Dr. Kaku: THE STRENGTH OF 100 MEN...
THE ABILITY TO SEE THROUGH SOLID WALLS...
AND READ MINDS...
IS EVERY KID'S ULTIMATE DREAM.
SUPERHERO POWERS.
I'M DR. MICHIO KAKU.
I'M A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST AND A SCIENCE-FICTION FAN.
JOIN ME AS I SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE SCI-FI SCIENCE.
COMIC-BOOK HEROES HAVE EXTRAORDINARY ABILITIES
THAT HELP THEM FIGHT CRIME.
SOME WERE BORN WITH POWERS,
BUT MY FAVORITES ARE THE GUYS
WHO BUILD SUPER SUITS TO BEAT THE VILLAINS,
LIKE BATMAN AND IRONMAN.
IT'S GIVEN ME AN IDEA.
I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN BUILD A REAL WEARABLE SUIT
TO GIVE YOU SUPER POWERS
TO DEFEAT THE BAD GUYS EVERY SINGLE TIME,
AND I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW TO BUILD ONE.
I NEED MY SUIT TO TRANSFORM ITS WEARERS
INTO A CRIME FIGHTER EVERY BIT AS EFFECTIVE
AS THE GREATEST COMIC-BOOK HEROES.
AND MY FIRST CHALLENGE
IS DECIDING WHAT POWERS IT SHOULD OFFER.
TIME TO CHECK IN WITH THE REAL EXPERTS --
THE COMIC-BOOK FANS.
BATMAN'S SUIT
HAS ALL THE GADGETS YOU NEED TO FIGHT CRIMES,
AND IRONMAN'S SUIT HAS EVERYTHING SO YOU CAN FLY.
HE HAS ADVANCED WEAPONS.
HE'S GOT THE ABILITY TO DESTROY A TANK
WITH A LITTLE ROCKET THAT COMES OUT OF HIS ARM.
BOOM!
Man: IT'S A BIRD!Y --
Woman: IT'S A PLANE!
IT'S SUPERMAN!
COMIC-BOOK WRITERS
ARE ONLY LIMITED BY THEIR IMAGINATION.
BUT I NEED MY DESIGN TO WORK WITHIN THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
AND, OF COURSE, LIKE ALL SUPERHERO SUITS,
IT ALSO HAS TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD.
IT NEEDS TO BE FULLY LOADED WITH GADGETS
THAT ENHANCE HUMAN FACULTIES TO SUPERHUMAN LEVELS.
AND THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL IS STRENGTH.
AFTER ALL, IF YOU CAN'T TAKE ON THE BAD GUYS
AT A PHYSICAL LEVEL,
YOU MIGHT AS WELL LEAVE YOUR CAPE AT HOME.
THE STRONGEST HUMANS ON EARTH
CAN BENCH-PRESS AROUND 1,000 POUNDS.
THAT SEEMS TO BE CLOSE TO OUR PHYSICAL LIMIT.
IT WOULD BE HARD TO MOVE WITH MUSCLES MUCH BIGGER,
AND OUR BONES WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TAKE THE STRAIN.
GETTING STRONGER TAKES MECHANICAL INTERVENTION.
STRENGTH SUITS LIKE THIS ONE USE ADVANCED HYDRAULICS
TO ENABLE THEIR WEARER TO RUN, JUMP,
AND LIFT 200 POUNDS AS EASILY AS 20.
THEY'RE UNDOUBTEDLY STRONG BUT PRETTY BULKY.
AND THIS MODEL RELIES ON A HYDRAULIC PIPELINE
TO KEEP IT WORKING.
MY PROBLEM IS
MAKING THE SUIT THIN ENOUGH TO FIT UNDER ORDINARY CLOTHES
AND BE INDEPENDENT OF OUTSIDE POWER.
THE LATEST ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES COULD BE THE SOLUTION.
THEY'RE SMALL, LIGHT,
AND THEIR POWER SOURCE IS EXTREMELY PORTABLE.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES
THAT ARE POWERED CHEMICALLY.
RAY'S MUSCLES ARE POWERED BY ALCOHOL FUMES.
THEY'RE MADE FROM MEMORY METAL,
WHICH CHANGES SHAPE WHEN IT'S HEATED.
