What is it exactly? Is it somehow related with nanopore DNA-sequencing machines of Oxford Nanopore?
It's all supposedly for humanitarian purposes but I am unfamiliar with the bodies involved so you'll all have to do your own research.
I am the chief "body involved" (CEO/founder), and I suspect if you knew me you'd consider me a humanitarian, FWIW. Perhaps a too-humanitarian.
Do we buy the console? Who says what goes in the vials? Is it necessary to clean it out if its nanopores get gummed up, or replace parts? Nothing about this thing is clear.
"Do we buy the console?"—yes, details on pricing etc. forthcoming "Who says what goes in the vials?"–you, and the game designers. The console takes "local inputs"(yours), supplied reagents, and combinations of both. "Is it necessary to clean it out if its nanopores get gummed up?"–yes, there will be easy-to-follow cleaning protocols for the pore cartridges. "...replace parts?"–just the cartridges themselves, you'll switch them in and out during and between different games.
Get on the mailing list and all will become clear. We're still early... but there's a substantial no-bullshit vision here worth waiting for.
Oxford's instruments are focused on DNA, demonpore's instruments are focused on everything else.
I feel like I would be a target audience (games that do real world science and a greater good mixed with some cool looking hardware gadget, hell yeah) and I have children that would probably be interested in such thing.
But even after this extra explanation I don't understand what is the thing actually doing. What is the exact game mechanism? Do I only observe things; do I score better if I am fast or smart; what is the bio stuff in those things and how does it affect the games?
Could you maybe explain it like I'm five? Without using the words nano and molecular and bio and dna :)
The Console at the link above lets you do nanotech, by playing games to put lots of tiny stuff through lots of tiny doors, and thus get big data about tiny stuff. With more data, the sensors can get smart enough to be useful for various applications, like detecting viruses or measuring your poo. Truly, we live in the future
From what I understand, as one plays these games, the console's sensors will be analyzing actual samples of food, poop, microbes, viruses, pollutants, and other molecules..?
This is a fascinating and ambitious project that deserves a much bigger audience. I'm surprised this particular post didn't generate so much interest - it may have just slipped by; it seems like exactly the kind of creative technological application that HN users love.
I hope the PR/marketing efforts continue, with new articles, etc., so that more people get a chance to understand how cool it is.
ATM we need to close our seed round so we're ready to actually ship and support a small alpha release. Regardless of how much attention we have or even capital, it'll only make sense to have a few hundred out there as we work out the kinks. But viral attention and a ton of people having to wait for the beta is fine as well, and if they see how much fun the alpha group is having in spite of the kinks--a lot of the play will be in a kind of "game show" format live, that you'll be able to watch and participate in even without a console--that'll have an impact, I think.
Message me if you're an angel investor or willing to share it with people who will get on the phone with me and can invest. Either way, hope to see you on the sign up list!
And thank you for "getting it". Yes, it's literally an advanced scientific instrument disguised as a toy, and it's our trojan horse for solving biology at population scale, bringing along "the masses" into the adventure in a way like nothing else quite has. We've chewed through mountains of concrete to bring this to where it is, and I want early investors to envision that this might literally be the most important project in the history of biotech... So I read your post with glowing warmth and happiness, and I needed that today!