# The matrix: Is technology there today? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 5, 2003, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071 "2003-08-05T10:01:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/1 "2003-08-05T10:01:55Z")
Do you think that we have the technology to actually take a person and put them inside an artifical “world” without them knowing and without them even figuring it out? Say, for example, a person has some psychological issue… and the only way to fix the issue, without them going crazy again, is to put them inside an artifical enviorment until they are in a suitable condition to leave? Or, worst case, having to live their entire life inside a “Matrix”? I’m only calling it the “matrix” simply because everybody knows what I’m saying when I say martrix… but you get the idea. ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/2 "2003-08-05T11:11:41Z")
No, certainly not now and _possibly_ not ever. The closest we have now is Virtual Reality headsets. These could be replaced by actually attaching optical/aural/tactile inputs to the optic nerve/basilar membrane/spinal dendrites(?). But whether we could _cause or read specific thoughts_ is highly questionable. It would be like observing a microchip and guessing what game was being played just by the switching operations. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/3 "2003-08-05T11:31:22Z")
We certainly don’t have the technology today, as even the most impressive virtual environments are distinguishable from the real thing. We simply haven’t figured out how to hook up a computer directly to the central nervous system yet, but I’m optimistic… ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/4 "2003-08-05T12:31:41Z")
So you don’t think that in the deepest darkest military lab there’s some mad crazy experiment going on that has it close to good? Perhaps I’m overkill on this but I still can’t trust the government completely on the amount of technology that’s been discovered and what’s real out there… somewhere… Area 51… etc ---
**Author:** ![isthatsowrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/35a633/32.png) [@isthatsowrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isthatsowrong)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/5 "2003-08-05T12:32:33Z")
Researchers at MIT have succeeded in controlling a rat’s movements via electrodes implanted in the rat’s brain. It will take years before they can control a human brain (even a brain as small as yours, Thaidog), but it is definitely within the realm of possibility. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/6 "2003-08-05T13:26:49Z")
Yes, the government can cover up fifty years of alien landings and their technology, yet one guy gets one blowjob and the entire government can’t keep it secret. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/7 "2003-08-05T19:03:23Z")
Take a look at this [article](http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/03/1059849278131.html) Slashdot posted yesterday. It’s all vaporware, but it does make the Wachowskis look prescient. > [@](#): > > A device that produces electricity from blood could be used to turn people into “human batteries”. > > Researchers in Japan are developing a method of drawing power from blood glucose, mimicking the way the body generates energy from food. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/8 "2003-08-05T19:34:49Z")
The problem with that, **Number** , is it only works on spare glucose that your body hasn’t already used up. The plan for such devices is to power small implants of various sorts, but it certainly won’t be useful for extracting actually significant amounts of energy from we puny humans. You’d need to put in lots more energy in terms of food for it to work. ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/9 "2003-08-05T21:24:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Number \* > \*\*Take a look at this [article](http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/03/1059849278131.html) Slashdot posted yesterday. It’s all vaporware, but it does make the Wachowskis look prescient. \*\* Well that’s not really what I ment but interesting none the less. What I ment by Matrix was a virtual reality world… Kind of like the holodeck on star trek if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/10 "2003-08-05T21:29:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lno \* > \*\*Yes, the government can cover up fifty years of alien landings and their technology, yet one guy gets one blowjob and the entire government can’t keep it secret. \*\* lol Some people (the media) care about some things more than others if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/11 "2003-08-05T22:03:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Thaidog \* > \*\*Do you think that we have the technology to actually take a person and put them inside an artifical “world” without them knowing and without them even figuring it out? \*\* Sure, if you don’t mind living in Castle Wolfenstein. ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/12 "2003-08-06T03:49:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\*Sure, if you don’t mind living in Castle Wolfenstein. \*\* Never played the game… But I hear it’s good. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/13 "2003-08-06T04:19:23Z")