IT GETS SHORTER JUST LIKE MUSCLE.
TO DEMONSTRATE ITS POWER,
WE'RE GONNA TRY LIFTING A 20-OUNCE BOTTLE.
OKAY, LET'S TRY IT AND SEE.
THE ALCOHOL IS SPRAYED
ON THE INSIDE OF THE GLASS CONTAINER
TO FILL IT UP WITH VAPOR.
NANOPARTICLES OF PLATINUM ON THE SURFACE OF THE SPRING
CAUSE THE ALCOHOL TO REACT WITH OXYGEN IN THE AIR,
HEATING THE METAL.
Baughman: NOW THE ARTIFICIAL MUSCLE IS CONTRACTING.
I SEE IT.
IT'S RISING.
THIS HEAT CHANGES ITS CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
AND PULLS IT BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE.
IT'S STILL IN ITS EARLY DAYS, BUT ALREADY,
THIS TECHNOLOGY BOASTS SOME SERIOUSLY IMPRESSIVE STATS.
OUR MUSCLES ARE ABOUT 500 TIMES WEAKER
THAN THESE CHEMICALLY POWERED ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES.
SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ENHANCING HUMAN MUSCLE POWER
BY 500 TIMES.
IF YOU HAD A SUIT MADE OF OUR SPECIAL ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES,
YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO LIFT 50 TONS.
THESE INCREDIBLE MUSCLES MAY HELP YOU LIFT A TRAIN,
BUT THEY WON'T HELP YOU OUTRUN ONE.
THEY CONTRACT TOO SLOWLY.
I WANT MY SUIT TO OFFER SUPER SPEED,
AS WELL AS SUPER STRENGTH.
AND FOR THAT, I'LL NEED SOMETHING LIKE THIS...
A SECOND TYPE OF ARTIFICIAL MUSCLE,
THIS TIME MADE FROM CARBON NANOTUBES.
WOW, LOOK AT THIS. THIS STUFF'S TRANSPARENT.
YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH IT.
AND IT'S LIGHTER THAN AIR.
WOW, LOOK AT THAT.
THIS IS A CARBON NANOTUBE SHEET.
THE FILAMENTS THAT MAKE UP THIS MATERIAL
ARE 1/10,000 THE WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR.
AND WHEN AN ELECTRIC CURRENT IS PLACED ACROSS THEM,
THEY CONTRACT LIKE A MUSCLE,
AND THEY DO IT INCREDIBLY QUICKLY.
Baughman: THESE CARBON NANOTUBE SHEETS
CAN MOVE ABOUT 1,000 TIMES FASTER
THAN OUR MUSCLES COULD MOVE AN ARM.
AS WELL AS CONTRACTING 1,000 TIMES MORE QUICKLY
THAN HUMAN MUSCLE,
THEY'RE ALSO ABLE TO FUNCTION AT EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE...
FROM THE MELTING POINT OF STEEL DOWN TO NEAR ABSOLUTE ZERO.
AND THEY'RE ASTONISHINGLY TOUGH.
THE CARBON NANOTUBES IN SHEET FORM
HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE AT STOPPING BULLETS.
Dr. Kaku: SO, YOU CAN STOP A BULLET,
YOU CAN ALSO LIFT CARS,
AND YOU CAN GO INTO BURNING BUILDINGS.
YES.
YOU WOULD LOOK LIKE
YOU CAME FROM THE PAGES OF YOUR FAVORITE COMIC BOOK.
DECIDING WHICH MUSCLE TYPE TO USE
IN MY SUPER-SUIT DESIGN IS REALLY TOUGH.
ALCOHOL-POWERED SPRINGS ARE INCREDIBLY STRONG,
BUT THEY'RE TOO SLOW FOR SUPER SPEED.
NANO SHEETS ARE FAST,
BUT THEY'RE NOT AS POWERFUL AS THE SPRINGS.
THE ONLY SENSIBLE SOLUTION IS TO USE BOTH.
THE CORE OF MY SUPER SUIT
WILL BE A BASE LAYER OF SPRING MUSCLES,
PROVIDING THE STRENGTH TO LIFT CARS.
