can be equipped and used anywhere. It's also a predecessor of Nervegear.Real Life Possibilities
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| (Insert more electrodes here) |
Several laboratories have managed to record signals from monkey and rat cerebral cortices to operate BCIs to produce movement. Monkeys have navigated computer cursors on screen and commanded robotic arms to perform simple tasks simply by thinking about the task and seeing the visual feedback, but without any motor output.
There's 3 techniques used in BCI research; invasive, partially invasive and non invasive.
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| "I am Neko!" - Neko |
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| Hipster Jens, using NerveGear before it was cool |
In recent years, progress is being made towards sensory substitution devices for the blind. In the long run, there could be the possibility of brain implants. A brain implant or cortical implant provides visual input from a camera directly to the brain via electrodes in contact with the visual cortex at the backside of the head. A computer is used to process the sensory streams, as is typical for a brain-computer interface (BCI). Initial results have been obtained by pioneering investigators like William Dobelle, for instance with his blind volunteer named "Jerry", and later on with "Jens" (Jens Naumann, a blind farmer living near Napanee, Ontario, Canada), and it may now be interesting to try and compare the current status of "bionic vision" through brain implant technology with the current status of The vOICe auditory display technology.
In simpler words, they managed to get visual input for a blind person by probing electrodes to his head, hacking the brain signals for him to perceive visual input. But, hey, I don't want to wear a NeuroGear which requires me to drill a hole literally into my head just to play a death-trap game. That would be damn scary even though it's not in consumer level production.
Controversy
Positively, we can see that nowadays most BCI researches has been conducted in purpose to help human overcome their limitations and disability and mainly used in robotic controlling. Imagine a future where you can use prosthetic body component that is fully functioned, strengthening attachment to make you stronger and faster (this is also can be referred as neuroprosthetic). Eventually, BCI is used for entertainment purpose, graphical interfaces can be directly sent to your brain without using a physical visual monitor and play games like AW and SAO.There has not been a vigorous debate about the ethical implications of BCIs, even though there are several commercially available systems such as brain pacemakers used to treat neurological conditions, and could theoretically be used to modify other behaviors.
By using several examples that extracted from AW and SAO, I found out that:
- It breaches the scientific ethics and can be inhumane. ALO game master forcibly take 300 players for illegal experiment purpose that involves memory erasing and personality changing, which is basically trying to lock the player desire and can be made into real life, apparently legal slaves.
- Why Brain Burst program in AW is confidential to public? In my theory, Brain Burst program is actually an illegal program that results from the experiment done in SAO. It takes a person to risk their life as an experiment subjects. Just look at what Brain Burst program is capable to do; modify brain time sense (in other words, overclocking), erasing memories and exploiting human sense. There must be a destructive kind of test done by the experimenter to the subject.
- Cyber bullying and cyber crime just got more extreme as shown in AW as Noumi Seiji threatening Arita Haruyuki to post disgracing content to public and hacking into other personal devices using backdoor and illegal program to extract info, visual hacking (thus making Haruyuki accidentally went into girl's bathroom, creating a subject that used to threaten him. Not to forget, falsifying identity. Major crime also can be done. For example, SAO is trapping the player for more than 2 years in the game in purpose of one's desire and and finally becoming a life threatening situation for the players.
- Psychological effect can occur when someone can no more distinguish between real and virtual, become addicted heavily, trauma etc that finally can affect user's physiology. For example, in SAO, it's told that the virtual tasting stimulation that is used to make food feel and taste real (Asuna the Sandwich Master!) is formerly used to fake hunger for people who wants to diet.
Conclusions
As we peek into the future technology advancement, we also can conclude its risk, every technology have it's plus and minus. Science fiction is not as fictitious as we thought anymore as the writer is getting more approach to the reader in realistic manner, making reader think, "what if this is our future". They are the prophets of the future, predicting what we will be having in the future. AW and SAO is a great example for this purpose. Don't just enjoy the art and the plot (not that "PLOT"), look at the concept!Other than that, this anime managed to projects great concept for the futurist. Although some peoples might said that the plot is crappy and pathetically can be predicted, the villains are sucks, (seriously, it's not me) how about taking the perspective differently? Speaking of which, you also might be interested in Psycho Pass too. Did I enjoy this season animes? Definitely!
Anyway, Kuroyukihime is hot and Asuna is the best chef ever. Nishishishi...
