Last time, I explored the promising new frontier of repairing the human body and regrowth of human body parts. Today we will explore the natural counterpart of repairing the human body: cybernetic augmentations and bionic implants. Or in other words, the improvement of our bodies through artificial means.
The biggest uses of cybernetics so far has been for restoring normal functionality that has been impaired. For example, the use of cochlear implants for the loss of hearing, or artificial limbs for those who have lost the use of their limbs, or even Lasik surgery for people with deteriorating eyesight. Of course, we cannot forget the simple pacemaker which has saved thousands of lives.
There is no reason why these techniques and devices cannot be taken a step further. In the future, they will become improved versions of the human components they are replacing. Already with Lasik surgery, one can sometimes obtain better eyesight than a normal human’s 20/20 vision. Perhaps there are limits to what laser surgery can do, but in the future we will have the ability to completely augment the eye. Research is being done both to replicate the amazing capabilities of the human eye, and to provide bionic vision (ie, artificial eyes) to blind patients. The bionic system described in the article is still basic but also very promising. Research into restoring eye sight in blind patients is being undertaken on various fronts.
Meanwhile, on the domain of hearts, scientists are on the brink of human clinical trials of total heart replacements. These are not just pacemakers, or new valves, but entire heart replacements. Think of the impact, on the number of patients who would otherwise die due to the severe lack of transplant donors. These devices will not just improve lives, but also save lives.
Bionic Arm by The Johns Hopkins University
Finally, we turn to artificial limbs. They are in fact some of the most interesting devices to follow, having evolved from crude wooden structures and into complex systems. I’m sure you have all heard of the double amputee South African sprinter who could nearly compete with Olympians due to his specially-crafted prosthetic legs. Even then, his double blade system is still an incredibly basic prosthetic. The future of prosthetic lies in systems that can more faithfully emulate the functionality of natural limbs. We’re talking of Luke Skywalker’s hand here. Money is being poured into this important field by both governments and private universities, and the quality of prosthetics is going to drastically improve over the next decade.
All these systems will continue to improve by leaps and bounds because of the amount of research being invested in the field of bionics. However, in order to really take a step into the next-generation of intelligent devices, it’s the field of nerve remapping that these researchers will have to tap in. Luckily, we’ll explore that topic in depth next week.
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