| From: | "Arno R. Lehmann" <arlehma@***.NET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Living Power (longish) |
| Date: | Fri, 26 Jun 1998 12:37:01 +0200 |
<snip>
>Okay, many people seem to think that blood pressure is a function of heart
>rate, heart pumping force, and the amount of fluid (usually blood) in the
>system.
>
>Missing a key factor. Arteries and veins are able to constrict themselves
>or to expand their diameter (I can't recall if this is a function of the
>arteries themselves, or of the surrounding tissues like muscle, but I think
>it's inherent to the arteries themselves).
Correct AFAIK.
>So at a moments notice, the
>heart not only starts beating faster and more forcefully, the arteries
>constrict themselves, thereby creating much higher blood pressure very
>quickly. It's part of the bodies general self-defense mechanism, but
>especially to problems of fluid loss.
It's more than a self-defense mechanism, it's also of big importance
for regular blood transport. Arteries are "active pipes", they move the
blood in them further and don't only provide a connection between heart
and the "target".
>Now I imagine you'd have to have large sections of artery loaded with the
>little turbine-fan-screwdriver thingies in order to generate sufficient
>power. You probably also, in order to install those things and keep them
>from breaking, have to keep the arterial walls relatively rigid.
This then will take away a lot of the arteries efficience for blood
transport and will cause side-effects like death ;-)
You should not do this - arteriea must keep their ability to constrict.
To avoid damage to the turbines you must find other ways.
>(BTW,
>what's to keep cholesterol build-up on the turbines themselves? Cuts power
>and causes a heart attack!). Rigid arterial walls takes away one of the
>bodies big self-defense mechanism and will cause a person like this to
>bleed out much faster than normal.
Not quite true since the poor guy with rifgid arteries will have other
problems, but still, you should not make arteries rigid. Period.
So basically, if we assume the turbines can take the stress from the
bloods current and pressure it is important to avoid that they touch
each other when arteries constrict. Achieving this is simple: Just
leave some space around them. That spacing is only necessary between
the ones next to each other around the arteries circumference; since
arteries don't shorten (that would be bad... :-) you can space the
turbines close to each other along the arterie's wall.
Well, you can't: They would suffer a huge loss of blood current if they
were directly behind each other. Simple solution: Place them this way
around the arteries:
> > >
---> > > > <-turbine
blood > > >
Considering the problems with cholesterol (and possibly other stuff,
too) I think you can find materials with surfaces that are unlikely to
cause that sort of problem. Like theo ones they use for artificial
veins or arteries.
Another problem might be that moving parts of the turbines are likely
to destroy blood cells. AFAIK red blood cells can be damaged easily (It
happens, for example, when blood flows really fast through small holes
between heart chambers: The difference in pressure disrupts the cells)
and can cause some sort of anaemia. If your arteries are lined with
machinery to cut blood cells I assume you will be in real trouble.
Solution: replace the blood cells with the stuff from Shadowtech
(AFAIK; forgot the name & don't have any sourcebooks here). This would
also include the removal of bone marrow to avoid production of new
blood cells, than you would need a new immune system etc. etc.
This is getting some comlex cyber/bioware procedure, I think.
Anyway, the more I think about it I like this. Not as a toy for
players, but as something that is researched and might lead to a
comletely new level of artificialness for humans. But then, if you
replace so much, why keep the herat as a driving mechanism and not
develop something that produces electricity more direct?
Now I suppose I'm starting a new thread or reviving an old one, the ona
about how cyberware is powered.
Three good solutions come to my mind.
1. Batteries. Easy, old and reliable technology, but needs regular
replacement.
2. Using the bodies resources. Unlike Keith#s system I would prefer a
chemical system: use ATP, the body's own energy transportaion molecule.
3. Make cyberware that produces electricity from modified nerve cells,
like electric eels.
Everything that uses the body itself to produce it's power has one
major drwback: There is only a very limited amount of power that can be
used, at least without major side-effects. All that power has to come
from somewhere, usually through food. Remember the disadvantages of the
superthyroid (sp?) ?
And then certain things will still remain impossible, because the
necessary power simply can't be delivered by the body. Every action
needs a certain amount of power: For example picking up and throwing a
small car (old example, I know :-) will need lots of energy, more
energy than a human body can produce.
All IMHO and AFAIK of course, but I won't allow such things in my
campaign, and prefer cyberware that simply works without knowing the
details. I guess that FASA left this out intentionally, like with all
the computer tech details.
>Wow. My vaguely remembered EMT training is paying off sort of!
Wow. My vaguely remembered medical training is also paying off!
--
Arno
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