AND A SECOND LAYER, MADE OF SHEET MUSCLES,
WILL GIVE THE ABILITY TO RUN AS FAST AS A TRAIN
AND JUMP HIGH BUILDINGS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME PROBLEMS STILL.
IF YOU HAVE A SUPER SUIT
THAT WOULD ALLOW YOU TO LIFT HUNDREDS OF TONS,
YOUR BONES WOULD BREAK.
YOUR SPINAL CORD WOULD COLLAPSE.
YOU STILL NEED SUPPORT.
WHAT I NEED IS AN EXOSKELETON TO TAKE THE STRAIN --
LIGHTWEIGHT JOINTED PLATES OF REINFORCED CARBON FIBER
WITH ATTACHMENT POINTS ON THE INSIDE
FOR ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES.
BUT STRENGTH AND SPEED ALONE ARE NOT GONNA BE ENOUGH.
IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME, INFORMATION IS KEY,
FROM GATHERING WITNESS STATEMENTS
TO UNEARTHING FACTS
THE BAD GUYS WOULD RATHER KEEP SECRET.
A MACHINE WITH MIND-READING POWERS
WOULD BE PERFECT FOR MY CRIME-FIGHTING SUPER SUIT.
TO TEST OUT THE IDEA,
I'M HEADING NORTH OF THE BRONX
TO MEET SOME REAL-LIFE CRIME FIGHTERS.
BUT FIRST...
HEY!
HEY, COME BACK HERE! HEY, COME ON BACK!
COME ON BACK!
THIS ROBBERY WAS STAGED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE,
USING AN ACTOR.
THE IDEA WAS TO TEST MY MEMORY OF THE SCENE
IN AS REALISTIC A WAY AS POSSIBLE.
BUT HOW MANY DETAILS OF MY ASSAILANT
WOULD I BE ABLE TO GET RIGHT?
HOW DO YOU DO?
JUST TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT YOU SAW.
OKAY, I SAW A...
A YOUNG MALE, MAYBE AROUND EARLY 20s.
I PUT HIM AT MAYBE 140 POUNDS, LET'S SAY.
I THINK HE WAS WEARING A SWEATSHIRT OF SOME SORT.
YOU KNOW WHAT COLOR THAT SWEATSHIRT WAS?
THAT'S WHERE IT STARTS TO GET A LITTLE FUZZY.
I THINK IT WAS WHITE AND GREEN.
WHAT DID HE TAKE?
HE TOOK A BOX ABOUT THIS BIG.
IT MIGHT HAVE HAD A COLOR ASSOCIATED WITH IT --
POSSIBLY GREEN.
I'M NOT SURE.
I'VE DONE PRETTY WELL,
BUT WOULDN'T A MACHINE THAT COULD SHOW MY MEMORIES DIRECTLY
BE SO MUCH BETTER?
AND WHAT IF THAT SAME MACHINE COULD BE USED ON THIS GUY
TO REVEAL WHERE HE'S HIDDEN MY BAG?
THE QUICKER WE GET THE FACTS FROM PEOPLE,
THE BETTER OFF WE ARE IN AN INVESTIGATION,
AND IF WE COULD HAVE SOMETHING IN THE FIELD WITH US
THAT WE COULD USE FOR THAT,
THAT WOULD BE AN UNBELIEVABLE ASSET TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THE CLOSEST THINGS WE HAVE TO MIND READING AT THE MOMENT
ARE FUNCTIONAL MRI SCANNERS.
THEY'RE ABLE TO DETECT MINUTE CHANGES IN BLOOD FLOW
WITHIN THE BRAIN.
BY HOLDING AN IMAGE IN YOUR MIND,
SAY, A YACHT OR A BIRD,
IT'S POSSIBLE TO RECORD WHICH PARTS OF THE BRAIN
ARE MOST ACTIVE DURING THAT THOUGHT.
SCIENTISTS ARE NOW COMPILING A DICTIONARY OF THOUGHT.
WE CAN DETERMINE, MORE OR LESS, WHAT YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT,
AN OBJECT OR AN ANIMAL,
BY LOOKING AT THE BLOOD-FLOW PATTERNS OF THE BRAIN.