References
http://myanimelist.net/anime/11759/Accel_Worldhttp://myanimelist.net/anime/11757/Sword_Art_Online
http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/FullDive
http://accelworld.wikia.com/wiki/Neuro_Linker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain%E2%80%93computer_interface
http://neurowear.com/projects_detail/necomimi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BrainGate
http://www.seeingwithsound.com/etumble.htm
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| Oh Noumi.... |
wah mcm menarik jew cerita nie..
ReplyDelete"In scientific view, this kind of concept devices is basically hacking into your brain; adding stimuli directly to your brain, phising data from your brain and also DDoS-ing (in other terms, blocking) your brain signal to your body."
ReplyDeleteWhat the fuck are you on about? You clearly have an extremely minimal understanding of the things you're talking about. DDoSing the brain? Wow.
I couldn't agree more.
Deletethis is only a matter of technological difficulties,if on the physicalogical mathematic is possible
ReplyDeleteBro, you forgot Brain Implant Chip (BIC).
ReplyDeleteHey, all of this makes sense to me. That is some heavy criticism. Well, not all of you.
ReplyDeleteI think that if it I s made then only certain people should be able to get it and there s should be a way to restrict it so no one can hack another's and can't be use rd to comment crimes
ReplyDeleteThey really need to hurry up with this.
ReplyDeleteIt's impossible make something like Sao, This is because a conscience, It's impossible translate and carry it into a game, the bytes and bytes will be infinity. The most close we can get to something like Sao, its a Virtual Simulator.
ReplyDeleteAnother point, that what you said "Hack brains", Lol!, Please go and read more. how i said, its impossible read or write into our conscience. we only can just read brain waves an make things like necomimi, or the Vision simulator.
"if we were to build a computer that could mimic all the process and the consciousness of the what the human brain can produce with only 3 watts of electricity; we would have to build a computer that was a city block in size, powered by a nuclear reactor and cooled by a river" -Michio Kaku
ReplyDeleteIt may be an embellishment but the reality is that is that it may be far away, but it is possible...quite possibly in the lifetime of someone who is 30 years old. I think you should re-read what he says and follow the...wait for it...concept. Yeah, his details arent absolute, but he isnt incorrect. dont worry about hijacking consciousness. if you hijack the senses, then what you are conscious of will follow. It is called the Willing Suspension of Disbelief. You know its not real, but you allow yourself to believe it is on some level to identify with scenarios and become immersed. its a static trait that is present in campfire stories, to fantasy books, to gossip, to video games. thats why you get so immersed in the Oculous experience even though when you look down, you are surprised every time to not see your legs or your hands out in front of you. Willing Suspension of Disbelief has taken over and you...on some level...believe or expect youll see hands or legs. so your conscious, in essence, goes where you will it to go. maybe that is why they are in fact called acts of will?
All in all, even though we are still a ways away from it, science fiction is no longer science fiction...its just science patience.
Neuro linker is somewhat possible. Afterall a wireless network can be established between the two ie the personal computer and the neuro linker. So the files stored in personal computer can be edited or new files can be added to it be means of wireless network. Also i want to mention that in AW, an individual's file search is not visible to another individual. This can be achieved by inventing glasses which are capable of reading a particular range of signals given by the neuro linker to a short distance. So a person at a normal distance will not be able to see other once's personal files.
ReplyDeleteStoppage of nerve impulses from reaching other parts of body might cause damage of nerve cells within brain thus affecting memory power of the brain.
But the best part of full dive games is that people all over the world can play forgetting the differences between them and in this way people of all nations can stay united thus increasing world peace.
I have much more to say but typing is much boring. If there is such a game please notify me.
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ReplyDeleteI want to know how nerve gear works. I am curious.
ReplyDeleteThe Nerve Gear is wired to human brain capacity along with human's central nervous system allowing the user to have his motor functions disabled while actually playing the game. The projection of the Virtual Reality and making it look like the user is actually somewhere else (In the game) is caused by a projection of the Neuro chip that is cruising through the main nerves of human brain. (I hope this answered your curiosity)
Deletevery good answer my friend
DeleteIf they make Neuro Linker a possibility they should not sell it a high price at first because nobody would be able to buy something like that and people would go bankrupt just to buy something like that (Steve Job's main mistake). Don't get me wrong I support the new Technology and hope they do succeed in to making it.
ReplyDeletethat would be something to look forward to
DeleteI hope that will be real in the world.But i think it can't be real in our world bcause this world will be End.
ReplyDelete