On this week's episode of Science and Star Wars....
It's totally like Rey!
Force Powers.
Welcome to Science and Star Wars
where we explore how close real-world science has come
to our favorite Star Wars technology.
I'm Anthony Carboni and joining me over on the wall,
Hello, my name is Watson.
We do everything together.
And today we're talking about using the Force
of science to mimic using the Force...
the Force
Force before the Force of Force Force the Force the Force the Force.
It's something they talk about kind of a lot in Star Wars.
Watson, what do you know about the Force?
In the film A New Hope, Obi-Wan defines the Force as an energy field
that gets its power from all living things. It surrounds us,
it penetrates us and it binds the galaxy together.
Okay but what does that even mean?
Midichlorians are a microscopic
life-form that resides within all living cells.
I don't understand.
Despite the Force letting you shoot lightning...
or move objects with your mind,
there's no scientific description of how the Force works in Star Wars
but
there is some science getting close to giving us powers similar to the Force.
EEG headsets detect electrical activity in the brain,
allowing users to move connected devices like drones by through alone.
I love the remote-controlled BB-8 toy.
That should not surprise you, I like Star Wars.
But even I can't control one with my mind...
...but Josh Carr can.
[BB-8 sounds]
And that's not the only way scientists are bringing these sweet, sweet Force powers to the real world.
Wearable devices are also allowing people to move objects with a movement of their hand.
Of course, someone had to make that Force Band do more than just control a toy.
They made it control everything in their house.
I can move my hand like this, looks like the Force, the lights turn on and people are just blown away.
It's a little geeky but it's fun.
It's really one of those amazing moments where technology
makes you feel like something really came to life.
And don't forget supermarket doors...
you know you pretended to use the Force while doing that.
I think it's wonderful that we're gonna be able to use these Force-like-powers
to enrich our everyday lives but that's not what I want from the Force,
what I want from the force is to control people's thoughts
and to lift things with my mind.
Ashley Eckstein, you are Ahsoka Tano
and I feel like I am just about to become another Sith
that you hang out with.
[Laughs]
You know what Anthony, as the voice of a Jedi I always think I have the Force
but I don't really. So are you gonna teach me how to use the Force today?
Yes...
...or as close to it as is possible in reality.
I want to start off with something that I really love
from The Last Jedi trailer.
Is this when Rey puts her hand down and all the particles come up?
Yes!
Bring it on!
Alright, we are going to hook you up to this air ionizer
and charge you up with about ten thousand volts of static electricity.
Okay, let me get into Rey.
Oh my gosh!
It's totally like Rey!
So you've got ten thousand volts in your hand
the table has no charge
the sand wants to reach up and meet the charge in your hands.
Once it gets there, it releases itself.
It's just dancing up and down.
So it's kind of like a balance in the Force?
Yes, that's the technical term.
[Laughs]
What is the next thing you think of when you think of Jedi?
These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Yes, this is the Jedi mind-trick helmet.
What we're going to do, is hook two electrodes up to my vestibular system.
That's my inner ear, my sense of balance.
Then I'm going to give you a controller
and whichever way your hand goes...
...so goes my body.
No way!
Yes!
I am now wearing the helmet.
I can't see anything.
I am just going to walk straight.
You are going to turn me.
Ohhhh!
It was so weird. My body wants to balance itself against a change
in the ground that I know is not happening.
[Laughing]
Okay, you're good!
Im good?
Yes!
Next up, my personal favorite.
Willing physical objects to use.
Okay, so let's say you're riding around on a tauntaun. Something takes you by surprise
and you wake up in a wampa cave with a five pound electromagnet strapped to your hand.
Ashley Eckstein, what do you do?
You reach for your lightsaber.
That's right, here we go!
Uhh, the Force is not strong with you, Anthony.
Wow, give it a second Ashley!
Let me move it closer.
[Laughs]
Thank you.
Oh, the Force!
I think you could have just grabbed it faster if you didn't have this giant magnet in your hand.
That is a fair assessment.
Ashley Eckstein, thank you so much for coming by.
Thanks for having me!
And remember if you want to try out your Jedi skills,
you can go to 2TruthsWithWatson.com
and try to Jedi mind-trick Watson.
And you can watch all of the rest of our videos at IBM.com/StarWars