A new kind of smartwatch with a special living component
January 25, 2023 2:57 PM Subscribe
A slime mold for your wrist! By taking care of a living organism within the watch, feeding it a mixture of water and oats, users can enable the slime mold (Physarum polycephalum) to grow, forming a living wire that in turn enables a heart rate sensor.
Failure to provide adequate care for the mold means the heart rate sensor is disabled and the mold dries up. The mold can also enter a dormant state when not fed, allowing the user to bring it back months or even years later.
The idea behind this is that by developing a more caring attitude to the device, this might extend its lifespan, helping to reduce waste. A total of 53.6 million metric tonnes of electronic waste was recorded in 2019; by influencing people’s attitudes around how they care for electronics like smartwatches, the researchers hope this will convince people to keep their devices for longer.
Failure to provide adequate care for the mold means the heart rate sensor is disabled and the mold dries up. The mold can also enter a dormant state when not fed, allowing the user to bring it back months or even years later.
The idea behind this is that by developing a more caring attitude to the device, this might extend its lifespan, helping to reduce waste. A total of 53.6 million metric tonnes of electronic waste was recorded in 2019; by influencing people’s attitudes around how they care for electronics like smartwatches, the researchers hope this will convince people to keep their devices for longer.
don't know how i feel about this study making it past the ethics screen.
god i'm such a bleeding heart.
posted by ZaphodB at 3:09 PM on January 25, 2023 [8 favorites]
god i'm such a bleeding heart.
posted by ZaphodB at 3:09 PM on January 25, 2023 [8 favorites]
Oh god, that thing would give me anxiety. I'd never be able to throw it out. Even though it's basically equivalent to the mildew that grows on my bathtub.
posted by airmail at 3:14 PM on January 25, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by airmail at 3:14 PM on January 25, 2023 [7 favorites]
Who's a sweet little crouton slime mold? Is it you? Yes! You're the sweetest little slime mold! Do you want your oatie-oats?
posted by Reverend John at 3:33 PM on January 25, 2023 [15 favorites]
posted by Reverend John at 3:33 PM on January 25, 2023 [15 favorites]
But the reason I get a new smart device is because the old one is no longer functional (says this absolute crouton-petter who uses an original iPod touch and a thrifted speaker as a daily alarm clock). Instead of making me care for my device by feeding both oats and electricity, I’d prefer that my phone had a replaceable battery and that the manufacturer couldn’t decide it was “too old” and stop supporting it. I already feel really terrible about the 2 smartphones I’ve had to stop using because of apple’s planned obsolescence (and that were so old that the recycling place wouldn’t take them anymore). Don’t make me also feel like I am killing a living being.
posted by holyrood at 3:34 PM on January 25, 2023 [27 favorites]
posted by holyrood at 3:34 PM on January 25, 2023 [27 favorites]
it's a neat idea
the aesthetics are not exciting me in the least though
posted by elkevelvet at 3:36 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
the aesthetics are not exciting me in the least though
posted by elkevelvet at 3:36 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, this is a fiddly PITA solution looking for a problem. Anybody who abuses a device enough to shorten its lifespan isn't going to magically be better about caring for some damn mold hidden under their watch, and I doubt such people are anywhere near the main cause of discarded/replaced electronics anyway.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:45 PM on January 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:45 PM on January 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
I love slime molds and love this. For people who don't know what the big idea is, might I suggest the movie The Creeping Garden.
posted by jessamyn at 3:49 PM on January 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by jessamyn at 3:49 PM on January 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
The biology nerd in me is very excited about this, but I agree it could look cooler.
Even though it's basically equivalent to the mildew that grows on my bathtub.
A completely different group of organisms. Fungi, like animals, belong to Superkingdom Opisthokonta. Plasmodial slime molds like Physarum are part of Superkingdom Amoebozoa, along with the cellular slime molds (which are even weirder), free living amoebas, and fun things like amoebic dysentery and the amoeba that eats brains.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:06 PM on January 25, 2023 [10 favorites]
Even though it's basically equivalent to the mildew that grows on my bathtub.
A completely different group of organisms. Fungi, like animals, belong to Superkingdom Opisthokonta. Plasmodial slime molds like Physarum are part of Superkingdom Amoebozoa, along with the cellular slime molds (which are even weirder), free living amoebas, and fun things like amoebic dysentery and the amoeba that eats brains.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:06 PM on January 25, 2023 [10 favorites]
Another brick in the road to our Cronenberg future...
posted by The Power Nap at 4:24 PM on January 25, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by The Power Nap at 4:24 PM on January 25, 2023 [8 favorites]
It's a prototype! Don't get hung up on aesthetics, this idea is awesome!
