Dwayne Johnson will voice Krypto the Super-Dog in DC's upcoming animated movie, DC League of Super-Pets, according to a report by Deadline. The report also stated that Johnson will not only be voicing the superdog, but his production company, Seven Bucks Production, is producing the movie as well. This casting news comes just weeks after Johnson announced that Black Adam, a movie where Johnson is starring as the villain-turned-antihero of the same name, is now filming. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/22/black-adam-dc-fandome-official-teaser"] The animated feature is being directed and written by Jared Stern, who also wrote DC's Lego Batman movie. Sam Levine is co-directing the film with Stern. DC League of Super-Pets is set to hit theaters on May 20, 2022, and Warner Bros. is reportedly impressed with the film so far. This May 2022 release date puts this movie up against Mission: Impossible 7 and John Wick: Chapter 4, as Deadline notes. The movie was announced back in 2018, but the news of Johnson voicing Krypto, a dog commonly associated with Superman for obvious Krypton-related reasons, is a new addition. Under Johnson's Seven Bucks Production banner, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and of course, Johnson, will produce the film which is being executive produced by Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, and Nicholas Stoller. The movie itself comes by way of Warner Bros. and Warner Animation Group. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dc-extended-universe-every-upcoming-movie&captions=true"] While waiting for DC League of Super-Pets to hit theaters next May, catch up on Johnson's Black Adam, which will release in theaters on July 29, 2022, by reading about how the movie recently started filming, and then check out IGN's list of everyone announced for the film's cast. Read about all the new DC movies and TV shows coming this year and beyond after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Dwayne Johnson will voice Krypto the Super-Dog in DC's upcoming animated movie, DC League of Super-Pets, according to a report by Deadline. The report also stated that Johnson will not only be voicing the superdog, but his production company, Seven Bucks Production, is producing the movie as well. This casting news comes just weeks after Johnson announced that Black Adam, a movie where Johnson is starring as the villain-turned-antihero of the same name, is now filming. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/22/black-adam-dc-fandome-official-teaser"] The animated feature is being directed and written by Jared Stern, who also wrote DC's Lego Batman movie. Sam Levine is co-directing the film with Stern. DC League of Super-Pets is set to hit theaters on May 20, 2022, and Warner Bros. is reportedly impressed with the film so far. This May 2022 release date puts this movie up against Mission: Impossible 7 and John Wick: Chapter 4, as Deadline notes. The movie was announced back in 2018, but the news of Johnson voicing Krypto, a dog commonly associated with Superman for obvious Krypton-related reasons, is a new addition. Under Johnson's Seven Bucks Production banner, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and of course, Johnson, will produce the film which is being executive produced by Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, and Nicholas Stoller. The movie itself comes by way of Warner Bros. and Warner Animation Group. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dc-extended-universe-every-upcoming-movie&captions=true"] While waiting for DC League of Super-Pets to hit theaters next May, catch up on Johnson's Black Adam, which will release in theaters on July 29, 2022, by reading about how the movie recently started filming, and then check out IGN's list of everyone announced for the film's cast. Read about all the new DC movies and TV shows coming this year and beyond after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Paradox has announced the first full expansion for Crusader Kings 3, and it's going in a very different direction from its predecessor. Royal Court will add a new, full-screen throne room in which you can display treasures and interact with petitioners from across your kingdom. They're also bringing back the character inventory from Crusader Kings 2: Monks and Mystics, including culture-specific weapons that will be displayed on your character and used in animated duels.

Most of Crusader Kings 2's big expansions focused on opening up or fleshing out a specific area, and the Crusader Kings 3: Northern Lords flavor pack, released earlier this year, felt like that kind of expansion. But going in such a different direction for the first major piece of new content seemingly speaks to a desire to lean into CK3's RPG aspects. Taking your eyes off the map and putting them more on characters and physical locations within the world is a major departure from Paradox's usual M.O., and I think it's the bravest and most interesting path they could have taken. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/21/crusader-kings-3-royal-court-announcement-trailer"]

Kings and Emperors with feudal or clan governments will get access to the Royal Court. Lowly Dukes and Counts, as well as tribal rulers, will have to be content with painted 2D backgrounds for now. Spending money to increase the opulence of your court will increase a new stat called Grandeur, which can impress your vassals and attract characters like master smiths and famous poets to you. But the bigger your realm is, the more you'll be expected to spend to maintain appearances, and falling behind can harm your vassal relations, marriage prospects, and prestige. This will allow a new way to play "tall", as a small but wealthy kingdom with a court far grander than their size would suggest can reap a lot of benefits.

