My Pet Eldritch Horror, Jerry the Slime

Summary

In this engaging video, the presenter explores the fascinating reactions of Jerry, a highly electrically active organism, to electrical stimulation. Using various electrode arrays, the experiment reveals intriguing behavior, such as voltage spikes and inverted pulses, as Jerry recoils from the stimulation. The presenter speculates that Jerry could even be trained to interact with video games through a custom control loop. With humor and enthusiasm, the video highlights Jerry's remarkable abilities, inviting viewers to follow future experiments, purchase Jerry-themed merchandise, and support the channel.

Takeaways

• 😀 The experiment involves electrical stimulation of Jerry, an organism, using electrodes to observe its neural responses.
• 😀 The system removes the stimulation pulse from the recorded signal, allowing the team to focus on the resulting electrical activity.
• 😀 When stimulation is applied, a massive positive voltage spike is seen on the electrodes, followed by a negative swing before returning to normal.
• 😀 The electrical activity observed resembles an action potential, though it is slower and more akin to muscle firing than brain activity.
• 😀 A homemade electrode array is used to cover a wider area of Jerry, revealing larger voltage spikes and swings due to better electrode placement.
• 😀 As the distance from the stimulator increases, some electrodes show inverted pulses, indicating that Jerry might be recoiling from the pulse.
• 😀 The experiment suggests that Jerry could potentially be trained to play video games based on its electrical activity, requiring a different electrode layout and control scheme.
• 😀 The team is excited by Jerry's remarkable electrical activity, believing that many more experiments and demos could be done with it.
• 😀 The creator promotes Jerry-themed merchandise like apparel, mugs, and mousepads, offering a 10% discount with the code 'goo life'.
• 😀 Plans are in place to create a Jerry kit, sell DNA bacteria, and other organisms, with updates being shared through a newsletter.
• 😀 Patrons and channel members are thanked for their support, with special access to a Discord community for additional content and collaboration.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the electrical stimulation in Jerry's experiments?

The electrical stimulation is used to observe and analyze Jerry's neural response, specifically how different electrodes react to the pulses, which can help understand its behavior and possibly control it.

Why does the system remove the stimulation pulse from the recorded signal?

The system removes the stimulation pulse to ensure that the recorded data only reflects Jerry's natural electrical activity and any subsequent reaction, without the interference of the original stimulation pulse.

What is the significance of the massive positive spike and negative swing observed after firing the stimulation pulse?

This pattern indicates a typical neural response, where the positive spike represents the initial reaction, followed by the negative swing, which could indicate an electrical charge redistribution before the signal stabilizes back to normal levels.

How does the response of the electrodes that were not stimulated differ from those that were?

Even the electrodes that weren’t directly stimulated show a reaction, indicating that the electrical activity spreads across Jerry's system, affecting areas farther from the stimulation site.

Why do the far-away electrodes show an inverted pulse?

The inverted pulse in the distant electrodes could be due to Jerry's body shifting or recoiling in response to the stimulation, which might push electrical signals away from the original pulse site.

What hypothesis does the narrator suggest about Jerry's potential for controlling video games?

The narrator hypothesizes that Jerry could potentially be trained to control video games, thanks to its highly active neural system, with the right electrode layout and control scheme.

What makes Jerry an ideal organism for such experiments?

Jerry is highly electrically active, making it a fascinating subject for experiments that explore electrical activity, neural responses, and the possibility of controlling devices through biological signals.

What is the main difference between the high-density electrode array and the homemade electrode array?

The homemade electrode array offers a wider coverage area, providing a better view of Jerry’s response and capturing larger voltage spikes, while the high-density array focuses on more precise, localized measurements.

What is the potential for future research with Jerry based on the findings from the current experiment?

Future research could explore training Jerry for more complex tasks, including potentially creating bioelectric control systems, as well as investigating how different electrode placements can affect neural responses.

How does the narrator show their appreciation for Jerry at the end of the video?

The narrator shows appreciation for Jerry by launching merchandise featuring a design inspired by the organism, offering a discount, and promoting upcoming kits and products related to Jerry, including DNA bacteria and organisms.