Biweekly magazine of the Eindhoven University of TechnologyFor news: www.cursor.tue.nl and follow tuecursor on Twitter and Facebook November 29, 2012 | year 55

University news10Dangerous computer games

3Connect withmy culture

3

7

4 | St. Nicholas 2.0

2 | For Starters November 29, 2012

Brainmatters

Wish listsWhile children are busy preparing their wish lists for Saint Nicholas day, the press gave an interesting insight into the wishes of governmental and public agencies. The police want to exploit security leaks in personal computers to secretly browse on hard disks. Criminal investigators want access to academic DNA banks. The wish list of the municipality of Amsterdam reads like that of a spoiled child. She desperately wants to deploy mobile cameras to register severe offences in public space, including, as the press uncovered, placing one’s trash bin in the street at improper times. On top of her wish list, however, are cameras with millimeter wave scanning capacities; the so-called nude-scanning technology from the airports’ customs.

The need for social control is as old as Saint Nicholas himself, but technological progress has steadily reduced the effort involved in registering where you are, what you are doing, and with whom. These technologies are used to increase social security and prevent terrorist attacks, but their use repeatedly violates our fundamental human rights. They were to be employed only if the ends, which cannot be achieved otherwise, justify the means. That is, only if the benefits outweigh the costs.

The benefits of such technologies as closed circuit television systems are hard to quantify. It is even harder to determine what price citizens have to pay for the curtailment of their privacy. Economists have attempted to measure the value of privacy by determining the price at which people are willing to sell all kinds of personal information. According to a recent study at the University of Berkley, privacy is worth little to nothing: one euro to be exact. Nobody, however, has investigated the effects of modern surveillance technologies on our personal freedom and autonomy. History has taught us, however, that it is unpleasant living in a country where the administration acts as a modern day Saint Nicolas, keeping a track record of the activities of all its citizens.

Psychology is becoming ever more important at TU/e. Technical systems and artifacts, be they games, cars, robots, lighting systems or buildings, are all meant for human end users eventually. It’s essential to know how these users perceive, think, feel, and act. The new human-oriented program Psychology & Technology examines every technical design from a psychological perspective. From now on, Cursor will be taking a closer psychological look at students, teachers, labs, technical artifacts, the workplace, the scientific business, campus, education, and websites.

Antal Haans, assistant professor Environmental Psychology, Department IE&IS

ColophonEditor in chief

Han Konings

Executive editor Brigit Span

Editorial staff Judith van Gaal

Tom Jeltes | ScienceFrits van Otterdijk

Norbine SchalijMonique van de Ven

Staff Nicole TesterinkGerard Verhoogt

Photography Rien Meulman

Bart van Overbeeke

CoverDavid Ernst

TranslationAnnemarie van Limpt (pages 2,3)Benjamin Ruijsenaars (page 4,5)

LayoutNatasha Franc

Editorial boardprof.dr. Cees Midden

prof.dr. Hans NiemantsverdrietAngela Stevens- van Gennip

Thomas ReijnaertsArold Roestenburg

Anneliese Vermeulen-Adolfs

Address editorial officeTU/e, Laplace 0.40

5600 MB Eindhoventel. 040 - 2474020

e-mail: cursor@tue.nl

Cursor onlinewww.cursor.tue.nl

PrintJanssen/Pers, Gennep

Advertisement Bureau Van Vliet BV

tel. 023 - 5714745

Our Rewwwind feature provides you with snippets of last week’s news. What happened online after the previous Cursor magazine was published?

26 November - Professor Bert Meijer has been appointed by the State Secretary for Education, Sander Dekker, as a member of the Governing Board of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). Bert Meijer is a Professor at the TU/e Departments

of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. He will join the NWO Governing Board with effect from 1 January 2013. He is the successor to retiring member professor Ben de Kruijff.

23 november - TU/e will get a specially endowed ‘Business Process Technologies’ chair. This professorship focuses on the optimization and automation of business processes so that businesses

achieve lower costs and improved returns. Researchers in Eindhoven will develop innovative technologies with which the Netherlands can strengthen its leading role in this field.

22 november - Dr. Kees Storm has been awarded a grant of 1.68 million euros from the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) for his research program

‘The mechanics of soft materials under control’. FOM has awarded total grants of 9.9 million euros for five new programs.

