Wired News has a new article entitled “A Question Of Mind Over Matter” which talks about some cool advances in bionics.

The so-called biohybrid system sports a power pack and computer all contained within the prosthesis and uses sensors to allow more realistic movements than static, strap-on devices. The first systems have noninvasive sensors attached to the prostheses. In about two years scientists will implant sensors into study volunteers’ nervous systems…

The first thing that comes to mind is that the lines are starting to get a little more blurred as to where man stops and machine starts. If these new prosthetics are being controlled just by thought, and (will soon) have the full degree of movement and capabilities that a normal arm or leg have , then what does it really matter that they are not made up of your own DNA?

In fact, I have to wonder how many people might PREFER to have some of these new prosthetics over their own (born-with) limbs?! After all, when I read about Oscar Pistorius beating world records, and running the 200-meter dash in 21 seconds without any “real” legs!!! - I have to ask myself, “Now how much would it cost for ME to have the ability to do that when/if needed?”

South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius set a world record this month in the 200-meter dash at the 2006 Paralympic Athletics World Championship, using specialized “blades” to clock a time of 21.66 seconds — fast enough to best the men’s Olympic gold medal time of 22 seconds flat in 1920.

Oscar is using a couple products by Ossur, a bionic tech company who is working on a greater, more complete melding of man and machine, and who plans on their prosthetics to be able to “sense” what the person wants/intends to do, and then adjust accordingly… within the next 3 years. And within 10 years, they also see a very blurred line between man and machine.

Here’s a short video clip on YouTube showing how incredibly active some people with artificial legs are these days:

Wired’s article also talks about the Learning Retinal Implant System, break-through earlier this year which allows blind patients to see, with the help of a special pair glasses and computer chip:

The system includes glasses featuring a wireless transmitter and a mini-camera to pick up images. The glasses connect by cable to a processor pack worn at the waist that analyzes the information like a retina would, then send the image information to a chip implanted in the retina. The chip electrically stimulates the retina so ganglion cells can pick up the images. From there, the process continues like it would in a healthy eye: the information goes to the optic nerve, then to the brain and visual cortex where the information is reassembled as a picture.

I suppose the common prosthetics of today still aren’t quite as good as a natural leg or eye, but it seems that with the work Ossur and others are doing in that field, it might not be too long before many more people are ELECTING to have their natural legs replaced by bionic one that are stronger and faster with more stamina, a switch to turn on or off sensitivity. Or their eyes replaced with bionic camera/computer ones which could be fitted with telescopic range, night vision and who knows what other advantages!

As technology advances, and our thoughts alone are able to control the actions of computers and other mechanical devices, whether it’s a prosthetic limb, a vehicle, a squad of military robots… and this ability is distributed over a wireless network, even as global as the internet, what are the limits of human potential THEN?

September 23rd, 2006
Categories: Cyborg . Author: rock808

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