Project – Enhanced tail
This project’s goal is to engineer a cybernetic tail that feels completely natural to wear and control. This arose as an opportunity after Master Tailer from The Tail Company reached out to the Freedom of Form Foundation, asking about whether a collaboration might be an option to explore improving several aspects of tail technology.
In the short term, we aim to analyze muscle groups and explore equipment capabilities. We’ll be exploring equipment sensitivity to a user’s conscious movement with electromyography (electrodes placed above muscles), and working to understand and eliminate background noise.
In the coming months and years, the techniques and signal processing software we develop will make their way into increasingly convincing and immersive tails and other prosthetics. Furthermore, we expect portions of this software may eventually be useful in permanently attached neuroprosthetics.
Results
Newsletter articles
Lev/Kotya
Lev is an aspiring artist who has been drawing since they can remember. Lev has some previous moderation experience, and hopes to do their best in fostering a safe and inspiring community for the FFF. They plan to start attending a Community College soon, and use that as a starting off point for a grand art education.
Splash (Kodii/Kai)
Heya! I’m a freelancer artist and moderator! I’m Splash having a blast!
Dragonfeathers
Dragonfeathers is a multidisciplinary artist in New Jersey. They are wrapping up a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and minor in Biology. They illustrate for the FoFF when asked.
Käseraum
Käs is an undergrad Biology student in the USA. Käs is going to acquire a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, then move to either Germany or Norway for a PhD in Stem Cell Biology with a focus on genetic engineering of said stem cells, especially in organ synthesis. Käs’s current role in the FFF is chat moderation and conducting interviews, and hopes to do more research-focused work in the future.
hyper the bunny
Howdy y’all,
I’m hyper (spelled lowercase), a mechanical engineering student from Seattle, Washington. I currently hold the title of Community Director, which includes organizing outreach / community events, administrating the discord, supervising the social media team, as well as helping with related projects, like the newsletter. No project is completed by just one person, so I do my best to always be available to lend a helping paw. I just really enjoy helping others succeed. Hope to see you in the discord server soon : )
Aurorah
I’m Aurorah, a Software Engineer from New Zealand, lover of Dreams and Stars. My journey in this field unfurled from a captivation with the transformative power of technology — its unique ability to bring visions, passions, and dreams into tangible reality.
You’ll regularly find me engaged in a variety of projects, from game development and 3D art to content creation and occasionally music. I am perpetually on the lookout for new technologies to learn and experiment with. My aim is to use the skills I’ve learnt to eventually build enhancements that extend on, and complement the reality we as a species exist in, so that we may not only be happy, but thrive.
Community is important to me, and I’ve taken on roles to foster inclusive and supportive spaces. I have been involved in a few smaller transhumanist projects and groups that resonate primarily with individuals who identify as ponies. This has been a uniquely fulfilling part of my journey.
As part of the Freedom of Form Foundation, I’m excited to contribute to a mission I deeply believe in: creating a world where everyone feels free, and is able to be their truest selves. I look forward to learning, growing, and building a more inclusive future together.
“Dare to dream beyond the constellations, for in the pursuit of stars, lies the profound melody of possibility and the silent whisper of a life extraordinary.” ✨
Tabitha Moon
Hi! I’m Tabitha, and I’m a red panda based in the south of Brazil, who’s got too many interests and too little time!
I have a love for almost anything technological and audiovisual, from film to music, from netbooks to server racks.
I’m almost always working on many projects and looking to learn new things, and I’m currently working towards a bachelor’s in software engineering.
Currently working on new audiovisual projects for the FFF.
Liz / Lisa Viktoria Leibfried
Liz (she/they) is a 23-year-old non-binary trans lesbian from Germany who was raised in Boulder County, Colorado. She earned her BA in physics with a minor in computer science from the University of Colorado Boulder, and also studied physics at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich for a year. Her background is in physics (optics, classical mechanics, introductory quantum mechanics, and electromagnetism) and computers (C/C++, Python, encryption, CAD, introductory quantum computing).