Bert Meijer appointed to Governing Board NWO

TU/e gets ‘Business Process Technologies’ chair

1.68 million euro award for materials research program

www.cursor.tue.nlRewwwind

The sun. Actually the lack of it... at the moment. It is getting darker and darker. Winter puts a spell on the Dutch grounds and prepares it for at least three months of rest. But how the sun is affecting us? We wake up, the sun is not yet there. We leave our desks at work or school, the sun is already gone. Last week we had some bright days, when I couldn’t take my eyes off the office window and the only thing I dreamed about around 12 o’clock was not the lunch, but how to GET OUT. Go outside, breathe and enjoy the sunbeams. We did that with couple of my colleagues who, the same as me,

appreciate minutes of light. Natural light. When I think about my values somehow they are closely related to Mother Nature and its power to rule our lives. Lithuania is much up north compared to the Netherlands. Although the length of the day is very similar, we have much stronger difference between four seasons. Winter is supposed to be white and cold. Spring comes late, but is extremely green and blossomy. Summer can be blue or greenyellow, full of berries and mush-rooms (depends on how much sun and rain sky offers to the Baltic people and the land). And then.. autumn. Long, grey, chilly... and only a splash of colors, when the trees decide to drop off their outfits.The culture is built around the changes in the nature. Apples are eaten in the late summer and autumn, and some are saved for winter in the dark basement which slows down the rotting.

Strawberries is the treat of June. Blueberries are picked in the forest of July. We celebrate light in winter, when miraculously two weeks after Christmas the day becomes longer by three steps of a rooster. Yes, a rooster. It is probably impossible to translate the saying literally, but the idea is that each second of more LIGHT makes us happy. Therefore in the end of June the night is beaten by the longest day with the midsummer fest. Girls and boys jump over the fire, single ladies make beautiful flower wreaths and send them with the river flow, hoping to meet the good man later in the year. No sleep. And all the Balts are in the woods searching for the, perhaps non-existing, blossom of fern. The blossom which makes all the dreams of teeny tiny human to come true. People celebrate the light.

So, when we, Baltic people, and I can also talk for some of my Scandinavian friends, see the sun, no matter how cold it is, we run outside and soak up the light. Vitamine D. We can smile and save the smile for coming greyer days. And we enjoy the warmth on our skin.

Indre Kalinauskaite, User System Interaction trainee at ID department

Sunlight

Clmn

Judith van Gaal

Dear St Nicholas,I know there are many students and staff members who enjoy spending their days here, just like I do. Still, if I were allowed to make a list for our university, I’d wish:• more fun, international events

(p3 English section)

• you’d modernize a bit. We offer some suggestions for Sint 2.0 (p4-5 English section)

• users of MetaForum will soon be able to enjoy their new building (even more) and that complaints are taken (even more) seriously (p14-15, Dutch section)

• students will set a world record in the near future (p2-3, Dutch section)

Oh, and have some more students enroll if you can, preferably ladies from all over the world.

Thank you, St Nicholas!

For Starters | 3See for more news www.cursor.tue.nl

Vox Academici

Computer games: how dangerous are they?

Prof.dr. Wijnand IJsselsteijn, professor of Cognition and Affect in Human-technology Interaction, Department of IE&IS

Photo | Bart van Overbeeke

Wijnand IJsselsteijn. Archive photo | Rien Meulman

Almost 1,000 visitors attended Connect with my Culture. It was the 2nd edition of the event at which students and staff introduce other TU/e folk to their home countries. The international festival was celebrated at MetaForum on 15 November.

At the start of the event at 4PM, there were still only a few dozen people, but that number rose to a few 100 around 7PM. It was approximately 8 centigrade that day, and for many people it was quite chilly in the market hall at MetaForum.

Venezuela, Romania, Turkey, the Netherlands, Mexico, South Korea, Kenya, Japan, Italy, India, Indonesia, Germany, Greece, France, China and Brazil were the 16 countries that presented themselves with music, dance, and snacks. (JvG)

Warm atmosphere conquers cold at international event

World of Warcraft, Angry Birds, or a quick game of Wordfeud on your smartphone: we all play games sometimes, but for more and more young people, computer games are becoming a serious problem. The Trimbos expertise center for mental health and addiction estimates there are some 15,000 youngsters who are addicted to games, and that number is growing. Last Thursday, at the conference ‘Games: fun or ill-fated?’ in Utrecht, scientists assembled to discuss the risks of games and the game addict. What is it that makes a computer game addictive? And does that make playing games a bad thing?