That smith who was drawn to your court can be commissioned to make you a special weapon, crown, or set of regalia (no armor for now), which will go into your new inventory and can be passed down through the generations. Even the finest sword doesn't hold its edge forever, though. Your great-great-grandmother's sword may need to be reforged, at great expense, to remain useful in combat. You can, of course, retire it and put it on display instead to make use of its ornamental value.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=crusader-kings-3-screenshots&captions=true"]

You will have access to multiple court types, focusing on things like learning and diplomacy. Investing in your court will unlock things like new court offices, like a royal food taster to defend you against poisoning events, or a court tutor who can help you learn new languages. Why would you want to do that, though? Well, because the free patch coming alongside Royal Court is reworking CK3's entire culture system. Similarly to how religions are constructed in the base game, cultures will now consist of an Ethos, Traditions, and Pillars. Your Ethos, such as bellicose or spiritual, will define the overall theme. Traditions, of which each culture can have up to six, are special bonuses like being better at farming in harsh terrain or allowing women to fight as knights. Pillars define things like what kind of clothing your culture wears, as well as their Heritage, such as Latin, which replaces the old concept of Culture Groups. Owners of the DLC will get further opportunities to play with this system. You'll be able to create divergent cultures, spending prestige to mix up all of the above traits and give your new culture a custom name and map culture. Or if you prefer, a foreign ruler in a far-flung land can create a hybrid culture between their own and that of the people they now rule, like Greco-Norse, Indo-Mongol, or maybe some more historically-grounded ones like Norman. This will allow you to combine traits of your old culture and the new one, so you could raid the Indus with viking warrior monks. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/31/crusader-kings-3-review"] Crusader Kings 3 released last year to great fanfare. In my review, I called it "the new king of historical strategy, expanding on and deepening the best parts of what made its predecessor memorable and unique," with a 10/10 score. Paradox followed this up in April with the small, viking-focused Northern Lords flavor pack, adding lots of new flavor and mechanics for your Scandinavian seafaring needs. We don't have a release date for Royal Court or the associated DLC yet, but some time later this year would fit with Paradox's usual release cycle. Be sure to check out our round-up of all the big news from PDXCon Remixed.

Paradox has announced the first full expansion for Crusader Kings 3, and it's going in a very different direction from its predecessor. Royal Court will add a new, full-screen throne room in which you can display treasures and interact with petitioners from across your kingdom. They're also bringing back the character inventory from Crusader Kings 2: Monks and Mystics, including culture-specific weapons that will be displayed on your character and used in animated duels.

Most of Crusader Kings 2's big expansions focused on opening up or fleshing out a specific area, and the Crusader Kings 3: Northern Lords flavor pack, released earlier this year, felt like that kind of expansion. But going in such a different direction for the first major piece of new content seemingly speaks to a desire to lean into CK3's RPG aspects. Taking your eyes off the map and putting them more on characters and physical locations within the world is a major departure from Paradox's usual M.O., and I think it's the bravest and most interesting path they could have taken. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/21/crusader-kings-3-royal-court-announcement-trailer"]

Kings and Emperors with feudal or clan governments will get access to the Royal Court. Lowly Dukes and Counts, as well as tribal rulers, will have to be content with painted 2D backgrounds for now. Spending money to increase the opulence of your court will increase a new stat called Grandeur, which can impress your vassals and attract characters like master smiths and famous poets to you. But the bigger your realm is, the more you'll be expected to spend to maintain appearances, and falling behind can harm your vassal relations, marriage prospects, and prestige. This will allow a new way to play "tall", as a small but wealthy kingdom with a court far grander than their size would suggest can reap a lot of benefits.

