Prosthetic Tail

[ysabetwordsmith]

I say prosthetic tail, rather than costume, because it is partially functional.  It wags slowly for calm, faster for happy, wildly for excited.  So far, it's just a fairly simple spectrum of movement based on changes in the wearer's heartbeat.  It can't signal the many other things that a natural tail can, such as anger or fear.  But it's a step in the right direction for some Otherkin folks who feel like parts of their body are missing, and yes, that can impair communication.

Now consider that there are two primary pieces of emotive body language accessible, the other being ears.  Ordinary humans communicate emotion mainly with facial expression, augmented by other body language and voice tone.  But those modes don't work well or feel natural for everyone.  Some folks prefer other options.  And some are perfectly fluent with the standard set but want more.

Comments

[cmcmck]

'Otherkin folks who feel like parts of their body are missing'

And not just otherkin folks! Oh lord I know that one!

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

There are many folks who would find this useful, yes. I'm glad it resonates with you too.

Re: Yes...

[cmcmck]

Although it was easier (easier!?) for me to do something about.

[raze]

This says something interesting to me about how many people feel a strong connection with non-human animals, be it mere admiration to an identity, that there is a market for a device to help mimic their body language.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That intrigues me too, especially now that there are two such devices for different body parts. I suspect that for most people it's just a fancy geektoy, but I'm glad there's enough demand to make such things available.

[clare_dragonfly]

How cool!

I can't decide whether I would be more or less happy with prosthetic wings. On the one hand, if people could see them they would probably stop crushing them (the only emotion-type signaling I would do with them would be pulling them in close in crowds), but on the other hand, they would really get in the way when sitting in chairs. And now that wings are on my mind and I'm sitting in a chair I can't get comfortable...

Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I suspect the tradeoff is variable. For people who want any kind of reminder, especially if they've been using a static prosthetic, partially responsive prosthetics are a definite improvement. Also worth consideration for people who don't wear a static prosthetic because it doesn't do anything. For people who have been passing as human, or who are primarily attached to the idea of full function, it's probably not helpful.

[krait]

Way cool! My first thought was how useful this could be for people who work with animals, like me (wrong species, though) -- what a great way to "translate" socialisation concepts for, say, neglected dogs etc. who never learned to read human reactions!

Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

That's a great idea. Wolf scholars, animal trainers, zookeepers, etc. could benefit from this. It should work with any social animal whose features match, such as lions or wolves.

Re: Wow!

[krait]

It really would! It'd be great the other way, too, in demonstrating -- say -- lion behavioural cues to a group without actually exposing them to lions before they understand them. :D Though, of course, a video would do the same, it might be useful to have them able to mimic the gestures back! Bet they'd learn faster.

Re: Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>It'd be great the other way, too, in demonstrating -- say -- lion behavioural cues to a group without actually exposing them to lions before they understand them.<<

I agree, that's a great idea.

>> Though, of course, a video would do the same, it might be useful to have them able to mimic the gestures back! <<

A video is good for showing what something looks like or how something happened. It's less good for showing variations or for real-time interactions.

With prosthetic ears and tail, you could say, "Okay, I'm the alpha wolf. What am I communicating to you? What message do you want to send back to me?" Then you can go back and forth between teacher and students.

>> Bet they'd learn faster. <<

I suspect so.

Though to be fair, I'm fluent enough in Wolf -- even in a human body -- that I can usually get them to answer me when I meet some at a zoo or wildlife park.

Re: Wow!

[krait]

Heh, I'm fairly fluent in Dog, Cat, and Horse, though the latter hasn't had much exercise in the last few years. (Alas.)

Being fluent in Wolf makes me think of the excellent fantasy series by Jane Lindskold. :D

Re: Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yeah, I'm pretty good with those too.

[judifilksign.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be surprised to find that in the near future, there will be biofeedback tails, with more specific movements to thoughts, as the cutting edge artificial limb technology starts to trickle down.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

That seems plausible.

[cissa.livejournal.com]

I know I envy my cats their expressive tails and ears! Maybe we had to develop language because we didn't have such.

[brushwolf]

Ooops. Had not realized that you'd already mentioned this stuff when I posted a comment about ears and tails earlier.