“Computer games -especially online- are definitely an addiction for a small group of young people, but we shouldn’t be stressing about the risks of gaming”, says Wijnand IJsselsteijn, professor of Cognition and Affect in Human- Technology Interaction at the Department of IE&IS. “When printing was invented, people were already warning for an information overload and a solitary existence because of books. The same thing happened upon the introduction of radio and television. New media, same fears. Of course, nobody should be gaming for hours on end. Game addicts often show a distorted daily routine. They’re at their computers at

night, don’t eat well and school, work, and social activities are neglected. And, like with other addictions, game addicts can show withdrawal symptoms, and their game time has to increase every time to get the same kick out of it.”

“An addictive game is a good game, in a sense. It’s a game that’s so much fun you want to keep playing. In the early stages, games reward you for minimal progress - extra points, a stronger avatar, or advanced weaponry - but those rewards are ever further apart as the game advances. Rewards often vary; they’re unpredictable, which makes the conditioning effect even stronger and thus more addictive.”

“Apart from these micro rewards, peer pressure is another aspect that paves the way for addiction. Gamers used to play by themselves, but now there are many online games where you work in teams. If you’ve agreed to meet at seven, you have to be there. A lot is expected of team leaders especially. The aspect of social recognition is often

downplayed, especially by parents, but it can be very important to be appreciated for something you’re very good at. In gaming countries such as South Korea and Japan, successful gamers are like pop stars.”

“Balance is the magic word. If someone seems to have vanished completely, someone should sound the alarm, but there’s no harm in an hour of gaming. In fact, it has its upsides. Games activate the user and many things can be learned through playing. This is particularly true for serious games - we recently developed a game to stimulate people who suffered from a stroke to do their ‘boring’ muscle exercises, for example - but for regular games, too. A good gamer has quite some strategy, coordination, and logic skills: an ideal manager, if you think about it. Spending time in a virtual world is not as bad as many people think, as long as you’re aware your real life is elsewhere. My advice: gaming is fine, but play in moderation.” (NT)

“A good gamer is an ideal manager”

4 | Zoom in November 29, 2012

Text

| M

oniq

ue v

an d

e Ve

nIll

ustr

atio

n | D

avid

Ern

st

Of c

ours

e th

ere

is a

cer

tain

kin

d of

cha

rm a

bout

it. T

he d

utch

tr

adit

ion,

the

sim

plic

ity, t

he o

utfit

and

let u

s ce

rtai

nly

not f

orge

t to

men

tion

the

song

s fu

ll of

old

-fas

hion

ed w

ords

and

obj

ects

, of

whi

ch n

o ch

ild in

this

day

and

age

sti

ll kn

ows

the

sign

ifica

nce

or th

e m

eani

ng. N

ever

thel

ess

it a

ppea

rs to

us

that

St N

icho

las

will

bea

r som

e im

prov

emen

t. S

o w

e as

ked

TU/e

stu

dent

s an

d st

aff m

embe

rs to

join

us

in fa

ntas

izin

g ab

out S

t 2.0

: inn

ovat

ive,

st

ate-

of-t

he-a

rt, e

quip

ped

and/

or w

orki

ng w

ith

the

late

st

tech

nolo

gy. S

t Nic

hola

s go

es h

ight

ech.

St N

ich

ola

s g

oes

hig

hte

ch

Nat

ural

ly S

t Nic

hola

s an

d B

lack

Pet

er tr

avel

acr

oss

all t

he ro

ofto

ps,

but w

hat a

re th

ey to

do

if th

ese

shou

ld h

appe

n to

be

cove

red

by a

n IR

WES

roof

? Th

is in

geni

ous

win

d en

ergy

sys

tem

, whi

ch g

ener

ates

en

ergy

wit

h on

ly a

bit

of w

ind,

doe

s pr

ovid

e a

clea

rly

dem

arca

ted

land

ing

plat

form

– b

ut h

ow o

n ea

rth

is S

t goi

ng to

man

age

to th

row

th

e pa

ckag

es s

afel

y th

roug

h th

e ro

tati

ng tu

rbin

e vi

a th

e w

ind

inle

ts?

I can

see

a p

ossi

bilit

y of

blo

ckin

g th

e tu

rbin

e te

mpo

rari

ly

wit

h hi

s st

aff.

