In the second half of the 20th century, medicine came up with some pretty amazing ways to replace parts of the human body that were starting to wear out. Or here's another idea - a common thing today - a pacemaker invented in the 50s.
Today's innovations make it possible to restore hearing to the deaf, vision to the visually impaired, and if a pacemaker does not help, soon it will simply be possible to replace a faulty heart, like an old gas pump in a car.
These technologies, which were in their infancy just a few decades ago, are now so firmly entrenched in our lives that they seem to be commonplace. There are medical technologies that are in their infancy, today they still seem like science fiction, but if history has taught us anything, then very soon and very much will just as easily enter our life as pacemakers. Some of them will be in the form of attachments to our bodies, while others are intended to improve the already well-functioning elements.
Brain-computer interface
The brain-computer interface, also known as the brain-computer interface, is exactly what you think: the connection between the human brain and an external device. Such an interface has been a product of science fiction for decades, but believe it or not, the first devices of this type appeared and were tested on humans in the mid-90s. It's safe to say that research hasn't stopped since then.
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Since the 1920s, it has been known that the brain produces electrical signals, and it has been suggested that these signals can be directed to control a mechanical device, or vice versa. Research in the field of neurocomputer interfaces began in the 60s (on monkeys, of course), many different models with different levels of invasiveness appeared, and over the past 15 years this area has received a powerful surge.
Most applications involve either partial restoration of vision or hearing, or restoration of movement in paralyzed patients. One completely non-invasive prototype was demonstrated in early 2013 that allowed a paralyzed person to control a computer. The device picked up visual signals that were sent from the back of the brain and analyzed various frequencies to understand what the patient was looking at and move the cursor where needed.
Exoskeletons
In general terms, the exoskeletons are more like "powered battle suits" like the ones in Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein or Tony Stark in Iron Man. However, what is being developed by engineers and scientists is less designed to combat giant robots and invaders from other planets, and more to restore the mobility of disabled people or increase endurance and carrying capacity.
For example, one company made a 15-kilogram aluminum and titanium suit called Ekso, which is already being used in dozens of US hospitals. It allows people with paralyzing spinal cord injuries to walk. But once such an application was completely impractical due to the bulkiness and weight of such a suit.
A similar technology was licensed by Lockheed Martin for its Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC), which has been extensively tested and will be supplied for military use. This exoskeleton allows an ordinary person to carry a load of 90 kilograms at a speed of 15 km / h without spilling a drop of sweat. While Ekso uses pre-programmed steps, HULC uses accelerometers and pressure sensors to provide mechanical continuations to the user's natural movements.
Another interesting device for use in the medical field was released by the Japanese company Cyberdine. Her exoskeleton, the HAL, is designed for the same purpose as the Ekso - to enable people with disabilities to walk.
Neural implants
Neural implants are any device that is inserted into the gray matter of the brain. Although a neural implant can be a neurocomputer interface and vice versa, the terms are not synonymous. What exoskeletons do for the body, implants do for the brain - most of them are supposed to repair damaged areas and cognitive functions, while others must give the brain access to external devices.
The use of neural implants for deep brain stimulation - the transmission of specially defined electrical impulses to specific areas of the brain - was approved back in 1997. They have been shown to be effective in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and dystonia, and are also used to treat chronic pain and depression with varying degrees of effectiveness.
However, the most commonly used neural implants remain cochlear and retinal implants, both pioneered in the 1960s and proven to be effective in partial restoration of hearing and vision.
Cyberlimbs
Prosthetics have long been used to replace missing limbs, for decades, but their modern version - cyber limbs - strives not only for aesthetic replacement, but also for a functional one. The ultimate task of such is to restore or replace the lost limb with full functionality and appearance. And although, as we have already noted, neurocomputer interfaces are increasingly used in the development of prostheses, other studies are actively being carried out that should remove restrictions in this area.
Many of the existing devices use non-invasive interfaces that detect subtle movements, say, of the pectoral muscles or biceps, to control a robotic arm. Modern devices of this kind demonstrate very good motor skills, which have improved quite markedly over the past ten years.
In addition, research is underway in this area, which should provide a two-way interface - a robotic prosthesis that will allow the patient to feel what he is touching with his artificial hand; however, we have only scratched the surface of what comes next.