That smith who was drawn to your court can be commissioned to make you a special weapon, crown, or set of regalia (no armor for now), which will go into your new inventory and can be passed down through the generations. Even the finest sword doesn't hold its edge forever, though. Your great-great-grandmother's sword may need to be reforged, at great expense, to remain useful in combat. You can, of course, retire it and put it on display instead to make use of its ornamental value.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=crusader-kings-3-screenshots&captions=true"]

You will have access to multiple court types, focusing on things like learning and diplomacy. Investing in your court will unlock things like new court offices, like a royal food taster to defend you against poisoning events, or a court tutor who can help you learn new languages. Why would you want to do that, though? Well, because the free patch coming alongside Royal Court is reworking CK3's entire culture system. Similarly to how religions are constructed in the base game, cultures will now consist of an Ethos, Traditions, and Pillars. Your Ethos, such as bellicose or spiritual, will define the overall theme. Traditions, of which each culture can have up to six, are special bonuses like being better at farming in harsh terrain or allowing women to fight as knights. Pillars define things like what kind of clothing your culture wears, as well as their Heritage, such as Latin, which replaces the old concept of Culture Groups. Owners of the DLC will get further opportunities to play with this system. You'll be able to create divergent cultures, spending prestige to mix up all of the above traits and give your new culture a custom name and map culture. Or if you prefer, a foreign ruler in a far-flung land can create a hybrid culture between their own and that of the people they now rule, like Greco-Norse, Indo-Mongol, or maybe some more historically-grounded ones like Norman. This will allow you to combine traits of your old culture and the new one, so you could raid the Indus with viking warrior monks. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/31/crusader-kings-3-review"] Crusader Kings 3 released last year to great fanfare. In my review, I called it "the new king of historical strategy, expanding on and deepening the best parts of what made its predecessor memorable and unique," with a 10/10 score. Paradox followed this up in April with the small, viking-focused Northern Lords flavor pack, adding lots of new flavor and mechanics for your Scandinavian seafaring needs. We don't have a release date for Royal Court or the associated DLC yet, but some time later this year would fit with Paradox's usual release cycle. Be sure to check out our round-up of all the big news from PDXCon Remixed.

Paradox has announced the first full expansion for Crusader Kings 3, and it's going in a very different direction from its predecessor. Royal Court will add a new, full-screen throne room in which you can display treasures and interact with petitioners from across your kingdom. They're also bringing back the character inventory from Crusader Kings 2: Monks and Mystics, including culture-specific weapons that will be displayed on your character and used in animated duels.

Most of Crusader Kings 2's big expansions focused on opening up or fleshing out a specific area, and the Crusader Kings 3: Northern Lords flavor pack, released earlier this year, felt like that kind of expansion. But going in such a different direction for the first major piece of new content seemingly speaks to a desire to lean into CK3's RPG aspects. Taking your eyes off the map and putting them more on characters and physical locations within the world is a major departure from Paradox's usual M.O., and I think it's the bravest and most interesting path they could have taken. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/21/crusader-kings-3-royal-court-announcement-trailer"]

Kings and Emperors with feudal or clan governments will get access to the Royal Court. Lowly Dukes and Counts, as well as tribal rulers, will have to be content with painted 2D backgrounds for now. Spending money to increase the opulence of your court will increase a new stat called Grandeur, which can impress your vassals and attract characters like master smiths and famous poets to you. But the bigger your realm is, the more you'll be expected to spend to maintain appearances, and falling behind can harm your vassal relations, marriage prospects, and prestige. This will allow a new way to play "tall", as a small but wealthy kingdom with a court far grander than their size would suggest can reap a lot of benefits.

That smith who was drawn to your court can be commissioned to make you a special weapon, crown, or set of regalia (no armor for now), which will go into your new inventory and can be passed down through the generations. Even the finest sword doesn't hold its edge forever, though. Your great-great-grandmother's sword may need to be reforged, at great expense, to remain useful in combat. You can, of course, retire it and put it on display instead to make use of its ornamental value.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=crusader-kings-3-screenshots&captions=true"]

You will have access to multiple court types, focusing on things like learning and diplomacy. Investing in your court will unlock things like new court offices, like a royal food taster to defend you against poisoning events, or a court tutor who can help you learn new languages. Why would you want to do that, though? Well, because the free patch coming alongside Royal Court is reworking CK3's entire culture system. Similarly to how religions are constructed in the base game, cultures will now consist of an Ethos, Traditions, and Pillars. Your Ethos, such as bellicose or spiritual, will define the overall theme. Traditions, of which each culture can have up to six, are special bonuses like being better at farming in harsh terrain or allowing women to fight as knights. Pillars define things like what kind of clothing your culture wears, as well as their Heritage, such as Latin, which replaces the old concept of Culture Groups. Owners of the DLC will get further opportunities to play with this system. You'll be able to create divergent cultures, spending prestige to mix up all of the above traits and give your new culture a custom name and map culture. Or if you prefer, a foreign ruler in a far-flung land can create a hybrid culture between their own and that of the people they now rule, like Greco-Norse, Indo-Mongol, or maybe some more historically-grounded ones like Norman. This will allow you to combine traits of your old culture and the new one, so you could raid the Indus with viking warrior monks. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/31/crusader-kings-3-review"] Crusader Kings 3 released last year to great fanfare. In my review, I called it "the new king of historical strategy, expanding on and deepening the best parts of what made its predecessor memorable and unique," with a 10/10 score. Paradox followed this up in April with the small, viking-focused Northern Lords flavor pack, adding lots of new flavor and mechanics for your Scandinavian seafaring needs. We don't have a release date for Royal Court or the associated DLC yet, but some time later this year would fit with Paradox's usual release cycle. Be sure to check out our round-up of all the big news from PDXCon Remixed.

