We’re looking at the science of the microbots from Disney and Marvel’s Big Hero 6 in our latest episode.

“Are you satisfied with your care?”

• Baymax

Considering how the entire mission statement of our show involves the intersection of science and story, and how we love the thought of getting younger people excited about STEM, it’s something of a wonder that we didn’t get to Disney’s Big Hero 6 sooner. While technically a superhero story and loosely based on a Marvel property, Big Hero 6 is uniquely original and as wonderfully wholesome as it is action-packed. But best of all (for our purposes, at least), it’s got a central concept and plot device that absolutely beg to be unpacked from every imaginable angle.

No, sadly, it’s not about what makes Baymax so adorably huggable. The piece we’re focusing on for today’s episode is microbots and the attendant neural transmitter which controls them. This is what kicks off virtually all the action in the film, the one with the most real world parallels, and the one that we feel is the best fodder for discussion…for now. We’ll get to our beloved Baymax in a future episode if enough of you ask for him!

Watch the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here…

https://youtu.be/Whc6qcMG1FU

SUGGESTED VIEWING 

While there’s some additional Big Hero 6 media and lore out there, we based our discussion on  this episode solely on the events that take place in that movie…which is plenty good enough as it won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2015. 

But if you (like us) can’t get enough of Baymax, there’s also a Disney+ animated series focused solely on the big cuddly robot titled, appropriately, Baymax!. There’s also a Big Hero 6 animated series that picks up directly after the events of the film. We’re still hoping for a big screen sequel, though!

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do! 

Nanobots vs. Microbots

Hakeem said it best if you’re trying to understand the difference: “A nanobot is a thousand times smaller than a microbot,” although some sources seem to continue to use them interchangeably. But to give you an idea of some of the more exciting developments, there are those that can manipulate a single cell and we are inching (sorry) closer to clinical trials to deploy nano and microbots in human health care. There are reasons to believe this could end up getting us closer to a cure for cancer (yes, that’s a video, but it fit better here than in our “suggested viewing” section).

Brain Computer Interfaces + Nanobots = Coolness!

We also covered the topic of Brain Computer Interfaces a little bit in our episodes on RoboCop and 3 Body Problem, but it’s just as relevant here. Here’s a refresher/overview for you.

And while we’re at it, this paper on the intersection of BCI’s and actual nanobots for real world purposes reads like something that would actually exist in the fictional world of Big Hero 6, but it’s actually real!

Collective Behavior

Sure, the microbots in Big Hero 6 behave in intensely coordinated ways, but you know what else already does that really well in our world? Drone shows!

And The Oscar Goes To…

Who says that Marvel movies aren’t Academy Award worthy? This one sure was!

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

Big Hero 6 isn’t the only Disney animated movie to tackle superheroes. Check out our episode on The Incredibles for more!

Don’t forget, Big Hero 6 is also technically a Marvel movie! We took a look at the similarly tech-centric science of Iron Man here.

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