Their favorite musical artist is Kate Bush, whose songs they find personally inspirational in addition to being moving works of art. One of their favorites is “This Woman’s Work,” which they as a woman interpret to be an affirmation during challenging times. They also interpret it as a message of personal transformation (specifically their former self stepping aside to make way for a newer, truer version of themselves). They hold the ability and right to change to a truer version of oneself in high regard, which is why they are committed to the mission of the Freedom of Form Foundation.
Kistaro
Kistaro is an experienced Senior Software Engineer at an S&P 500 company. Zie is working hard on wrestling all the challenges involved with software engineering for the 3D anatomy project!
SiberDrac
SiberDrac/Will Towler, PhD
PhD, Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Pennsylvania (2019); BS, Biology, Furman University (2011)
Will earned his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in 2019 after defending his dissertation on skeletal malformation in the rare human genetic disease, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). He has published several first author papers and contributed to multiple case reports on the subject. Most recently (2021, Dev Dyn), Will published a review linking human and mouse model data to better understand the role of the mutated gene responsible for FOP in skeletal development. He has presented orally at multiple in-house symposia, and presented posters at international conferences including ASBMR (2017, 2020) and the Gordon Research Conference on Bones and Teeth (2018).
Will is a dedicated developmental biologist with a keen interest in the twin field of regenerative biology – that is, why don’t we as humans regenerate? And how would we “know” what shapes to make, the way other regenerating organisms do? He believes we have the genetic tools to think anew about what “life on Earth” really looks like.
Lathreas
Master’s student in bionanophysics
Lathreas is a bionanophysicist, programmer and artist, with a particular interest in modelling biological systems. His main research focus revolves around molecular patterning mechanisms, nanotechnology applied in a biological context, and biophysics simulations. His further interests revolve around DNA repair and editing mechanisms.
Being intrigued by the idea of applying genetic editing for transhumanist purposes since childhood, Lathreas sees creating a full-body metamorphosis as one of the greatest challenges in science, and would love to help technology advance in that direction.
Zennith
Zennith earned their PhD from Harvard University, in Biological and Biomedical Sciences. Their PhD research focused on neuronal regeneration in the central nervous system. In 2017, they led publication on a major paper in the scientific journal Neuron describing how a gene, if overexpressed through a genetic vector, differentially interacts with retinal neuronal cells, resulting in the regeneration of some axons while other retinal cells are ablated. In addition, Zennith co-authored several other academic papers and gave presentations most notably including the Beijing International Forum on Brain Disorders (2017) and Boston Children’s Hospital Stem Cell Day (2017).
Since that time, they’ve been working as a scientist in bioindustry for their day-job, learning about the process of how far-off ideas get distilled down into practical outcomes that can impact the real world. They’ve been gaining experience in both venture capital-driven startups and mature revenue-earning companies, and in projects that range from ground-up systems design, to development and validation of assays, to helping execute clinical trials regulated by the FDA. They have come to appreciate how companies in the space gather a pragmatic amount of evidence to guide effective decision-making in a time-sensitive way.
For a long time, Zennith has been thrilled about the prospects for biotechnology to positively impact not just medicine, but every aspect of our lives. Transformational technologies sound far-fetched until they aren’t. They are a firm believer in individuality and self-choice, and are encouraged by increasing public appreciation that aspects of identity may not match outward appearance. The coincident timing of these technological and social trends should make for a fun, interesting future.
Volunteering for the Freedom of Form Foundation is an important and fulfilling part of their life. Zennith can often be seen helping schedule board meetings or set the agenda, chiming in with technical questions and suggestions for research projects, helping other volunteers with their tasks or overcoming roadblocks, cheerleading (generally figuratively speaking), being a mentor or advisor for folks, or making the occasional bad pun. They are committed to doing everything in their power to make freedom of form possible for everyone who wants it. And, they think it would be totally awesome to have a tail.*
*Understatement. Rawr. ;3
Tiltwolf
PhD Candidate, University of Toronto
Tilt is a PhD candidate (biochemistry) at the University of Toronto and holds a previous degree in health sciences. Their research is in protein-protein interaction profiling by proteomics, applying these techniques to study how membrane-bound organelles within cells interact with each other to exchange metabolites.
