Grushkin, Daniel. “A Gaming System Starring…Microbes.” Popular Science June 2014: 65. Print.
A Stanford University bioengineer named Ingmar Riedel-Kruse has completely remodeled ’80s video games. In his own “biotic games,” real paramecia are guided by players using electric fields. For it to work, he used a biotic processor to correspond a paramecium-filled fluid chamber with a hand controller and video display. The invented technology is nothing short of impressive, but it does pose ethical questions. Is using live organisms for play truly acceptable? According to an interview with Riedel-Kruse, the games are harmless to paramecia since they lack the ability to feel pain. To watch the games in action, click here.
