Creating a Mutant Detector
Today I would like to explore how to create a Mutant Detector, like the one that Peter Dinklage (Trask) uses in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Source : www.digitalspy.co.uk
First of all, The device detects if any mutants are around. Lets think through this premise from a top level perspective. It has the ability to differentiate a mutant from a human, and the ability to differentiate a mutant from a non-living object or a animal. This device will have multiple sensors each checking for different things.
Near IR Spectroscopy: We are going to use spectroscopy to analyze light reflected from mutants to figure out the chemical composition of their body. Since they are mutant with a completely different gene structure, they must have different chemical composition. This method alone will not confirm mutants but merely seperate humans from other bodies/objects.
If a mutant is in the proximity, the device detects a object that is chemically different. Additionally, most living beings are built with mostly carbon. This could further narrow down our suspect. Then we go to next step.
IR - temperature detector : We need to figure out if the body is living or not. For that, we could use a IR temperature detector. IR temperature detectors can tell the temperature of whatever they are pointing to without having to touch it. If the temperature of the body is greater than the ambient temperature, then the probability of that body being a mutant increases.
If the temperature is closer to 96.8, then the mutant is almost confirmed.
*Possible Failure: *, If a mutant body is doing a lot more work than a human body, there is a high chance that his body will produce more heat resulting in higher body temperature even in normal operating conditions.
Pitfall : If the mutant mutated to maintain a body temperature that is not closer to 96.8, then we need more sensors to confirm the mutant.
Lets use our third sensor- the Motion sensor.
Motion Sensor : We will use motion sensing technology to detect ‘normal living being motion’ by analysing motion at multiple points on the detected body. If the object that’s not human moves like human, (most mutants walk normal in X-men) then we confirm with a high probability that it is a mutant.
That’s it! Now we have a mutant detector that works most of the time, but misses a few mutants. Those few mutants should feel special.
Feel free to leave your own thoughts.
P.S. BTW the technology is already here. spectroscopy has been used by scientists for a long time to analyze the cosmos. IR temperature sensors are quite popular in industrial settings, and motion sensors are basically everywhere.
Check out Scio. They perform near IR spectroscopy to analyse chemical composition of everything.