Oth

erw

ise

it is

goi

ng to

be

a he

ll of

a jo

b to

car

ry o

ut

his

job

unsc

athe

d.

The

big

bene

fit is

that

he

can

char

ge h

is iP

hone

bri

efly

to c

heck

hi

s lis

t and

find

out

whe

ther

ther

e ar

e sw

eet o

r nau

ghty

chi

ldre

n in

the

hous

e –

for t

hat b

ig b

ook

is ju

st to

o he

avy

to d

rag

alon

g an

y lo

nger

. As

his

grey

has

rece

ntly

bee

n re

plac

ed, i

t may

be

a go

od

idea

to p

urch

ase

an ‘e

lect

ric’

hor

se. W

hich

can

be

rech

arge

d in

tu

rn, o

f cou

rse.

(B)

The

feas

t of S

t Nic

hola

s oo

zes

the

atm

osph

ere

of o

ne h

undr

ed y

ears

ago

out

of

ever

y po

re: c

ultu

ral,

peda

gogi

cal a

nd te

chni

cal.

Bla

ck a

ssis

tant

s, p

rese

nts

thro

ugh

chim

neys

, the

big

boo

k an

d al

l tho

se s

ongs

abo

ut s

wee

t chi

ldre

n fin

ding

a d

oll

wit

h br

aids

in it

s ha

ir in

thei

r sho

es …

If th

e le

gend

of S

t Nic

hola

s w

ere

inve

nted

to

day,

all

of th

at w

ould

be

diffe

rent

. But

wha

t is

real

ly th

e es

senc

e of

this

chi

ldre

n’s

feas

t? T

hat n

othi

ng c

hang

es a

nd e

very

thin

g st

ays

the

sam

e!

Is th

ere

abso

lute

ly n

othi

ng th

at w

e ca

n of

fer S

t Nic

hola

s fr

om th

e w

orld

of

mod

ern

scie

nce

and

tech

nolo

gy?

Ther

e is

! The

cha

nges

onl

y ne

ed to

be

invi

sibl

e,

in o

rder

not

to d

istu

rb th

e tr

adit

ion.

Hen

ce: t

he c

loak

of i

nvis

ibili

ty! Y

ou k

now

, a

mag

ical

ele

men

t in

whi

ch H

arry

Pot

ter c

ould

hid

e ni

cely

from

Sne

ep a

nd s

o on

. O

nly:

it is

not

mag

ical

: the

re is

ser

ious

sci

enti

fic w

ork

that

can

mak

e th

is c

loak

ac

tual

ly p

ossi

ble.

The

idea

is th

at c

erta

in s

truc

ture

s le

ad th

e lig

ht a

roun

d an

ob

ject

and

then

fully

reco

nstr

uct i

t. T

he ‘S

teal

th’ a

irpl

anes

are

the

first

ver

sion

of

thes

e te

chni

ques

.

Now

wha

t is

St t

o do

wit

h su

ch a

clo

ak?

He,

or a

n in

visi

ble

Bla

ck P

eter

nex

t to

him

, can

car

ry o

ut a

ll so

rts

of n

ovel

ties

beh

ind

his

cloa

k: c

onsu

lt da

taba

ses

to

chec

k th

e sw

eetn

ess

of th

e ch

ild, c

heck

bud

gets

to s

ee if

ther

e is

any

mon

ey le

ft

for a

Pla

y st

atio

n, m

ake

trav

el p

lans

, mod

erni

ze th

e lo

gist

ics…

. The

opt

ions

are

en

dles

s. F

or a

n ul

tram

oder

n St

Nic

hola

s, w

ho c

an s

till k

eep

up th

e ol

d-fa

shio

ned

trad

itio

n. (E

E)

By

far t

he m

ost o

utda

ted

feat

ure

of S

t Nic

hola

s is

the

way

in w

hich

he

gath

ers

his

info

rmat

ion

that

he

lugs

al

ong

on h

is h

orse

. It s

eem

s pr

etty

obv

ious

to m

e th

at

is it

hig

h ti

me

he s

wap

ped

that

gig

anti

c to

me

for a

n iP

ad.

Wha

t sho

uld

be d

one

diff

eren

tly

in th

e ye

ar 2

012

is

the

way

in w

hich

he

mon

itor

s hi

s lit

tle

rasc

als.

