Could Rikers butt destroy the Enterprise?

[Capt. Vulcan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMHAZwR-BdQ

Ok, so not really destroy the enterprise. But Riker was quite fond of sitting on com panels. How was the computer able to tell whether a person was sitting on a console, vs inputting commands? Even if you consider that maybe cloth isn't recognized, he puts his hands on there too. And even then you'd have to consider those that have to wear gloves and whatnot with their bio suits.

Does the computer scan the people and decide if they're inputting commands or not? What if a comm panel explosion left a person with plasma burns on their hands, so they had to use their genitals to activate stuff? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Captain Ice]

Size of contact area maybe?

Could be set do that something the size of a finger would activate the control, but something larger may not.

Also - If you touch multiple buttons on a touch screen today, it will not do anything until you are only touching one. Maybe something similar occurs on the Enterprise?

 

[Timo]

Even today's keyboards (or rather, the software environment) can to a reasonable degree differentiate between deliberate keypresses and cats that jump onto keyboards. TNG consoles seem to be pretty "smart" in recognizing different users and their different settings and typing habits, and could well have an "artificial common sense" routine that at the very least queries the user "do you really want to activate all these things at once, while simultaneously erasing all these other things and making me beep?" before executing the commands.

I gather the "pool table" console at Engineering is evidence of this being a standard feature. It's regularly used as a support surface for various items, and obviously intended as such, but it's also an input device...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Temis the Vorta]

How was the computer able to tell whether a person was sitting on a console, vs inputting commands?

Those new-fangled smell-O-metric keyboards I've heard tell about?

Designed by Bender B. Rodríguez, no doubt.

 

[Ethros]

YourWaysAreQuaint said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMHAZwR-BdQ

Thanks for sharing that btw, hilarious

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Could Riker's butt destroy the Enterprise?

That's why they had to put in the joystick.

 

[M'Sharak]

^ Stealth funny. It caught up as I went to read the next thread.

 

[GeorgeKirk]

It's a well-known fact that the Enterprise control panels contain a Gluteus Maximus Sensor to protect against just such an occurrence.

 

[JD]

That is really funny. He did seem to always be sitting or leaning on things didn't he.

Good thing he never did that on any of the tactical control panles.

 

[Redshirts_Widow]

Hell it was a wonder how Data ever managed to do anything seeing as he had Rikers groin in his face throughout the first two series everytime Riker decided to wander over to OPS.

By which of course I mean Data was able to do anything in regards to ship operations....not Rikers groin....that'd be kinda wrong...i'll be getting my coat then....