Paradox has announced the first full expansion for Crusader Kings 3, and it's going in a very different direction from its predecessor. Royal Court will add a new, full-screen throne room in which you can display treasures and interact with petitioners from across your kingdom. They're also bringing back the character inventory from Crusader Kings 2: Monks and Mystics, including culture-specific weapons that will be displayed on your character and used in animated duels.

Most of Crusader Kings 2's big expansions focused on opening up or fleshing out a specific area, and the Crusader Kings 3: Northern Lords flavor pack, released earlier this year, felt like that kind of expansion. But going in such a different direction for the first major piece of new content seemingly speaks to a desire to lean into CK3's RPG aspects. Taking your eyes off the map and putting them more on characters and physical locations within the world is a major departure from Paradox's usual M.O., and I think it's the bravest and most interesting path they could have taken. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/21/crusader-kings-3-royal-court-announcement-trailer"]

Kings and Emperors with feudal or clan governments will get access to the Royal Court. Lowly Dukes and Counts, as well as tribal rulers, will have to be content with painted 2D backgrounds for now. Spending money to increase the opulence of your court will increase a new stat called Grandeur, which can impress your vassals and attract characters like master smiths and famous poets to you. But the bigger your realm is, the more you'll be expected to spend to maintain appearances, and falling behind can harm your vassal relations, marriage prospects, and prestige. This will allow a new way to play "tall", as a small but wealthy kingdom with a court far grander than their size would suggest can reap a lot of benefits.

That smith who was drawn to your court can be commissioned to make you a special weapon, crown, or set of regalia (no armor for now), which will go into your new inventory and can be passed down through the generations. Even the finest sword doesn't hold its edge forever, though. Your great-great-grandmother's sword may need to be reforged, at great expense, to remain useful in combat. You can, of course, retire it and put it on display instead to make use of its ornamental value.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=crusader-kings-3-screenshots&captions=true"]

You will have access to multiple court types, focusing on things like learning and diplomacy. Investing in your court will unlock things like new court offices, like a royal food taster to defend you against poisoning events, or a court tutor who can help you learn new languages. Why would you want to do that, though? Well, because the free patch coming alongside Royal Court is reworking CK3's entire culture system. Similarly to how religions are constructed in the base game, cultures will now consist of an Ethos, Traditions, and Pillars. Your Ethos, such as bellicose or spiritual, will define the overall theme. Traditions, of which each culture can have up to six, are special bonuses like being better at farming in harsh terrain or allowing women to fight as knights. Pillars define things like what kind of clothing your culture wears, as well as their Heritage, such as Latin, which replaces the old concept of Culture Groups. Owners of the DLC will get further opportunities to play with this system. You'll be able to create divergent cultures, spending prestige to mix up all of the above traits and give your new culture a custom name and map culture. Or if you prefer, a foreign ruler in a far-flung land can create a hybrid culture between their own and that of the people they now rule, like Greco-Norse, Indo-Mongol, or maybe some more historically-grounded ones like Norman. This will allow you to combine traits of your old culture and the new one, so you could raid the Indus with viking warrior monks. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/31/crusader-kings-3-review"] Crusader Kings 3 released last year to great fanfare. In my review, I called it "the new king of historical strategy, expanding on and deepening the best parts of what made its predecessor memorable and unique," with a 10/10 score. Paradox followed this up in April with the small, viking-focused Northern Lords flavor pack, adding lots of new flavor and mechanics for your Scandinavian seafaring needs. We don't have a release date for Royal Court or the associated DLC yet, but some time later this year would fit with Paradox's usual release cycle. Be sure to check out our round-up of all the big news from PDXCon Remixed.