Hav

ing

blac

k m

en c

reep

dow

n ch

imne

ys to

see

if th

e ch

ildre

n ar

e be

havi

ng th

emse

lves

, ser

ious

ly?

Ever

hea

rd o

f hea

lth

and

safe

ty re

gula

tion

s? H

e ha

s a

repu

tati

on o

f pay

ing

very

sho

rt s

hrift

to p

rivac

y an

yway

, so

St N

icho

las

wou

ld

do b

ette

r to

ente

r int

o an

alli

ance

wit

h Zu

cker

berg

and

hi

s cr

onie

s. A

fter

all,

in to

day’

s so

ciet

y ev

eryb

ody

who

is

abl

e to

mak

e a

few

tott

erin

g st

eps

has

a Fa

cebo

ok

acco

unt f

ull o

f per

sona

l inf

orm

atio

n. (W

&I)

The

occu

pati

onal

haz

ards

of o

ld S

t Nic

hola

s ca

n be

sub

stan

tial

ly

redu

ced

by fi

ttin

g hi

s m

iter

wit

h a

size

able

spo

tlig

ht, s

o th

at h

e w

ill a

lway

s ha

ve a

goo

d vi

ew o

f the

slip

pery

roof

tops

. The

ene

rgy

requ

ired

will

be

gene

rate

d by

the

rock

ing

of h

is h

orse

. (ID

) The

them

e ‘W

eara

ble

Sen

ses’

, whi

ch fo

cuse

s on

ele

ctro

nics

wor

n cl

ose

to th

e bo

dy,

is a

ble

to m

anag

e w

ith

St 2

.0. W

hat a

bout

a s

enso

r tha

t det

ects

whe

ther

nau

ghty

ch

ildre

n ar

e pu

lling

our

Hol

y M

an’s

bea

rd to

o ve

hem

entl

y? W

hen

a th

resh

old

is

cros

sed

the

bear

d ca

n st

art b

linki

ng o

r -le

ss c

onsp

icuo

us, b

ut a

t lea

st e

qual

ly

effe

ctiv

e- e

mit

a p

ulse

. (ID

)

Of c

ours

e S

t Nic

hola

s is

ver

y ve

ry o

ld, y

et w

ith

a sm

atte

ring

of

up-t

o-da

te k

now

ledg

e of

TU

/e a

nd a

litt

le b

it o

f hel

p fr

om in

dust

rial

en

gine

ers

he c

ould

mak

e lif

e in

his

old

age

con

side

rabl

y m

ore

com

fort

able

. St N

icho

las

and

his

help

ers

still

jour

ney

to th

e N

ethe

r-la

nds

by b

oat,

whi

ch a

lso

has

to c

arry

all

the

pres

ent t

hat s

ubse

-qu

entl

y ne

ed to

be

deliv

ered

to a

ll th

e pe

ople

’s h

omes

. It w

ould

be

muc

h be

tter

if N

icho

las

wer

e to

col

lect

all

orde

rs (w

hich

sti

ll go

by

the

nam

e of

list

of g

ifts

wan

ted)

in h

is c

ontr

ol c

ente

r in

Mad

rid.

He

orde

rs

the

pres

ents

on-

line,

and

sub

sequ

entl

y ha

s th

em c

leve

rly

deliv

ered

do

or-t

o-do

or to

the

swee

t lit

tle

child

ren

by c

ouri

ers

such

as

UPS

, DH

L an

d TN

T. It

sav

es h

im a

hea

p of

wor

k an

d st

affin

g co

sts

for a

ll th

e au

xilia

ry S

t Nic

hola

s re

crui

ts. (

IE&

IS)

ww

w.c

urso

r.tue

.nl

St. w

ho?

Zoom in | 5See for more news www.cursor.tue.nl

St N

icho

las

sets

gre

at s

tore

by

the

heal

th o

f his

Bla

ck P

eter

s an

d th

e ch

ildre

n. B

y m

eans

of i

mag

ing

mar

kers

St N

icho

las

has

been

tr

acki

ng th

e ab

sorp

tion

of ‘

pepe

r-no

ten’

(gin

gerb

read

nut

s) in

to th

e bo

dy, a

nd e

xam

ined

the

rela

tion

be

twee

n th

e in

gest

ion

of p

eper

note

n an

d th

e de

velo

pmen

t of d

iabe

tes.