A HANDHELD VERSION OF THIS TECHNOLOGY
WOULD BE PERFECT FOR CRIME FIGHTING.
YOU COULD USE IT ON WITNESSES
TO PICK UP ON VITAL VISUAL CLUES.
AND YOU COULD ALSO USE IT ON THE BAD GUYS,
PERHAPS REVEALING THE WHEREABOUTS
OF HIDDEN BOMBS OR HOSTAGES.
UNFORTUNATELY, MRI MACHINES ARE ENORMOUS.
THEY RELY ON HUGE HEAVY MAGNETS TO INDUCE A SIGNAL
THAT'S STRONG ENOUGH TO BE READ BY A SCANNER.
I BELIEVE THE KEY TO MINIATURIZATION
IS MAKING THE SCANNER MORE SENSITIVE.
THIS MEANS YOU COULD WORK WITH A WEAKER SIGNAL
AND YOU COULD DO AWAY WITH THE MASSIVE MAGNETS.
AND THIS TINY CHIP
COULD JUST BE THE BREAKTHROUGH I'M LOOKING FOR.
THIS IS AN ATOMIC MAGNETOMETER.
IT'S DESIGNED TO DETECT
EVEN THE TINIEST MAGNETIC FIELDS EMITTED BY THE BRAIN.
IT'S LIKE A SANDWICH.
LASER LIGHT HITS THE TOP, THEN THERE'S GAS IN THE MIDDLE,
AND THEN THERE'S A DETECTOR AT THE BOTTOM
WHICH MEASURES
HOW MUCH LASER LIGHT PASSED THROUGH THE GAS.
LIKE THE NEEDLES OF THESE COMPASSES,
THE GAS ATOMS IN THE MAGNETOMETER
NORMALLY LINE UP NEATLY, LETTING LOTS OF LIGHT THROUGH.
BUT...
A MAGNETIC FIELD CREATED BY THE THINKING BRAIN
WILL CHANGE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE ATOMS
AND ALSO THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT THAT PASSES THROUGH.
BY MEASURING THE INTENSITY OF THE LASER LIGHT,
YOU CAN MEASURE BRAIN ACTIVITY.
IT'S MANY TIMES MORE SENSITIVE THAN CURRENT MRI SENSORS,
MEANING YOU WON'T NEED ENORMOUS MAGNETS TO BOOST THE SIGNAL...
POTENTIALLY REDUCING THE SIZE OF THE MRI SCANNER FROM THIS...
TO SOMETHING YOU COULD SLIP IN A BRIEFCASE...
OR BETTER STILL,
INCORPORATE DIRECTLY INTO THE FABRIC OF A SUIT.
MY SUPER SUIT IS TAKING SHAPE, BUT I'M NOT THERE YET.
THERE'S STILL A LOT MORE WORK TO DO
BEFORE I CAN REVEAL IT TO THE SCI-FI FANS.
MY SUPER-POWERS SUIT IS BEGINNING TO TAKE SHAPE.
I'VE ALREADY FOUND ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES
WITH THE POWER TO LIFT CARS.
HEY!
HEY, COME BACK HERE!
AND A BRUSH WITH CRIME HAS GIVEN ME INSPIRATION
FOR A MIND-READING MACHINE.
COME ON BACK!
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL I GOT FROM THE EXPERIENCE.
WHILE I WAS THERE,
I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THE POLICE
WHAT OTHER SUPER POWERS
THEY'D LIKE TO HAVE AT THEIR DISPOSAL.
Clark: I THINK FOR ME,
X-RAY VISION WOULD BE A GREAT HELP TO THE OFFICERS.
THEY'D BE ABLE TO SEE HAZARDS THROUGH BUILDINGS.
THEY'D BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE WALKING INTO.
IF YOU COULD CREATE SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES,
WHERE WE COULD HAVE X-RAY GOGGLES FOR OUR USE,
I THINK THAT WOULD BE
AN EXCELLENT ADAPTATION FOR POLICE WORK.
I THINK JOE IS ON TO SOMETHING HERE.
X-RAY VISION WOULD BE A FANTASTIC TOOL
FOR ANY CRIME FIGHTER.