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:44 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:44 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
(Also, someone in this very thread showed emotion towards not wanting to let it die - I'm interested in the emotional impact, in helping people change their thoughts about re-use and "disposable" items like electronics. Intriguing and new idea, never seen anything like it.)
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:46 PM on January 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:46 PM on January 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
(Also I want a slime mold friend)
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:59 PM on January 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:59 PM on January 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
So that's where I left my tamagotchi.
posted by I paid money to offer this... insight? at 5:39 PM on January 25, 2023
posted by I paid money to offer this... insight? at 5:39 PM on January 25, 2023
I like this idea! It's purely a research project, not product development, so don't expect to see this on the shelves of your virtual supermarket soon, but I think it's a neat idea for exploring the psychology of how people relate to personal devices. I don't much care about the idea of using the slime mold as the conductive path for the heart rate sensor, but I would totally keep a wrist-worn slime mold pet. Maybe in more of a bracer form factor? You could totally design something that would let you mould the mold's shape according to where you put food, making it living art as well.
posted by biogeo at 5:47 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 5:47 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
more like slime-agotchi amirite
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:54 PM on January 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:54 PM on January 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
What could go wrong with a dormant dried mold that can be regenerated in seven years?
posted by aiq at 5:54 PM on January 25, 2023
posted by aiq at 5:54 PM on January 25, 2023
Oh nononono NO!
Says right in the article it's a tool of Satan.
Failure to provide adequate care for the mold means the heart rate sensor is disabled...
Why is it disabled? Because you no longer need it.
Because you failed to worship, and IT will STOP. YOUR. HEART.
posted by BlueHorse at 6:02 PM on January 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
Says right in the article it's a tool of Satan.
Failure to provide adequate care for the mold means the heart rate sensor is disabled...
Why is it disabled? Because you no longer need it.
Because you failed to worship, and IT will STOP. YOUR. HEART.
posted by BlueHorse at 6:02 PM on January 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
So it's a brain slug in a little container? That seems really I DEMAND UNREASONABLE SUBSIDIES FOR THE BRAIN SLUG PLANET
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:09 PM on January 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:09 PM on January 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
Slime mold? Mild moles.
posted by abucci at 6:32 PM on January 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by abucci at 6:32 PM on January 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Cool another houseplant for me to kill in six weeks or less, where do I sign
posted by potrzebie at 7:00 PM on January 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by potrzebie at 7:00 PM on January 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
As metafilter's own John Scalzi has pointed out, The Slime Molds is the best possible sports team name. Individuals which, under stress, become a single organism.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 7:06 PM on January 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 7:06 PM on January 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
I have two issues:
1) Not sure how II feel about incorporating a living thing as part of the operating circuit. While a slime mold is not a higher order being, this still feels wrong somehow. I have to wonder if we would do the same if it were something popular, like a tardy grade. What about a mosquito?
2) the natural lifecycle of an electronic device lasts until there is more capability. While intended to reduce e-waste, it seems to be just as effective.at retarding growth or change in design, which kind of perverts the whole electronics lifecycle. Doesn’t feel right somehow.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 7:14 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
1) Not sure how II feel about incorporating a living thing as part of the operating circuit. While a slime mold is not a higher order being, this still feels wrong somehow. I have to wonder if we would do the same if it were something popular, like a tardy grade. What about a mosquito?
2) the natural lifecycle of an electronic device lasts until there is more capability. While intended to reduce e-waste, it seems to be just as effective.at retarding growth or change in design, which kind of perverts the whole electronics lifecycle. Doesn’t feel right somehow.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 7:14 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
There are already times I feel like I exist to service my technology more than the opposite, and now they come out with a watch that will die if I don’t feed it?
obligatory “I, for one, welcome our new slime mold overlords”
posted by nubs at 7:26 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
obligatory “I, for one, welcome our new slime mold overlords”
posted by nubs at 7:26 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
Slime Moulds are the OG Hive Mind.
