March 22, 2013 at 01:13Human revolution
The world is striving for the future, where technology and biology, man and machine will merge into a single whole, and will be something more than each individually. We can’t stop it. Yes and whether it is necessary? This is a kind of evolution, and evolution is a natural and irreversible thing. Whether it is harmful to humanity or not, it is too early to say. In the meantime, you can only consider the latest developments in the field of bioengineering, and speculate about their usefulness and potential harm and problems associated with their widespread implementation.
Ekso Bionics is a mechanical suit that allows people with paralysis of the lower extremities to literally stand up and walk. Each of the two lithium-ion batteries, which take one hour to charge, allows the device to work for three to six hours. There are three modes of operation of the device. FirstStep - movement of mechanical legs is performed under the supervision of a therapist using a special remote control. ActiveStep and ProStep are modes in which the user himself controls the movement using special sensors that capture signals from the human body. There is also voice control. The cost of an exoskeleton is $ 110,000.
HAL-5 is an exoskeleton that complements, expands, or improves a person’s physical capabilities. The exoskeleton is controlled using a special sensor that captures neurosignals from the surface of the human body. It can be used by people working with heavy objects in places of natural disasters to disassemble rubble, as well as to help people with disabilities. Cyberdyne currently rents it out at a price of $ 2,000 per month, but only in Japan. At the end of February 2013, the exoskeleton received an international safety certificate, becoming the first of its kind. Perhaps this is the first prerequisite for its entry into the international market.
HULC is a hydraulic exoskeleton developed by Lockheed Martin, designed to reduce human stress. It allows you to lift things weighing up to 70 kilograms and carry up to 90 kilograms for any type of terrain without any special load on a person for eight hours. It has a modular design, which allows in the field to replace failed components, or to add others, depending on the task. HULC is primarily a military development, but other exoskeleton designs are also being developed for its industrial use.
This development of the MicroCHIPS company allows you to enter the necessary drugs into the patient's body according to a pre-compiled program or from a radio signal from the outside. The device programmed and filled with drugs is inserted under the skin to a person. The prospects for this technology are very good. With it, there will be no need for regular visits to doctors for injections with medicine, with a chip you will not miss an injection because of forgetfulness or due to lack of time, since the device gives a very accurate dose of medicine each time, the treatment will become much more effective. With it, it becomes possible to remotely control the delivery of drugs, you can make a pulsating injection, the delivery of several drugs to the patient is feasible. Together with the development by the same company of a special biosensor that is implanted under the skin, the life of, for example, diabetics will become much calmer.
Researchers from the Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa managed to connect the neural interface of a biomechanical prosthetic arm to an amputated human limb. The test subject, Pierpaolo Petruzziello, was able to move a mechanical arm with the help of only his brain for a month of tests. He managed to achieve three actions with his hand: squeeze his hand into a fist, squeeze his hand into a fist and raise his thumb, and make a slight movement with his fingers. An analysis of the data obtained during the experiment is currently underway.
A special chip is implanted into a person in the eyeball and in the part of the brain that is responsible for vision. This allowed patients with a hereditary form of blindness called retinitis pigmentosa to regain partial vision only a few weeks after the operation, allowing them to distinguish black from white and distinguish the outline of objects. Since their brain is just beginning to learn to see, there is hope that their vision will become better in the future.
I will end with one statement from a game known to many:
Ekso Bionics
Ekso Bionics is a mechanical suit that allows people with paralysis of the lower extremities to literally stand up and walk. Each of the two lithium-ion batteries, which take one hour to charge, allows the device to work for three to six hours. There are three modes of operation of the device. FirstStep - movement of mechanical legs is performed under the supervision of a therapist using a special remote control. ActiveStep and ProStep are modes in which the user himself controls the movement using special sensors that capture signals from the human body. There is also voice control. The cost of an exoskeleton is $ 110,000.
Demonstration of the device
HAL-5 (Hybrid Assistive Limb)
HAL-5 is an exoskeleton that complements, expands, or improves a person’s physical capabilities. The exoskeleton is controlled using a special sensor that captures neurosignals from the surface of the human body. It can be used by people working with heavy objects in places of natural disasters to disassemble rubble, as well as to help people with disabilities. Cyberdyne currently rents it out at a price of $ 2,000 per month, but only in Japan. At the end of February 2013, the exoskeleton received an international safety certificate, becoming the first of its kind. Perhaps this is the first prerequisite for its entry into the international market.
Demonstration of the device
HULC (Human Universal Load Carrier)
HULC is a hydraulic exoskeleton developed by Lockheed Martin, designed to reduce human stress. It allows you to lift things weighing up to 70 kilograms and carry up to 90 kilograms for any type of terrain without any special load on a person for eight hours. It has a modular design, which allows in the field to replace failed components, or to add others, depending on the task. HULC is primarily a military development, but other exoskeleton designs are also being developed for its industrial use.
Demonstration of the device
MicroCHIPS 'drug delivery
This development of the MicroCHIPS company allows you to enter the necessary drugs into the patient's body according to a pre-compiled program or from a radio signal from the outside. The device programmed and filled with drugs is inserted under the skin to a person. The prospects for this technology are very good. With it, there will be no need for regular visits to doctors for injections with medicine, with a chip you will not miss an injection because of forgetfulness or due to lack of time, since the device gives a very accurate dose of medicine each time, the treatment will become much more effective. With it, it becomes possible to remotely control the delivery of drugs, you can make a pulsating injection, the delivery of several drugs to the patient is feasible. Together with the development by the same company of a special biosensor that is implanted under the skin, the life of, for example, diabetics will become much calmer.
The Wall Street Journal
Lifehand project
Researchers from the Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa managed to connect the neural interface of a biomechanical prosthetic arm to an amputated human limb. The test subject, Pierpaolo Petruzziello, was able to move a mechanical arm with the help of only his brain for a month of tests. He managed to achieve three actions with his hand: squeeze his hand into a fist, squeeze his hand into a fist and raise his thumb, and make a slight movement with his fingers. An analysis of the data obtained during the experiment is currently underway.
DiscoveryNetworks Reportage
Eye implants
A special chip is implanted into a person in the eyeball and in the part of the brain that is responsible for vision. This allowed patients with a hereditary form of blindness called retinitis pigmentosa to regain partial vision only a few weeks after the operation, allowing them to distinguish black from white and distinguish the outline of objects. Since their brain is just beginning to learn to see, there is hope that their vision will become better in the future.
Conclusion
I will end with one statement from a game known to many:
Albert Einstein once said: "Technological progress is like an ax in the hands of a pathological criminal." Not immediately, but I finally managed to understand what he meant. How many times have we pursued the dream of progress, which was perverted as a result? How many times did machines that were supposed to improve lives destroy millions of lives? And now we want to apply this dream in ourselves in order to improve ourselves.
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