MY PROBLEM IS GONNA BE FITTING THE TECHNOLOGY
INTO A LIGHTWEIGHT SET OF GOGGLES.
TRADITIONAL RADIOGRAPHY HAS AN X-RAY SOURCE
ON ONE SIDE OF THE TARGET AND A DETECTOR ON THE OTHER,
WHICH RECORDS THE X-RAYS THAT PASS THROUGH.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NO GOOD FOR GOGGLES.
I NEED BOTH PARTS ON THE SAME SIDE.
THANKFULLY, THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT
IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM DOES JUST THAT.
AND IT'S CALLED BACKSCATTER X-RAY.
X-RAYS ARE FIRED FROM THE SIDE OF A VAN
AT A TARGET, SUCH AS A SUSPECT VEHICLE.
MOST PASS STRAIGHT THROUGH, BUT SOME X-RAYS BOUNCE BACK,
REVEALING EXACTLY WHAT'S INSIDE THE CAR OR TRUCK.
BOTH THE SOURCE OF X-RAYS AND THE DETECTOR
ARE ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE TARGET --
AN IDEAL SETUP FOR X-RAY GOGGLES.
MY BIGGEST PROBLEM IS DESIGNING A GOGGLE-SIZED LENS
TO FOCUS THE X-RAYS.
THEY PASS STRAIGHT THROUGH GLASS,
SO AN ORDINARY LENS IS NO GOOD.
BUT THEY DO REFLECT,
AND THAT'S WHY I'VE COME OUT HERE TO THE HARBOR.
I'M FOLLOWING A TIP-OFF ABOUT AN ANIMAL WITH AN EYE
THAT FOCUSES LIGHT BY REFLECTION.
AND IT COULD BE JUST THE INSPIRATION I NEED
FOR MY GOGGLES.
ITS EYES ARE DESIGNED TO SEE CLEARLY
IN WATER AS MURKY AS THIS.
BUT WE'RE NOT CHUMMING FOR SHARKS TODAY
OR EVEN HUNTING A GIANT SQUID.
WHAT I'M AFTER IS THE HUMBLE LOBSTER.
CHRISTOPHER MAGEL IS AN EXPERT IN THE VISION OF LOBSTERS.
Magel: LOBSTERS LIVE DEEP DOWN UNDER THE WATER,
AND THEIR EYES ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED
TO COLLECT THE MOST AMOUNT OF LIGHT THAT THEY CAN.
SO HOW DO THEY DO THAT?
SO, YOU CAN SEE THAT THEIR EYES LOOK A LOT DIFFERENT THAN OURS.
THEY'VE GOT COMPOUND EYES.
THESE EYES HAVE THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT OPENINGS,
OFTEN CALLED FACETS.
MUCH LIKE THIS BASKET HAS MULTIPLE OPENINGS...
RIGHT.
...EACH OF THOSE OPENINGS
IS AN OPENING TO A TUBE OR A CYLINDER
THAT HAS FOUR MIRRORED EDGES ON IT.
IT TAKES AN ELECTRON MICROSCOPE TO REVEAL THE TINY FACETS --
SQUARE-SIDED HOLES WITH MIRRORED INSIDES.
LIGHT ENTERS THESE HOLES AT THE TOP
AND IS BOUNCED DOWN THE MIRRORS INTO THE CENTER OF THE EYE.
THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF THESE FACETS
ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE EYE,
EACH COLLECTING LIGHT
AND REFLECTING IT TO THE SAME FOCAL POINT.
X-RAYS, LIKE LIGHT, CAN BE REFLECTED.
SO A SIMILAR DESIGN IS PERFECT FOR MY X-RAY GOGGLES.
ALL I NEED TO DO IS COVER THE SURFACE OF THE GOGGLES
WITH THOUSANDS OF TINY SQUARE-SIDED HOLES.
THESE HOLES WOULD COLLECT X-RAYS AND BRING THEM TO FOCUS
ON A SPECIALIZED CCD CHIP.
THE IMAGES WILL THEN BE SENT TO A TINY LCD SCREEN
EMBEDDED ON THE SURFACE OF A CONTACT LENS.
CREATING X-RAYS IS THE EASY PART.