The study of collective behaviour aims to understand how individual-level behaviours can lead to complex group-level patterns. Collective behaviour has primarily been studied in animal groups such as colonies of insects, flocks of birds and schools of fish. Although less studied, collective behaviour also occurs in microorganisms. Here, we argue that slime moulds are powerful model systems for solving several outstanding questions in collective behaviour. In particular, slime mould may hold the key to linking individual-level mechanisms to colony-level behaviours. Using well-established principles of collective animal behaviour as a framework, we discuss the extent to which slime mould collectives are comparable to animal groups, and we highlight some potentially fruitful areas for future research.posted by Rumple at 8:53 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
Hmm. Neat idea but I get the feeling that you'll need to buy proprietary feeding solution in a special container or something that will work out to the oats costing $4000 a kilo or thereabouts. My printer demands constant care too and I totally resent it for it.
posted by St. Oops at 9:03 PM on January 25, 2023
posted by St. Oops at 9:03 PM on January 25, 2023
a tardy grade
Your AI is bullying microorganisms.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 9:04 PM on January 25, 2023
Your AI is bullying microorganisms.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 9:04 PM on January 25, 2023
Middle-aged tech centimillionaire Bryan Johnson and his team of 30 doctors say they have a plan to reboot his body.
posted by beesbees at 10:46 PM on January 25, 2023
posted by beesbees at 10:46 PM on January 25, 2023
can I get a fruiting body that spells out NOT EAT UR BRAIN OK OK
posted by away for regrooving at 12:09 AM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by away for regrooving at 12:09 AM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I hate my autocorrect some days. My apologies to water bears everywhere, on-time or not.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 3:41 AM on January 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 3:41 AM on January 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
This is how we get to “The Last of Us”’isn’t it?
posted by thivaia at 5:44 AM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by thivaia at 5:44 AM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Did not read TFA.
The problem, as other readers have pointed out, is not that people don't take good enough care of their devices. The problem is that the devices are designed to be discarded.
It's not just that they're not designed to be maintainable (charitably assuming that it's not "designed to not be maintainable"), it's that a 4-year-old-device can't run current system software with acceptable performance.
In the last 25 years, I have needed to replace a lost/broken phone zero times. I have never dropped my phone into the toilet or into my beer, or wandered into the surf with it in my bathing suit pocket. My phones stay in service until they won't run anymore. I have sometime extended their lives by rooting them and locating slimmed-down Android images to extend their lives by another year or so, but it's a Red Queen's race that the user always loses.
Slime molds are cool. Physarum is fun to play with. The thing described here is an art project, one intended to provoke thoughts which turn out to be not so much worth thinking.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 8:26 AM on January 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
The problem, as other readers have pointed out, is not that people don't take good enough care of their devices. The problem is that the devices are designed to be discarded.
It's not just that they're not designed to be maintainable (charitably assuming that it's not "designed to not be maintainable"), it's that a 4-year-old-device can't run current system software with acceptable performance.
In the last 25 years, I have needed to replace a lost/broken phone zero times. I have never dropped my phone into the toilet or into my beer, or wandered into the surf with it in my bathing suit pocket. My phones stay in service until they won't run anymore. I have sometime extended their lives by rooting them and locating slimmed-down Android images to extend their lives by another year or so, but it's a Red Queen's race that the user always loses.
Slime molds are cool. Physarum is fun to play with. The thing described here is an art project, one intended to provoke thoughts which turn out to be not so much worth thinking.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 8:26 AM on January 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Did not read TFA. [...] The thing described here is an art project, one intended to provoke thoughts which turn out to be not so much worth thinking.
It's not always necessary to read TFA, but if you don't there are some pronouncements that are probably better to avoid. It's not an art project, it's a research project into the psychology of how humans interact with technology, peer reviewed and published in a reputable scholarly journal. As for whether the thoughts it provokes are worth thinking, that's a subjective judgment call but there's a community of working academics who would disagree with you.
posted by biogeo at 8:49 AM on January 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
It's not always necessary to read TFA, but if you don't there are some pronouncements that are probably better to avoid. It's not an art project, it's a research project into the psychology of how humans interact with technology, peer reviewed and published in a reputable scholarly journal. As for whether the thoughts it provokes are worth thinking, that's a subjective judgment call but there's a community of working academics who would disagree with you.
posted by biogeo at 8:49 AM on January 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
LOL, "thoughts that aren't worth thinking." That's a new one! 🙄
posted by tiny frying pan at 9:07 AM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by tiny frying pan at 9:07 AM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
it's basically equivalent to the mildew that grows on my bathtub.
posted by airmail
No disrespect at all. But no. I won't put too fine a point on it, but search stuff like slime mold maze or slime mold PBS. Seriously.
posted by Splunge at 4:12 PM on January 27, 2023
posted by airmail
No disrespect at all. But no. I won't put too fine a point on it, but search stuff like slime mold maze or slime mold PBS. Seriously.
posted by Splunge at 4:12 PM on January 27, 2023
Yeah. Slime molds are where it's at! Can you dig it!
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:42 AM on January 28, 2023
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:42 AM on January 28, 2023
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