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Building the Bionic Man
nk497 writes "Will we soon be upgrading body parts like the components inside our PCs? 'Human enhancement' technologies are quickly evolving, making it easier to treat health conditions — and make us more powerful. Neural implants are already being used to restore vision, but in the future it could be used to give us better than 20/20 eyesight. Bionic arms will extend beyond prostheses, and be used to help boost our strength — handy for working in a warehouse and for soldiers. 'We use tools all the time to enhance our natural functions, and physical interaction is increasingly usurped by the virtual connections afforded by computers, smartphones and the internet,' said one researcher. 'So connecting these tools directly from the brain is perhaps not so far-fetched.'"
Bionic arms will extend beyond prostheses
Pretty sure my insurance company is just going to give me the standard hook. And if you're uninsured--you'll get a hand-me-down wooden stick.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
with built in "bn-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n"
Open the case and you void the warranty.
Korma: Good
I have been getting emails about male enhancement for years.
I'm a cyborg; the lens in my left eye was replaced by a device called a CrystaLens, which gives it better than 20/20 vision at all distances. After needing thick glasses all my life, not even needing reading glasses at age 60 is nothing short of miraculous.
However, had I not gotten a steroid-induced cataract that pretty much blinded that eye I'd not had the surgery, mostly because I wouldn't have been able to afford the surgery but partly because, well, would you let someone stick a needle in your eye if it wasn't an emergency and glasses or contacts would do the job?
All surgey is dangerous. People have died in dentists' chairs. The difference between people and PCs is we can't just unscrew a panel, replace a part, and screw the panel back in. We have knives and needles and danger of infection and other possible complications, machinery doesn't. We have to heal, and often need some sort of therapy after surgery.
A lot of folks who have had hips, knees, and other joints replaced must suffer additional pain and surgery because of faulty parts; there are several class action lawsuits going on now over defective parts.
However, rather than bionic parts replacement with enhancements for perfectly healthy body parts (which, as I mention, is dangerous), things like third arms, exoskeletons that allow us to lift hundreds of pounds, are already in development.
Bionics will most likely be for replacement of existing, faulty human parts rather than enhancing or "upgrading" human tissues unless we get McCoy's knifeless surgery.
Free Martian Whores!
I'm not sure if to go for the aggressive defence system, or the spy drone in my cranial slot.
the interfacing between the brain and a computer is still a sticking point. granted, science is currently making some good progress, but we're still a ways out. once that gets solved reliably, things should get fun. especially if the interface has standardized connections and a publicly available API - realistically, you'd be able to by "bolt-on", disposable prosthetics at best buy someday (but snobs like me will buy them from newegg)
All of this science-fiction turned reality is only as good as the power source. Jet packs, Aliens-style power loaders, autonomous humanoid robots, exoskeletons, electric cars. All useless without the über battery and we humans have been failing on that for decades.
isn't that wonderful, the thought of employers requiring those in manual labor to get cyborged to get a job. I know what is wonderful, the thought of fat cat oligarchs getting burked by a bionic arm......
Kids shows and cartoons have been covering this for like 50 years too.
So if something has been consistently featured in kids shows or cartoons then it's entirely reasonable to expect it to show up in real life and totally not worthy of comment when it does? That's great! I'm looking forward to being able to buy my flying car soon, which i will use to commute to a wizard school where i can learn magic. Remind me to stay away from japan though. I'd like to avoid the tentacle monsters and i can always just import the cool mecha.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
"exoskeletons that allow us to lift hundreds of pounds"
I already can lift a few hundred pounds thanks to the training i've done in the gym for the 10 years. If these devices are going to be taken seriously they need to REALLY enhance strength , not just turn it up a notch or two. I'm talking about the strength to lift up boulders or cars etc, not just being able to draw at arm wrestling with the the local pub bouncer.
In which case the last thing you see will literally be the blue screen of death.
... but don't want to spend a lot of money.
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
Article reminds me of all those articles about "home robots" from the 80s, saying robots were the future and we'd all have robots in our homes in 10-20 years. So what do we have 20-30 yrs later? Roombas
It will take a long time before we're taking out our nice, natural, perfectly working body parts and replacing them with circuit boards and servos. Sure, if you lose a limb and have a few hundred thousand dollars (probably tens of millions with inflation) you'll be able to buy a awesome arm or leg in 10-20 years, but don't expect the insurance companies to ever pay for it until they're cheaper than a metal claw.
And technically we've had the bionic man ever since the artificial heart in the 80s.
Rather than strapping robotic parts to our bodies I think we're closer to building human-looking robots (androids, the other androids, not the phones) that go out and do tasks for us while we control them from the comfort of our home like in that movie Surrogates
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
so they can waste a trillion dollars doing nothing useful in Iraq
But then Europe complains we don't overthrow other dictators and wanted us to intervene in Libya. Seems we're damned if we do and damned if we don't.
I'm so glad I live in europe.
I'm glad you live in Europe too.
beats the hell out of me.
I'd love to. May i?
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
"Overspecialization? Meet Planned Obsolescence. I'm sure you two will get along famously."
where everything is made out of meat balls.
I think those who want to export American democracy are in the minority, at least in the elements of the country that doesn't watch FOX News. I understand that it's pretty much impossible to be isolationist anymore but I am generally of the opinion that we should stay out of the affairs of other countries.
hmmm...I don't watch Fox News, and I don't want to export American democracy. What I want is a stable, predictable planet, and that means a stable, predictable America. As long as American democracy remains under the control of large corporations, that will eventually happen. Most corporations want stability and predictability. Unfortunately for the planet, there are several American companies who have a vested interest in global instability, and have been actively lobbying for an aggressive American foreign policy. Sadly, what is left of American industrial infrastructure belongs to these same companies -- companies whose bottom-line is primarily a function of American foreign policy, like Boeing, Lock-Mar, and Raytheon. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, these companies have been looking for some way to justify and sustain their manufacturing capability. They found it in the Carter Doctrine, and they are successfully lobbying to make sure the current administration understands and acknowledges it, which Obama did in his recent SoU speech. If you have relatives in Iran, or pretty much anywhere near the Strait of Hormuz, I suggest you invite them to take a long vacation -- the sooner, the better.
Seems we're damned if we do and damned if we don't.
If we're damned anyway, let's don't. It's cheaper!
so they can waste a trillion dollars doing nothing useful in Iraq
But then Europe complains we don't overthrow other dictators and wanted us to intervene in Libya. Seems we're damned if we do and damned if we don't.
I don't think anyone in Europe wanted the US to intervene in Libya. Most people didn't want Europe to intervene in Libya either.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it