THEY'RE JUST HIGH-ENERGY BEAMS OF LIGHT.
THINK OF A LIGHT BULB THAT EMITS X-RAYS.
IT FLOODS A ROOM.
THE X-RAYS BOUNCES OFF OBJECTS,
PASS RIGHT THROUGH AND THEN INTO YOUR GOGGLES.
IN THIS WAY, YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH OBJECTS
'CAUSE THERE'S X-RAYS EVERYWHERE,
SCATTERING INTO YOUR EYES.
MY GOGGLES SHOULD ALLOW YOU TO SEE THROUGH WALLS,
JUST LIKE SUPERMAN.
BUT WHY STOP AT X-RAY VISION?
REMEMBER, THE LOBSTER'S EYE
IS DESIGNED TO SEE IN MURKY CONDITIONS.
BY SWITCHING MY CCD TO VISIBLE LIGHT...
I SHOULD ALSO BE ABLE
TO USE MY GOGGLES IN EXTREME SITUATIONS,
SUCH AS THE THICK SMOKE OF A BURNING BUILDING,
IMPENETRABLE FOG, OR PITCH DARKNESS.
I CAME HERE TO CREATE X-RAY VISION,
BUT NOW I REALIZE I CAN DO MUCH MORE.
I CAN CREATE SPECIAL GOGGLES THAT WILL GIVE YOU SUPER VISION.
THESE GOGGLES WOULD HAVE THOUSANDS
OF TINY REFLECTORS ON THEM,
FOCUSING X-RAYS, GIVING YOU X-RAY VISION.
THESE SAME MIRRORS CAN REFLECT ORDINARY LIGHT,
GIVING YOU LOBSTER VISION TO SEE IN MURKY ENVIRONMENTS.
SO FAR, MY SUIT HAS SUPER STRENGTH,
MIND READING, AND X-RAY VISION.
IT'S ENOUGH TO OVERPOWER THE TOUGHEST BAD GUY.
BUT THERE'S STILL A CHINK IN ITS ARMOR.
WHAT IF MY CRIME FIGHTER BECOMES HOPELESSLY OUTNUMBERED?
GET MORE AT sciencechannel.com/ scifiscience.
FROM TIME TO TIME,
EVERY SUPERHERO NEEDS A HELPING HAND.
BATMAN HAD ROBIN.
BUT I'D LIKE MY HELP TO BE A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME.
I'M GONNA DESIGN A SET OF MECHANICAL ARMS
TO GIVE MY CRIME FIGHTER ALL THE HELP HE NEEDS.
CONSTRUCTING THEM IS EASY.
I'LL USE THE SAME MATERIALS AS THE STRENGTH SUIT.
THE BIG PROBLEM IS CONTROL.
IT NEEDS TO BE A HANDS-FREE SYSTEM.
BUT I DON'T WANT IT TO BE AUTONOMOUS.
TAKING OUT AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER WOULD BE A DISASTER.
WHAT I NEED IS DIRECT MIND CONTROL.
CONTROLLING MACHINES WITH THE MIND
IS NOT AS FAR-FETCHED AS IT SOUNDS.
EXPERIMENTS HAVE ALLOWED MONKEYS
TO CONTROL A ROBOTIC ARM SIMPLY BY THINKING.
THE TECHNOLOGY THAT MAKES IT HAPPEN
PLUGS RIGHT INTO THE BRAIN.
Dr. Kaku: IMPLANTS LIKE THIS HAVE MADE MEDICAL HISTORY.
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
PLACED DIRECTLY INSIDE THE BRAIN,
IT HAS ALLOWED AN ANIMAL DIRECT CONTROL OVER A MACHINE.
IN THE FUTURE, WITH TECHNOLOGY LIKE THIS,
A WEARER OF MY SUPER SUIT
WILL BE ABLE TO CONTROL ROBOTIC LIMBS
WITH THE POWER OF THE MIND.
A LARGE COMPUTER PROCESSES THE INFORMATION FROM THE BRAIN
AND CONVERTS IT TO MOVEMENT IN THE ROBOTIC ARM.
BUT THE LATEST IDEA
IS THAT WE MIGHT NOT EVEN NEED A COMPUTER.