Beyond the university, Tilt believes in practical transhumanism and the achievement of freedom of form by means of biotechnology. Driven by their own experience with nonhuman identity, they are passionate about the right to self-expression and are dedicated to bringing this to the real world.
Serathin
BSc, Biology and Environmental Science, University of Wisconsin Green Bay
Matt blends thoughtfulness with action, and creativity with rigorous precision. He’s experienced in the laboratory, having worked both as a lab tech and quality control technician for nearly a decade. Even during his college career, he was involved with numerous student clubs, including five as their treasurer. He notes that for each club, he had success in achieving their funding goals, and budgeting actions and items he undertook were universally approved.
More recently, he has been starting a company on the side, focused on writing creative fiction. His company has already put out 2 full-length books and numerous commissioned or crowd-funded stories. Despite just formally starting the company as an LLC earlier in 2018, he’s setting the company up for growth by his leadership. Rather than going solo, he’s getting help on writing, and on customer relations, from 2 other people respectively. He manages compliance needs and balances effort between generating new content, attracting new customers, and keeping up with administrative tasks.
Matt was excited to join the Freedom of Form Foundation due to his long-term interests in morphological freedom, and he will be enthusiastic to use his skills and talents within our organization to make it possible.
Keiro
Professionally Certified Systems Administrator
Ramon is Chief Information Officer and Director for the Foundation. He has led several major projects that boosted the productivity of his peers, in addition to providing higher reliability for publicly available services. He has also presented at Anthro New England, discussing some of the technology in use by the Freedom of Form Foundation.
He is a deaf activist and believes that technology and biology will blend together and present new, exciting ways of exploring one’s self and how one interacts with technology and the world around us, including many benefits for cochlear implant users such as himself. To him, the Freedom of Form Foundation represents the ability to choose for one’s self the way one is to be viewed and interacted with in today’s ever-evolving world of confusion.
Syralth
PhD in Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh;
BSc, Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh (2014)
Keiran Stevenson earned his PhD at the Department of Cell Biology at the University of Edinburgh. More specifically, he’s studyied in the field of synthetic biology, and performed his thesis research in the Pilizota lab. The laboratory’s overall aim is to engineer bacteria to better synthesize ethanol for biofuels production, a deceptively tricky task requiring live quantitative fluorescence microscopy, osmolarity regulation pathways, and stress response mechanisms. He’s also an experienced programmer in Python and MATLAB, and combines custom scripts with established frameworks like TensorFlow to help analyze massive numbers of cells automatically. He already has authorship on three scientific publications in well-trusted journals, including a first-author publication in Scientific Reports, demonstrating his contributions to making synthetic biology more quantitative and predictable.
He’s also been active outside the lab, having volunteered for the “Click” young arts group where he developed skills in video editing and presentation to create promotional materials for Perth, and at the Perth and Kinross Youth council where he gained skills in marketing, team work, event planning, and securing financial resources.
What really motivates him, though, is a challenge. He prefers solving problems rather than pure discovery. From a young age, he’s been a bit of an “engineer”, frequently taking things apart and putting them back together, occasionally to the annoyance of his parents. He’s straddled the line of understanding the world with practical applications ever since, including through his Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology, and his mixing of attending classes on fundamental biochemistry and human physiology with studies in more immediately tangible efforts like building a new, lower-cost automatic liquid handling robot and improving every-day techniques used in his lab.
Svaros
BA, Dual majors in Business Administration and Environmental Science, Austin College (2015)
Matthew holds Dual Majors in Business Administration and Environmental Science from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and is now employed by the Texas state government. He has experience interfacing between corporations and government offices to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. As our organization will likewise need to comply with complex networks of laws and rules, we will benefit greatly from Matthew’s experience in navigating these types of interactions.
