Submission Statement

"Two practical questions stand out: Can we achieve neural control of extra robotic limbs concurrently with natural movement, and can the system work without the user’s exclusive concentration?"

Other research has shown our brains to be surprisingly plastic at adapting to brand new senses. The other thing that is interesting about this research is that the participants think it may be able to be done with existing technology.

As a long-time scale model maker, I would like robotic, head mounted mandables that I can control. 18" of reach would be more than enough. Be a fun way to eat while driving as well.

Yeah. Seems like some of us have more spare capacity than others

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That sounds interesting. Maybe in the future once we figure out how to regrow limbs we will also be able to grow extra limbs.

When I realized the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel.

Surely, you need 2 extra hands, for balance, unless the 3rd is attached to your butt, like a scorpion tail...

Get over-here

I would kill for a monkey tail like Goku.

Yeah, extra limbs also need completely reworking anatomy neural networks, muscle memory, physiology. Lot more probably. Its gonna be quite a while before we get to that level.

That makes sense, but would robot limbs be any easier to produce and connect to the brain than biological ones?

Much easier. Robot limbs would be battery powered and connect to body mostly with just the neuron network. Actual bio limbs would be like an Organ transplant. Quite a complicated mess, and is lifelong commitment to immunosuppression.

I dont mean adding Robot limbs would be actually easy, just saying that is still easier in few degrees of magnitude than an actual bio limb.

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Seems like people are already distracted enough on Zoom calls. I dunno…

Yeah I'm not sure I have a lot of spare capacity to go around lol.

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One step closer to my ultimate Goro cosplay, yes! But seriously tho I can only image the practicality of this. Having a 3rd arm for use in so many professions, rescue, construction, etc.

My biomagnet already uses up a lot of my neuroplasticity

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Finally, something I've noticed from this sub on all that I can get behind. My dream of becoming an aipom is one step closer.

Now nobody can use the excuse "I only have 2 arms" anymore

... and on the gripping hand...

(For those not getting the reference, it's to Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's SF novel The GrippingeHand and their Moties race, who did in fact have a third hand, "the gripping hand"; the phrase entered human culture as a way to talk about non-binary decisions.)

People who control complex machinery often talk about how it can come to feel like an extension of their body, this was like a natural extension of that.

I went to return a package today to newegg. I printed off the email with the shipping info sent to me to return. When I got to the post service, I handed the lady the printed email. She says

“there’s no tracking number on this”.

Her co-worker says “it’s under your thumb”.

She then proceeds to enter it in the system… looks at it for a second and says to me “did you make up this shipping number yourself?”

I said “no, the company I’m returning the product to emailed that to me, as you can see by the “from line”

She says “we’ll we don’t have a record of that number”.

I said “well, it says it needs to be shipped by today; and your are the right postal company”.

She fiddles for a second and a label is printed. She sticks it on the box and says “you’re good to go.”

I say “do I get a receipt or something?”

She says “no… but you can take a picture of the label on the box if you want”

Which I did. I don’t trust nobody. She had no spare capacity.

From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the Blessed Machine. Your kind cling to your flesh, as though it will not decay and fail you. One day the crude biomass you call the temple will wither, and you will beg my kind to save you. But I am already saved, for the Machine is immortal… Even in death I serve the Omnissiah.

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We're getting servo arms irl bois let's go

I’m basically imagining those tiny arm things that Bender uses to play the washboard in that Futurama episode with Beck

I'm going to be pretty embarrassed when my spare neural capacity keeps my extra hand down my pants all the time.

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I want 4 more coming out of my back like doc octopus