SOME THINK THAT WHEN WE PRACTICE A SKILL
FOR LONG ENOUGH --
FOR EXAMPLE, A SHOT IN TENNIS --
THE NERVES IN OUR SPINE PHYSICALLY REWIRE
SO THAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THE MOVEMENT AUTOMATICALLY.
I BELIEVE THAT BY CONNECTING THE ROBOTIC ARMS
DIRECTLY TO THE SPINE,
THE HUMAN BODY MIGHT REWIRE ITSELF.
OVER TIME, IT WOULD ADAPT TO ACCEPT THE NEW LIMBS
AND MOVE THEM AS IF THEY WERE ITS OWN.
WITH MY DESIGN COMPLETE,
IT'S TIME TO SHOW IT TO THE SC-FI FANS
AND SEE WHAT THEY THINK.
[ APPLAUSE ]
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
TODAY I PRESENT TO YOU THE SUPER SUIT,
NOT OUT OF THE PAGES OF A COMIC BOOK
BUT OUT OF THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
STEP INTO THIS SUIT,
AND EVEN THE WIMPIEST WANNABE WILL TAKE ON SUPERHERO POWERS.
WITH NANO FIBERS AND NANO SPRINGS,
WE CAN GIVE YOU SUPER STRENGTH.
FUELED BY ALCOHOL VAPOR, THE SPRINGS WILL ALLOW YOU
TO LIFT A TRAIN OVER YOUR HEAD WITH EASE.
AND FAST-CONTRACTING NANO-SHEET MUSCLES
WILL ALLOW YOU TO OUTRUN ONE.
AND WHAT'S A SUPERHERO
WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO HAVE X-RAY VISION?
IN OTHER WORDS, LITERALLY, YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH WALLS
AND SEE RIGHT THROUGH CLOTHING AS WELL.
THESE GOGGLES BOTH EMIT AND RECEIVE X-RAYS,
ALLOWING YOU TO SCAN A ROOM AND SEE RIGHT THROUGH OBJECTS.
THIS IS CALLED BACKSCATTERED X-RAY VISION.
THE IMAGES IT PRODUCES ARE SENT TO A TINY L.E.D. SCREEN
THAT SITS DIRECTLY ON THE SURFACE OF YOUR EYE.
THEN WHY DOES DR. OCTOPUS HAVE ALL THE FUN?
IF YOU'RE OUTNUMBERED BY THE BAD GUYS,
ROBOTIC ARMS WILL SHOOT OUT AND PIN THEM DOWN.
YOU'D BE ABLE TO HAVE SUPER STRENGTH
TO PUNCH RIGHT THROUGH A BUILDING
OR TO PERHAPS GRAB ENORMOUS OBJECTS OF GREAT WEIGHT
OR EVEN USE THESE AS A POLE VAULT
TO LEAP INTO THE SKY.
NOW, IF YOU'RE A FAN OF "STAR TREK,"
YOU KNOW THAT SPOCK HAS THE ABILITY
TO PERFORM A MIND MELD.
WEARING MY SUIT, YOU, TOO, WILL BE ABLE TO READ THOUGHTS,
THANKS TO A WEARABLE MRI MACHINE
MADE POSSIBLE BY ATOMIC MAGNETOMETERS.
THEY SENSE THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD
EMITTED BY THE HUMAN BRAIN,
AND THIS ALLOWS YOU TO READ THOUGHTS.
AND SO, HERE WE HAVE IT -- THE SUPER SUIT.
[ APPLAUSE ]
THE BEST PART OF A SUPER SUIT, I THINK, IS THE LOBSTER EYES,
SINCE I CAN BARELY SEE IN THE DAYTIME,
MUCH LESS AT NIGHT.
I WISH I HAD A SUPER SUIT, ACTUALLY,
AND I HOPE THEY COME IN BLACK BECAUSE THAT'S MY COLOR.
A COUPLE QUESTIONS -- I WANT TO KNOW
WHAT THE SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE IS
AND HOW SOON IT WILL BE AVAILABLE.
I THINK IT'S GREAT.
I THINK THIS SUIT WOULD DO A LOT BETTER
AGAINST THE REBELS THAN THIS PIECE OF JUNK.