Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
'Brain Breathalyzer' For Astronauts
A tiny scanner nicknamed a "brain breathalyzer" may be sent aloft with astronauts to make sure that they are safe to drive (and perform their many mission tasks) in space. The head scanner is being developed by a team lead by Gary Strangman, a psychiatrist at Mass General in Boston.
The device uses near-infrared optical spectroscopy; the scanner sends weak pulses of near-infrared light into the brain, then reads back the reflected wavelengths. That reveals how much oxygen is in the blood, which is a good indicator of brain activity.
(Brain 'breathalzyer' scans for depression)
The concern is that astronauts often experience depression and fatigue in space; if a good way existed to determin when an astronaut is having a bad day, mistakes could be avoided.
"People do change in space," says Nick Kanas, a psychiatrist at the University of California in San Francisco, US, who conducted the study of space station crew members. "If you can demonstrate their cognition changes, as well as gets slowed down in some way, then it would be very useful to have a tool to assess this."
The scanner could also be used to look for early signs of brain damage caused by environmental problems, like low oxygen or carbon monoxide poisoning.
How will astronauts react to a little black box that tells them whether or not they will be allowed to do the jobs for which they have trained over a period of years?
"Having a little black box telling them they may not to be able to do what they've been training for may not go over well, as you could imagine," Strangman says.
I think that most of us are not too happy with the idea of being brainscanned and evaluated without a medical reason. Astronauts might want to consider finding a probe hood, like Philip K. Dick describes in his 1955 short story The Hood Maker.
...Should he wear it? He had never done anything. He had nothing to hide - nothing disloyal to the Union. But the thought fascinated him. If he wore the hood his mind would be his own. Nobody could look into it. His mind would be long to him again, private, secret, to think as he wished, endless thoughts for no one else's consumption but his own...
(Read more about PKD's probe screen hood)
On the other hand, you might try tricking astronauts into using it; just tell them it is a consumer device used for fun and games (like PKD's cephalochromoscope).
From Tiny scanner may monitor astronauts' mental health via our friends at Frolix_8.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 7/5/2008)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Surveillance ")
LingYuan Vehicle Roof Drones Now Available, ala Blade Runner 2049
Accompanied by a small selection of similar ideas from science fiction.
Chameleon Personalized Privacy Protection Mask
'...the Virtual Epiphantic Identity Lustre.' - Neal Stephenson, 2019.
Spherical Police Robot Rolls In China
'Rand could effectively be in several places at once...' - Niven and Pournelle, 1981.
Vietnam To Have Full Biometric Transparency
'inscriptions too small to be seen with the naked eye; microscopic data...' - Eric Frank Russell, 1939.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Natural Gait With Prosthetic Connected To Nervous System
'The leg was to function, in a way, as a servo-mechanism operated by Larry’s brain...'
Woman Marries Computer, Vonnegut's Dream Comes True
'Men are made of protoplasm... Lasts forever.'
Spidery 'Walk Me' Toyota Autonomous Wheel Chair Like Star Wars
Walk along with the emperor.
Dancing Robots Taught Dance Moves
'A clockwork figure would be the thing for you...'
Proof Of Robothood - Not A Person
'Who are you people? - Show 'em.'
Indonesian Clans Battle
'The observation vehicle was of that peculiar variety used in conveying a large number of people across rough terrain.'
The 'Last Mile' In China Crowded With Delivery Robots
Yes, it's a delivery robot. On wheels.
Tornyol Microdrone Kills Mosquitoes
'The real border was defended by... a swarm of quasi-independent aerostats.'
PLATO Spacecraft, Hunter Of Habitable Planets, Now Ready
'I ... set my automatic astronomical instruments to searching for a habitable planet.'
Factory Humanoid Robots Built By Humanoid Robots
'...haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?'
iPhone Air Fulfils Jobs' Promise From 2007 - A Giant Screen!
'... oblongs were all over the floor and surfaces.'
ChatGPT Now Participates in Group Chats
'...the city was their laboratory in human psychology.'
iPhone Pocket All Sold Out!
'A long, strong, slender net...'
Did The Yautja Have These First?
What a marvel of ingenuity the little device was!
Jetson ONE Air Races Begin, Can Air Polo Be Far Behind?
'If you're one of those rarities who haven't attended a rocket-polo "carnage", let me tell you it's a colorful affair.'
Will Space Stations Have Large Interior Spaces Again?
'They filed clumsily into the battleroom, like children in a swimming pool for the first time, clinging to the handholds along the side.'
