This is a summary and personal comment about an article I read on astrobiology.com, titled Cyborg Astrobiologist Uses Phone-Cam to Search for Life by Europlanet. You can access it via this link: http://astrobiology.com/2013/09/cyborg-astrobiologist-uses-phone-cam-to-search-for-life.html

We use mobile phones everyday. We complain about mobile phones everyday groaning that  “They are too slow” and “They get spotty service” and “They won’t connect to the internet fast enough”. These are just a few of the many retorts we direct at our mobile phones daily. I do complain about such trivial inconveniences and agree that there is room for improvement in the mobile phone market. But Patrick McGuire and his Freie Universitaet, Berlin based team are not complaining about mobile phone technology. In collaboration with West Virginia University, the Centro de Astrobiologia de Madrid and the University of Malta, they created a “hybrid human robotic” imaging system out of a basic mobile phone camera. They call it the Cyborg Astrobiologist.

A cell phone camera removed from the device.

The “novelty detection system” used by the Cyborg Astrobiologist.

McGuire and his collaborators did not use the chip from a glamorous smartphone, like the iphone5 or a Samsung Galaxy 3. According the article, the Cyborg Astrobiologist works like this. They use the camera and its imaging chip from a basic mobile phone. Initially, a human takes pictures with the camera that they then compile as a database on a computer. The images are processed and scanned for “novelty colors”. Basically, colors and textures from the original photos are assigned specific “novelty colors” for the robot to reference. Under the control of automated control, the camera can take pictures of its surroundings and by comparing the real pictures to ones from the data base it will determine which areas of its immediate surroundings might be habitable.

The technology is not perfect, but “In [the] most recent tests at a former coal mine in West Virginia, the similarity-matching by the computer agreed with the judgment of [the] human geologists 91% of the time.” This technology could expedite space based research communication between technology in space and Earth because it will allow us to give more autonomy to robots we send into space.

An improvement like this is to be expected from the multibillion dollar space industry. It seems like simply another logical advancement in space technology. It is, but it is truly amazing that the technology this system is based on comes from a mobile phone. The “cell phone” camera is something we use incredibly frequently, yet we overlook its mighty potential. In general, drastically underestimate the potential of everyday technology to perform complex tasks. Instead of thinking about how we can optimize technology that already exists, we want it to do more. McGuire and his team did not invent a new method of image analysis, nor did they discover a new way of space based communication, alternatively they analyzed current technology and applied it in a spectacular new way. In doing so they optimized what they had instead of building  an entirely new system.

We should try to optimize current technology in inventive and new ways. Unfortunately, a common thought is that “we just don’t have the technology or resources to do ‘that’ yet”. Such a stagnant mindset does not lead to scientific innovation. Yes, we must dream about the great new technologies of the future and continue to invent new things. But, we seriously need to examine the technology we have now and realize its immense potential.

Today, we have access to a virtually infinite stream of information because of the internet. Most people have access to some sort of computing device, whether it be a mobile phone, a laptop, a desktop or a calculator. I implore you to use what you have to understand and solve our modern problems.

Right now, society is saturated with a lethargic mindset: a do-it-for-me thought process. The technology that exists today can provide the solutions to our most pressing issues, like the mobile camera innovated the imaging analysis and the search for life in space. Through careful thought and a reassessment of our collective mindset we can optimize what resources we have to create innovative solutions for our problems.

We should look for innovation from what is immediately surrounding us . This includes electronics and, more importantly, nature. Natural systems optimize resources to their full potential, they reuse all energy and, in doing so, they create abundance. Abundance that allows and has allowed plants and animals to thrive for thousands of years. Clearly, these systems work. They have stood the test of time. We can learn from nature to optimize what technology already exists, as McGuire and his team did with the cell phone camera, while we continue to create new technologies. Evolution has done this since the beginning of life with immense success. We should use nature as a model for optimizing technology we already have.

Here is an video of a perfect example of optimization of one’s resources and the amazing results that followed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpYrJs0rX84

Sources

http://astrobiology.com/2013/09/cyborg-astrobiologist-uses-phone-cam-to-search-for-life.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/13010094933