Using a robotic "third thumb" can change how your brain works, according to a new study published by University College London. Specifically, when using a third thumb the human brain begins to blend each finger rather than recognizing each as its own distinctive part of the hand. The UCL and University of Oxford researchers behind this study determined this by scanning the brains of those using a robotic third thumb before use and after five days of training. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/03/28/elon-musk-wants-to-put-a-chip-in-your-brain-ign-daily-fix"] "In our brains, each finger is represented distinctly from the others; among the study participants, the brain activity pattern corresponding to each individual finger became more similar (less distinct)," according to the UCL study. According to one of the researchers behind the study, Paulina Kieliba, this robotic third thumb study is the first to investigate the use of an augmentation device outside of a lab. Twenty participants were trained to use the robotic third thumb over five days and during those five days, they were "encouraged to take the thumb home each day after training to use it in daily life scenarios, totaling two to six hours of wear time per day." These 20 participants were compared to 10 control participants who did the same thing, except their third thumb was static and did not interact with their hand as the robotic thumb did. The study participants first used their thumbs to complete basic tasks like picking up multiple balls or carrying wine glasses. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] In no time at all, the participants were able to use their thumb for much more advanced things like building a block tower while solving a math problem. The third thumb became something the participants no longer needed to focus on to use to the fullest extent as it instead became just another extension of their hand. "Our study shows that people can quickly learn to control an augmentation device and use it for their benefit, without overthinking," UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience designer and designer of this robotic third thumb, Dani Clode said. "We saw that while using the Third Thumb, people changed their natural hand movements, and they also reported that the robotic thumb felt like part of their own body." While the thumb is just that — a thumb — the team foresees uses for similar body augmentation in the future and it doesn't sound too far from the likes of something found in the Deus Ex series. Kieliba said they foresee body augmentation being valuable to "society in numerous ways, such as enabling a surgeon to get by without an assistant, or a factory worker to work more efficiently." Let's hope the people behind this tech don't become the next Doc Ock. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/01/history-of-awesome-deus-ex"] Clode said in the study that she developed the device to work toward reframing how society views prosthetics, "from replacing a lost function to an extension of the human body." Clode's third thumb is 3D-printed and worn on the pinky finger side of the hand. It's controlled by pressure sensors attached to the wearer's feet, specifically on the bottom of the big toes. "Wirelessly connected to the thumb, both toe sensors control different movements of the thumb by immediately responding to subtle changes of pressure from the wearer," the study reads. The participants' brains were scanned a week after the thumb training had subsided and the changes in the brain associated with the robotic third thumb had begun to disappear, which suggests the previous changes seen in the brain aren't necessarily long-term. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/09/the-top-10-modern-rpgs-of-all-time"] "Evolution hasn't prepared us to use an extra body part, and we have found that to extend our abilities in new and unexpected ways, the brain will need to adapt the representation of the biological body," UCL professor, Tamar Makin, said. For more about body augmentation and cyborg robotics, read this story about how Elon Musk's company, Neuralink, is hoping to make a cyborg monkey play "mind pong" and then read about how a Neuralink co-founder says the company could build Jurassic Park if it wanted to. Check out IGN's list of the 25 best Sci-Fi movies after that and then read about why Deus Ex is number 16 on IGN's top 100 RPGs of all time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Using a robotic "third thumb" can change how your brain works, according to a new study published by University College London. Specifically, when using a third thumb the human brain begins to blend each finger rather than recognizing each as its own distinctive part of the hand. The UCL and University of Oxford researchers behind this study determined this by scanning the brains of those using a robotic third thumb before use and after five days of training. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/03/28/elon-musk-wants-to-put-a-chip-in-your-brain-ign-daily-fix"] "In our brains, each finger is represented distinctly from the others; among the study participants, the brain activity pattern corresponding to each individual finger became more similar (less distinct)," according to the UCL study. According to one of the researchers behind the study, Paulina Kieliba, this robotic third thumb study is the first to investigate the use of an augmentation device outside of a lab. Twenty participants were trained to use the robotic third thumb over five days and during those five days, they were "encouraged to take the thumb home each day after training to use it in daily life scenarios, totaling two to six hours of wear time per day." These 20 participants were compared to 10 control participants who did the same thing, except their third thumb was static and did not interact with their hand as the robotic thumb did. The study participants first used their thumbs to complete basic tasks like picking up multiple balls or carrying wine glasses. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] In no time at all, the participants were able to use their thumb for much more advanced things like building a block tower while solving a math problem. The third thumb became something the participants no longer needed to focus on to use to the fullest extent as it instead became just another extension of their hand. "Our study shows that people can quickly learn to control an augmentation device and use it for their benefit, without overthinking," UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience designer and designer of this robotic third thumb, Dani Clode said. "We saw that while using the Third Thumb, people changed their natural hand movements, and they also reported that the robotic thumb felt like part of their own body." While the thumb is just that — a thumb — the team foresees uses for similar body augmentation in the future and it doesn't sound too far from the likes of something found in the Deus Ex series. Kieliba said they foresee body augmentation being valuable to "society in numerous ways, such as enabling a surgeon to get by without an assistant, or a factory worker to work more efficiently." Let's hope the people behind this tech don't become the next Doc Ock. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/01/history-of-awesome-deus-ex"] Clode said in the study that she developed the device to work toward reframing how society views prosthetics, "from replacing a lost function to an extension of the human body." Clode's third thumb is 3D-printed and worn on the pinky finger side of the hand. It's controlled by pressure sensors attached to the wearer's feet, specifically on the bottom of the big toes. "Wirelessly connected to the thumb, both toe sensors control different movements of the thumb by immediately responding to subtle changes of pressure from the wearer," the study reads. The participants' brains were scanned a week after the thumb training had subsided and the changes in the brain associated with the robotic third thumb had begun to disappear, which suggests the previous changes seen in the brain aren't necessarily long-term. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/09/the-top-10-modern-rpgs-of-all-time"] "Evolution hasn't prepared us to use an extra body part, and we have found that to extend our abilities in new and unexpected ways, the brain will need to adapt the representation of the biological body," UCL professor, Tamar Makin, said. For more about body augmentation and cyborg robotics, read this story about how Elon Musk's company, Neuralink, is hoping to make a cyborg monkey play "mind pong" and then read about how a Neuralink co-founder says the company could build Jurassic Park if it wanted to. Check out IGN's list of the 25 best Sci-Fi movies after that and then read about why Deus Ex is number 16 on IGN's top 100 RPGs of all time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Using a robotic "third thumb" can change how your brain works, according to a new study published by University College London. Specifically, when using a third thumb the human brain begins to blend each finger rather than recognizing each as its own distinctive part of the hand. The UCL and University of Oxford researchers behind this study determined this by scanning the brains of those using a robotic third thumb before use and after five days of training. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/03/28/elon-musk-wants-to-put-a-chip-in-your-brain-ign-daily-fix"] "In our brains, each finger is represented distinctly from the others; among the study participants, the brain activity pattern corresponding to each individual finger became more similar (less distinct)," according to the UCL study. According to one of the researchers behind the study, Paulina Kieliba, this robotic third thumb study is the first to investigate the use of an augmentation device outside of a lab. Twenty participants were trained to use the robotic third thumb over five days and during those five days, they were "encouraged to take the thumb home each day after training to use it in daily life scenarios, totaling two to six hours of wear time per day." These 20 participants were compared to 10 control participants who did the same thing, except their third thumb was static and did not interact with their hand as the robotic thumb did. The study participants first used their thumbs to complete basic tasks like picking up multiple balls or carrying wine glasses. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] In no time at all, the participants were able to use their thumb for much more advanced things like building a block tower while solving a math problem. The third thumb became something the participants no longer needed to focus on to use to the fullest extent as it instead became just another extension of their hand. "Our study shows that people can quickly learn to control an augmentation device and use it for their benefit, without overthinking," UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience designer and designer of this robotic third thumb, Dani Clode said. "We saw that while using the Third Thumb, people changed their natural hand movements, and they also reported that the robotic thumb felt like part of their own body." While the thumb is just that — a thumb — the team foresees uses for similar body augmentation in the future and it doesn't sound too far from the likes of something found in the Deus Ex series. Kieliba said they foresee body augmentation being valuable to "society in numerous ways, such as enabling a surgeon to get by without an assistant, or a factory worker to work more efficiently." Let's hope the people behind this tech don't become the next Doc Ock. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/01/history-of-awesome-deus-ex"] Clode said in the study that she developed the device to work toward reframing how society views prosthetics, "from replacing a lost function to an extension of the human body." Clode's third thumb is 3D-printed and worn on the pinky finger side of the hand. It's controlled by pressure sensors attached to the wearer's feet, specifically on the bottom of the big toes. "Wirelessly connected to the thumb, both toe sensors control different movements of the thumb by immediately responding to subtle changes of pressure from the wearer," the study reads. The participants' brains were scanned a week after the thumb training had subsided and the changes in the brain associated with the robotic third thumb had begun to disappear, which suggests the previous changes seen in the brain aren't necessarily long-term. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/09/the-top-10-modern-rpgs-of-all-time"] "Evolution hasn't prepared us to use an extra body part, and we have found that to extend our abilities in new and unexpected ways, the brain will need to adapt the representation of the biological body," UCL professor, Tamar Makin, said. For more about body augmentation and cyborg robotics, read this story about how Elon Musk's company, Neuralink, is hoping to make a cyborg monkey play "mind pong" and then read about how a Neuralink co-founder says the company could build Jurassic Park if it wanted to. Check out IGN's list of the 25 best Sci-Fi movies after that and then read about why Deus Ex is number 16 on IGN's top 100 RPGs of all time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Using a robotic "third thumb" can change how your brain works, according to a new study published by University College London. Specifically, when using a third thumb the human brain begins to blend each finger rather than recognizing each as its own distinctive part of the hand. The UCL and University of Oxford researchers behind this study determined this by scanning the brains of those using a robotic third thumb before use and after five days of training. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/03/28/elon-musk-wants-to-put-a-chip-in-your-brain-ign-daily-fix"] "In our brains, each finger is represented distinctly from the others; among the study participants, the brain activity pattern corresponding to each individual finger became more similar (less distinct)," according to the UCL study. According to one of the researchers behind the study, Paulina Kieliba, this robotic third thumb study is the first to investigate the use of an augmentation device outside of a lab. Twenty participants were trained to use the robotic third thumb over five days and during those five days, they were "encouraged to take the thumb home each day after training to use it in daily life scenarios, totaling two to six hours of wear time per day." These 20 participants were compared to 10 control participants who did the same thing, except their third thumb was static and did not interact with their hand as the robotic thumb did. The study participants first used their thumbs to complete basic tasks like picking up multiple balls or carrying wine glasses. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] In no time at all, the participants were able to use their thumb for much more advanced things like building a block tower while solving a math problem. The third thumb became something the participants no longer needed to focus on to use to the fullest extent as it instead became just another extension of their hand. "Our study shows that people can quickly learn to control an augmentation device and use it for their benefit, without overthinking," UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience designer and designer of this robotic third thumb, Dani Clode said. "We saw that while using the Third Thumb, people changed their natural hand movements, and they also reported that the robotic thumb felt like part of their own body." While the thumb is just that — a thumb — the team foresees uses for similar body augmentation in the future and it doesn't sound too far from the likes of something found in the Deus Ex series. Kieliba said they foresee body augmentation being valuable to "society in numerous ways, such as enabling a surgeon to get by without an assistant, or a factory worker to work more efficiently." Let's hope the people behind this tech don't become the next Doc Ock. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/01/history-of-awesome-deus-ex"] Clode said in the study that she developed the device to work toward reframing how society views prosthetics, "from replacing a lost function to an extension of the human body." Clode's third thumb is 3D-printed and worn on the pinky finger side of the hand. It's controlled by pressure sensors attached to the wearer's feet, specifically on the bottom of the big toes. "Wirelessly connected to the thumb, both toe sensors control different movements of the thumb by immediately responding to subtle changes of pressure from the wearer," the study reads. The participants' brains were scanned a week after the thumb training had subsided and the changes in the brain associated with the robotic third thumb had begun to disappear, which suggests the previous changes seen in the brain aren't necessarily long-term. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/09/the-top-10-modern-rpgs-of-all-time"] "Evolution hasn't prepared us to use an extra body part, and we have found that to extend our abilities in new and unexpected ways, the brain will need to adapt the representation of the biological body," UCL professor, Tamar Makin, said. For more about body augmentation and cyborg robotics, read this story about how Elon Musk's company, Neuralink, is hoping to make a cyborg monkey play "mind pong" and then read about how a Neuralink co-founder says the company could build Jurassic Park if it wanted to. Check out IGN's list of the 25 best Sci-Fi movies after that and then read about why Deus Ex is number 16 on IGN's top 100 RPGs of all time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.