Th

e ‘p

eper

note

n’ w

hich

Bla

ck P

eter

no

w s

catt

ers

arou

nd (a

nd e

ats)

, hav

e be

en g

iven

suc

h a

com

posi

tion

that

th

ey ta

ste

like

genu

ine

‘pep

erno

ten’

, w

hile

bei

ng a

s he

alth

y as

frui

t and

ve

geta

bles

. So

keep

the

swee

ts

com

ing!

(BM

T)

Alth

ough

our

hol

y m

an is

not

as

youn

g as

he

used

to b

e, th

e gr

owin

g w

orld

pop

ulat

ion

is m

akin

g lif

e ev

er b

usie

r for

him

. S

mal

l won

der t

hen

that

he

is fo

rced

to h

ire

mor

e an

d m

ore

auxi

liary

St N

icho

las

and

Bla

ck P

eter

recr

uits

to h

and

out

all t

he p

acka

ges.

How

ever

, con

side

ring

the

econ

omic

dow

ntur

n in

Spa

in, N

icho

las

can

no lo

nger

aff

ord

this

. Whi

ch

is w

hy w

e at

TU

/e h

ave

been

wor

king

har

d to

find

the

ulti

mat

e so

luti

on, u

nder

cod

e na

me

‘Sin

t 2.0

’: a

help

-rob

ot

St N

icho

las!

Our

hel

p-ro

bot S

t Nic

hola

s co

mes

wit

h st

ate-

of-t

he-a

rt re

cogn

itio

n so

ftw

are

to m

ake

sure

that

al

l the

chi

ldre

n w

ill g

et th

e ri

ght p

rese

nts.

He

wor

ks n

ight

and

day

, wit

hout

eve

r get

ting

tire

d,

rech

argi

ng h

imse

lf w

ith

the

batt

erie

s th

at th

e ch

ildre

n ha

ve p

ut in

thei

r lit

tle

shoe

s fo

r him

. In

add

itio

n, th

e he

lp-r

obot

St N

icho

las

colla

bora

tes

clos

ely

wit

h a

smal

l arm

y of

TU

RTLE

robo

t Pe

ters

, who

can

sho

ot th

e pa

ckag

es fr

om th

e st

reet

righ

t up

into

the

chim

neys

.

Th

e m

usic

al e

nter

tain

men

t thi

s ye

ar is

pro

vide

d by

a g

roup

of D

ARE

robo

t Pet

ers,

who

cea

sele

ssly

kee

p pl

ayin

g ‘S

inte

rkla

asje

kom

maa

r bin

nen

met

je ro

bot’

(W)

Feat

urin

g co

ntri

buti

ons

by: B

or d

e Ko

ck, s

tude

nt M

athe

mat

ics

and

Com

pute

r Sci

ence

(W

&I)

- Ger

rit K

roes

en, p

rofe

ssor

of A

pplie

d Ph

ysic

s (T

N) -

Maa

rten

Ver

stee

g, le

ctur

er/r

esea

rche

r Ind

ustr

ial D

esig

n (ID

) - Jo

s va

n de

r Tol

, res

earc

her E

lect

rica

l Eng

inee

ring

(EE)

- Al

exan

der S

uma,

lect

urer

/res

earc

her A

rchi

tect

ure,

Bui

ldin

g an

d Pl

anni

ng (B

) - A

ukje

Zijl

stra

, com

mun

icat

ions

offi

cer B

iom

edic

al E

ngin

eeri

ng (B

MT)

- M

arti

jn v

an A

sper

t, s

tude

nt O

pera

tion

s M

anag

emen

t & L

ogis

tics

, Ind

ustr

ial

Engi

neer

ing

& In

nova

tion

Sci

ence

s (IE

&IS

) - H

eico

San

dee,

pro

ject

man

ager

robo

tics

Mec

hani

cal E

ngin

eeri

ng (W

).

The

life

of S

t Nic

hola

s, fo

r man

y ye

ars

a sh

inin

g ro

le m

odel

for

Bio

med

ical

Eng

inee

ring

buf

fs. N

owad

ays

we

know

bet

ter h

ow to

liv

e a

long

, hap

py, h

ealt

hy li

fe. T

hat i

s w

hy S

t Nic

hola

s is

one

of t

he

fam

ily to

try

out a

ll th

e ne

w m

edic

al g

adge

ts. A

ltho

ugh

Nic

hola

s de

finit

ely

does

look

the

1732

-yea

r-ol

d m

an h

e is

, you

can

not s

ay

the

sam

e fo

r his

insi

des.