Moreover, his Liberal Arts background provides a broad base of knowledge that is balanced with practical experience in activities ranging from speechwriting, to organizing student events, to accounting. Matthew understands current realities, including the importance of engaging with teams, potential clients, and the broader public, and is continually helping us balance our high aspirations with steady and efficient development of our organization.
Matthew’s vision for the foundation is to facilitate the idea of bodily modification as an acceptable form of self-expression. He’s optimistic about the trajectories of our research, especially on seeing early results from work on neuroprosthetics. He believes the greatest challenges that the organization will face will be (1) social tolerance/acceptance and (2) ensuring the accessibility (not exclusivity) of the results of our research. To combat this and promote acceptance, he is pushing for the development and deployment of a prototype prosthetic limb that would allow not only for someone to experience that ultimate form of self-expression but provide a proof of concept. With this accomplishment achieved, he believes the next steps should be promoting this technology to the public within certain circles and investigate the logistics of mass marketing the creations.
Moonbeam
Bachelors student, Psychology, University of Mary Washington
Moonbeam is on the Board of Directors. She served as our first Community Director starting in 2020 until 2023, helping cultivate the thriving community that it is today. She is currently working on her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Angel
Pony princess, Transfem, all around purveyor of fluff and good fun, fascinated by the applications for bioprinting, hopeful for the future of fluffy self expression, and despite her best efforts very much not a morning person. Currently working on a degree in accounting, and hoping to provide any help she can!
Elapids
BS in Civil Engineering MSU 2015
As a transhumanist and trans woman, Elapids cares deeply about ensuring people are able to mold their bodies as they see fit, and present their real selves to the world at large. With 7 years of experience transitioning, and several unusual body mods under her belt, Elapids hopes to utilize her knowledge and experience to provide more accessible and practical advice for the gender variant community.
Roo
B.S. Computer Information Systems, Louisiana Tech University, 2015
Described by its peers as being “good at gender”, Roo is a transhumanist and professional system administrator deeply involved in LGBTQ+ visibility and outreach, and a proud member of the transgender and non-binary communities. With over 4 years of lived experience with transitioning as a non-binary individual, they have a wealth of practical experience with and knowledge of the medical aspects of social transition. Roo wants to see a world where people are able to authentically and without judgment realize their true physical selves by any means available.
MacDaRacc
Mac is a scientist with a Bachelors of Science in Medical Laboratory Science and currently pursuing an MPH. Currently, he works in an infectious disease laboratory. He is interested in the aspects of epidemiology of investigating disease outbreaks and current public health issues with discussing and aiding in development of policies and regulations for health. He has a passion for research in the biomedical field and strives where possible to aid in biological research.
Nalco
Beep Boop, I’m Nalco, hardware engineer at day, musician at night.
My protogen life revolves arround making things involving 3D printing, electronics and magic (a lot of magic)
There are so many aspects about FFF projects and values that got my attention to list here, and I’m really excited to work on the hardware for the Tail project.
Mecknavorz
BSc from University of Texas at Dallas (2021)
Adamant transhumanist and Science enthusiast, T&R wants to create a world where freedom of form technologies are as widely accessible as possible to many people. Due to her hobbies and habit of tinkering she’s accumulated many skills varying from a proficiency in artificial intelligence to moderate engineering skills as well as bits and pieces of biology.
Bleddyn
Bleddyn earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and presented his research at international conferences. With years of industry experience in product development, automation, and environmental sciences, he enjoys the challenge of creating new technology to address complex real-world problems.
Bleddyn has been a part of the online therianthropy community for over 20 years. His experiences with non-human identity have led him to an intense curiosity about non-human minds and senses. His present research interests include design, control, and body-ownership of prosthetic devices in support of morphological freedom.
Pepper
Hailing from the great white north, Pepper is the latest enthusiastic addition to the tail project.
Although she is still hard at work pursuing her undergraduate degree in Mathematics, her passion is in computer science. She has a authored a paper on artificial intelligence in medical imaging and is currently working on applying the latest techniques to the field of graph theory in her undergraduate thesis.
She is honoured to work alongside this incredibly talented team towards a world where everyone is able to have the body they envision themselves in.
