Musk: Being in the metaverse must first solve the problem of motion sickness
On December 23, 2021, The Babylon bee released an interesting video about the introduction of the question for Elon. Musk's interview. In the video, Musk said a very interesting sentence: If you want to be in the metacosm, you must first solve the problem of motion sickness. Is it a joke that Musk said to solve the motion sickness problem first? It's not a joke!
Musk is a person with a fairly high IQ, and his words actually contain a rather complex problem. Whether there will be motion sickness in the metaverse actually involves the question of whether people's advanced neurosensory functions can adapt in the metaverse.
People's advanced sensory functions include proprioception, positionality, balance, movement and so on. The relationship between the metacosm and neural function is a big topic. In this issue, we will first talk about the more basic neural functions such as pain, temperature, and smell, and in the next issue, we will introduce the more complex advanced neural sensory functions of the human body.
Metacosmum and brain-computer interfaces
Let's briefly introduce two knowledge points, one knowledge point is the metacosm, and the other knowledge point is the brain-computer interface invested and developed by Musk.
Former Universe
The English name of the metaverse is Metavalse, Meta means transcendence, Verse is universe, and this compound word means transcending the universe. The concept of metaverse refers to a virtual artificial space that operates parallel to the real world, and is also the next stage of the Internet, a virtual reality network world supported by AR, VR, 3D and other technologies.
AR refers to Augmented Reality, a technology that skillfully blends virtual information with the real world. AR uses multimedia, intelligent interaction, sensing and other technical means to apply computer-generated virtual information to the real world to achieve "enhancement" of the real world.
VR refers to virtual reality technology (Virtual Reality, VR). Virtual reality technology simulates the virtual environment through computers, electronic information, simulation technology, etc., thus giving people a sense of environmental immersion.
Then you can imagine: with the progress of human science and technology, when the metacosm is fully established, it is another parallel world that is almost exactly the same as the real world we are in now. There are also banks in the meta-universe, restaurants, shopping, and barbershops. Of course, in the metaverse, you can also make friends, fall in love, and marry your daughter-in-law.
Brain-computer interface
The second point of knowledge is the brain-computer interface technology that Musk is working on. Although in addition to Musk's investment in research and development of this technology, there are other scientific teams investing in research and development, but musk's research and development team is still in the front-runner position. Brain-computer interface, called brain computer interface in English, referred to as BCI. It refers to the direct connection created between the human (or animal) brain and an external computer device, enabling the exchange of information between the brain and the external device. In layman's terms, a computer is used to collect a signal from the brain, and then use this signal to make instructions to direct limb movements and or achieve other functions.
Musk said that the purpose of developing brain-computer interfaces has nothing to do with the metacosm
Now let's go back to our topic, why did Musk mock the concept of metacosmity? When asked by reporters what Musk thought of the metaverse, Musk said: "I'm very old, and I like people who were dismissive of the internet in the '90s, who don't care about something fashionable or something that will never have any practical meaning." Then the reporter asked about the relationship between the brain-computer interface and the metacosm, and Musk bluntly said that his development of brain-computer interface technology has nothing to do with the concept of the metacosm.
Musk, as a very important and influential figure, he is still very reserved. From his words, we can hear that he directly rejected the so-called virtual world of the metacosm. In his eyes, the concept of the metaverse that is now being sought after is actually the work of children who play games. While those who play this concept are braving about the illusory metaverse, who would want to wear a headset every day, put a TV screen on your nose, and enter that so-called metacosm.
In the current concept of the so-called metaverse, the communication between people in the real world and that virtual world is limited to sight and hearing, that is, only the functions of playing games are realized.
Is the metacosm really irrelevant to brain-computer interfaces?
Let's analyze it from the perspective of neuroscience, whether this metaverse is feasible or not, and whether it can be realized.
In addition to sight and hearing, we humans also have basic sensory functions such as smell, touch, pain, and temperature. Let's talk about this pain first, and when we feel the pain, we react to it, so that we can avoid danger. For example, if our leg accidentally touches the top of a stove, we will immediately pull our leg back when we feel pain.
To give another example, when we have a cup of boiling hot water in front of us, why don't you immediately take it up and drink it in your mouth, but wait for it to cool down before drinking it? This is because you know that piping hot water in your mouth can cause burns and unbearable pain. This is where our sense of temperature and pain comes into play, so we respond to self-preservation.
According to the current medical technology capabilities of human beings, the most likely realization of the concept of metacosm is simple functions limited to vision and hearing, which is a rather superficial and rather rudimentary metacosm.
So far, Musk has invested heavily in the development of brain-computer interfaces that are the technology leaders in this field, but Musk has no interest in the concept of a metacosm. According to the description in this interview with Musk, Musk believes that the brain-computer interface device will have the potential to change the real world, helping people with quadriplegia or physical disabilities to live and work better.
It can be seen that the brain-computer interface developed by Musk focuses on practical applications in the real society, rather than focusing on the virtual world of the metacosm. From this, it can be seen that the development of the metaverse needs to cross the huge technical hurdles, so at a time when there are only concepts and no physical content, most people are skeptical of these metaverse concepts.
A reminder to investors from a neuroscience perspective
The reason why I am talking about this topic today is because I hope that you can arm your minds with scientific knowledge, do not blindly follow the trend, and avoid being deceived.
Since last year, the concept of a metacosm has been sought after and hyped by a considerable number of capital, media, and careerists. For example, Facebook boss Zuckerberg has invested a huge amount of capital to hype this metaverse, and zhangjiajie tourism has also participated in the concept of hyping the metacosm. There are also some well-known scholars and media big V to give this metaverse as a drummer, and tout the metacosm as an incomparably huge investment outlet. At the same time, a large number of ordinary people with insufficient knowledge reserves also blindly follow the trend and invest in this so-called investment feast. It is said that now those head investors have begun to harvest leeks.
I hope to remind you from a scientific point of view: the metacosm is still in a fairly rudimentary stage, perhaps after 50 years or even hundreds of years of development to be possible to achieve, perhaps we will never wait for the metacosm to truly realize the day.
This is the end of this issue. If you think what I'm saying is a bit interesting, please help like and forward it. If you feel that there is an error in this article, please criticize and correct it.