Rec

entl

y he

was

the

first

vol

unte

er to

re

ceiv

e a

tiss

ue-e

ngin

eere

d he

art,

gro

wn

from

his

ow

n st

em c

ells

. (B

MT) Am

erig

o’s

sadd

le h

as b

een

give

n an

ove

r-ha

ul. N

o m

ore

decu

bitu

s so

res

for N

icho

las!

(B

MT)

St N

icho

las

is e

xpos

ed to

mill

ions

of w

ish

lists

eve

ry y

ear.

Al

l of t

hose

list

s co

ntai

n m

illio

ns o

f ger

ms,

whi

ch h

ave

no

trou

ble

at a

ll pe

netr

atin

g hi

s w

hite

glo

ves.

Thi

s m

eans

that

th

e ri

sk o

f St N

icho

las

cont

ract

ing

a ba

cter

ial i

nfec

tion

is

huge

.

Des

pite

this

, nob

ody

has

ever

foun

d S

t Nic

hola

s to

dev

elop

a

rash

, ope

n w

ound

s or

sor

es th

at w

ill n

ot h

eal e

asily

. Thi

s is

bec

ause

thro

ugho

ut a

ll th

ose

cent

urie

s it

has

bee

n hi

s w

ont t

o sc

rub

his

hand

s m

any

tim

es e

very

day

, aft

er w

hich

he

inva

riab

ly p

uts

on n

ew g

love

s. It

als

o ha

ppen

s re

gula

rly

that

Nic

hola

s ke

eps

on w

orki

ng in

spi

te o

f cha

fed

and

smar

ting

han

ds: h

is g

love

s co

ncea

l so

muc

h.

For t

his

reas

on h

e ha

s be

gun

a co

llabo

rati

on w

ith

the

plas

ma

phys

ics

grou

p EP

G w

ithi

n th

e Ap

plie

d Ph

ysic

s D

epar

tmen

t. S

t Nic

hola

s’s

scie

ntifi

c st

aff i

s w

orki

ng

toge

ther

wit

h re

sear

cher

s to

dev

elop

the

Plas

ma

cros

ier.

In

deed

: und

er th

e ri

ght c

ircu

mst

ance

s, p

lasm

as c

an k

ill

bact

eria

whi

le le

avin

g hu

man

cel

ls a

nd n

earl

y al

l mat

eria

ls

unaf

fect

ed. A

pla

sma

gene

rato

r has

bee

n bu

ilt in

to th

e cu

rve

of th

e cr

osie

r, w

hich

gen

erat

or is

aut

omat

ical

ly p

ower

ed if

an

ythi

ng c

omes

too

clos

e. T

his

enab

les

St N

icho

las

swift

ly

to d

econ

tam

inat

e al

l the

list

s of

gift

s w

ante

d as

wel

l as

his

own

hand

s by

hol

ding

thes

e cl

ose

to th

e cu

rve

of th

e cr

osie

r.

Wit

hin

seve

ral y

ears

St N

icho

las

will

be

com

mer

cial

izin

g th

is a

pplia

nce.

(TN

)

Whe

reas

we

norm

ally

try

to c

ome

up

wit

h te

xtile

sol

utio

ns th

at c

ontr

ibut

e to

the

elde

rly

livin

g on

thei

r ow

n in

depe

nden

tly

muc

h lo

nger

, it i

s im

port

ant f

or N

icho

las

to m

onit

or h

is

heal

th p

rope

rly

so a

s to

ens

ure

that

he

can

kee

p w

orki

ng. T

his

impl

ies

com

fort

able

und

erw

ear w

ith

a m

echa

nica

lly k

nitt

ed-in

cir

cuit

to

regi

ster

his

hea

rtbe

at, b

lood

pre

ssur

e an

d st

ress

leve

l. It

sta

nds

to re

ason

th

at S

t Nic

hola

s w

ill n

ot k

eep

the

resu

lts

of th

ese

mea

sure

men

ts to

him

self,

as

it c

an b

e de

duce

d fr

om th

e in

tens

ity

of th

e re

d of

his

taba

rd. (

ID)