Oh dear, the best demonstrations is AI is in computer game. Quite frankly, they’re crap. Speech recognition is still rubbish, and to program something to do a stupidly simple task such as “get me a sandwich” is ridiculously hard. Forget about Agent Smith/Johns/Kawbloski chasing you, he’ll have a hard time running around corners and try to run through a table. And probably forget to look up. We haven’t perfected forcefields or holograms that project onto thin air for a holodeck. Oh I lie about the forcefields, there’s debate on whether it’s theoretically possible (I can’t be arsed linking to Cecil’s article, do it yourself), nevermind practially possible. The mechanics of using a metal plug into the brain (a’la The Matrix) that: a) Doesn’t kill you b) Doesn’t kill you [obligatory Kryten reference] c) Inputs detailed stimulii d) Interprets your actions in a meaningful way … is really, really, stupidly difficult. Other avenues for VR interfaces include goggles, but they have their own problems. Gamespot or Slashdot did a great feature on a VR room in MIT with five projection walls, head tracking and a lightgun they used to play Quake, but I can’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/14 "2003-08-06T13:36:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rabid\_Squirrel \* > \*\* Gamespot or Slashdot did a great feature on a VR room in MIT with five projection walls, head tracking and a lightgun they used to play Quake, but I can’t find it. \*\* It was Slashdot… I remember that thread… mand that looked fun! As far as VR goes… I think the more processing power goes up the better the simulations will be… I’m look at the difference in video games from just ten years ago… gof vr simulations I would say are probably only ten years away… I love going to our local mall… we had a VR golf course where you hit a real golf ball into a projection screen which would acurately predict the spin on that ball and speed… once the ball hit the screen, a projected ball shot off into the distance to predict what your shot would look like. Lots of fun. ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/15 "2003-08-06T13:38:24Z")
Please for give my spelling and typing… I’m in a rush right now. Classic Thaidog posting… ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/16 "2003-08-06T14:46:53Z")
As much as I want it to happen, I just don’t think it’s going to, at least not within my lifetime. Yes, processing power is increasing all the time, but we will soon hit the limits of what silicon can do. Even if someone eventually invents a quantum computer or room-temperature superconductors or even DNA-based computers and gets enough processing power to create an virtual environment that is absolutely indistinguishable from the real thing, you’ll only have solved half of the problem. The really hard part is not in generating enough ones and zeroes to represent the data, but in getting those ones and zeroes inside your skull without any clumsy apparatus that would detract from the experience. We just haven’t figured out a way to get the human central nervous system to accept raw binary data and interpolate it into a sensation that our brain can make sense of. Direct stimulation of the brain stem is still a pretty clumsy process, and simply sending tiny little jolts of precisely targetted electricity to the appropriate areas just ain’t gonna do it, otherwise it would already have been done. So as much as I’d like to see a direct neural interface and totally immersive virtual worlds, it’s still a long way off ---
**Author:** ![elfoldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@elfoldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfoldo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/17 "2003-08-06T15:01:33Z")
It probably would be really, really, really hard to have VR environment that you could go into and be fooled that it was reality. However in the “Matrix” movie, the people were put into the matrix at birth. So their development would have been based on the input given by the matrix. It seems that the brain could develop differently in that environment to interact properly with the matrix. That would be all it knew so it could interpret that as reality. But in that case, if that person ever went off the matrix, I doubt they could handle real reality. ---
**Author:** ![InquisitiveIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3ec8ea/32.png) [@InquisitiveIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InquisitiveIdiot)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/18 "2003-08-06T16:19:27Z")
We will have the technology to interact with the human brain within 100 years. We will never be able to get more energy from humans than we put in 'em. Entropy and all that. AI will come into it’s own relatively soon. Pretty much the only thing we still need to develop is the ability to pick up sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![Undead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b3f665/32.png) [@Undead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undead)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/19 "2003-08-06T16:35:01Z")
I’m going to look an article relating to this but I saw it on the discovery channel. There was a blind man, and they hooked his brain up to a computer connected to a camera. They were able to send signals to his brain allowing him to “see” vague shapes. [http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0001/17\_blind.html](http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0001/17_blind.html) If that picture doesnt **scream** the matrix I’m not sure what does. Sending audio signals doesn’t sound far-fetched. Sending audio/video signals if half the battle. Now just to receive signals. [http://robinson.gsu.edu/news/00/moore\_grant.html](http://robinson.gsu.edu/news/00/moore_grant.html) Makes me think that if someone actually _wanted_ to create a type of matrix(even if the graphics were only 8-bit :P), it will be very possible soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071/20 "2003-08-06T17:36:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rabid\_Squirrel \* > \*\*Gamespot or Slashdot did a great feature on a VR room in MIT with five projection walls, head tracking and a lightgun they used to play Quake, but I can’t find it. \*\* This sounds very similar to [the Cave](http://cave.ncsa.uiuc.edu/) at NCSA, which I’ve used. It’s pretty cool – the tracking of the headset is very good, so everything looks three-dimensional and you can actually stick your head “through” objects, even though they’re all just images on a wall. No Quake, though – all they had was a stripped down version of Doom. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-matrix-is-technology-there-today/193071.md?page=2)