At Harvard, the emerging fields of tissue engineering and nanotechnology were combined to create "cybernetic tissue" - human tissue with embedded functional biocompatible electronics. Charles Lieber, head of the research team, said the following:
“With this technology, for the first time, we can work on the same scale as a biological system without interfering with it. Ultimately it is about fusing tissue with electronics in such a way that it becomes difficult to determine where tissue ends and electronics begins."
The development of cyber biotechnology is well under way.
Exocortex
Extrapolating the above ideas for the future, imagine an exocortex. It is a theoretical information processing system that will interact and empower your biological brain - a true fusion of mind and computer.
This means not only that your brain will become a better storehouse of information, but it will also process information faster - the exocortex will be designed for higher-level thinking and awareness. If it's hard to imagine, think about the fact that humanity has long been using external systems for this. Modern mathematics and physics would not exist without the ancient technologies of writing and counting, and computers are just one of the islands on a long, long path of technological progress.
Also, consider that we are already using computers as an extension of ourselves. The Internet itself can be seen as a kind of prototype of this very technology, since it gives us access to huge repositories of information; and the devices we use to access it - our computers - give us the means to process data that our brains simply don't need to know. The fusion of the two systems can theoretically give us a means that will bring human intelligence to an extremely high and unattainable level. In theory.
Genetic Engineering
Gene therapy and genetic engineering have perhaps the most powerful potential of any scientific development in history. The understanding of evolution and the ability to change genetic components is so new to science that it can be said without exaggeration that the consequences of these discoveries are not yet fully understood; the use of these spheres is still considered by people to be "too dangerous for experiments on people", that's the way it is.
Of course, the most obvious application is in the eradication of genetic diseases. Some genetic problems can be cured in adults with gene therapy, but its greatest potential will unfold in embryonic testing - when the ethical difficulties are over. Read, for example, how gene modification is being tested in monkeys. In the future, it will be possible not only to treat diseases and abnormalities, but also to choose the color of the eyes and even the sex of the child - in fact, you can blind your child even before it is born.
The technology is extremely expensive, and it is not yet known in what future - the near or rather distant - it will enter the mass market. Considering how people have proven themselves in terms of relationships to gender, race and social belonging, it is safe to say that genetic engineering will lead to the most complex social conflicts in the future.
In fact, scientists have managed to easily create mice with increased strength and endurance, and the promises to cure anyone are even startling. When it comes to the potential to increase the strength and longevity of the human body, genetic engineering holds a lot of promise. It can be cooler unless …
Nanomedicine
Nanotechnology in the public mind, as a rule, leads to imaginary ends of the world, but in fact, this technology, taken to its logical final point, promises only the eradication of all human diseases and ailments - including death itself.
Modern applications of nanomedicine focus mainly on new and very precise delivery of drugs to specific locations in the body, along with other innovative treatments - at the molecular level. For example, an experimental treatment for lung cancer uses nanoparticles that are sprayed with an aerosol and penetrate the affected areas of the lungs. Then, using an external magnet, the particles are heated and kill the diseased cells. The body's natural processes eliminate dead cells and nanoparticles. This method has been successfully tested on mice, but so far it cannot kill 100% of diseased cells in the affected area.
Possible uses for nanotechnology include nanobots, microscopic, self-replicating machines that can be programmed to kill diseased cells, deliver drugs, or replace cells. Of course, theoretically, they can be applied not only to diseased cells, but also to damaged ones - for the speedy recovery from injury or even reversal of the aging process. The logical continuation of these technologies will be an incredibly durable and durable human body. But even if it doesn't, this is not the only way to cheat death in a scientific way.
Brain preservation
This is where we begin our journey through the kingdom called "transhumanism." This concept suggests that one day we will be able to transcend our own physical limitations, and perhaps even abandon our bodies. This concept was first proposed by Robert Ettinger, who wrote the book "Perspective of Immortality" in 1962 and is considered a pioneer in the field of transhumanism, as well as the father of cryonics.
At the time of writing Oettinger's book, the preservation of people or animals (or their parts, the brain, for example) at ultra-low temperatures (below 150 degrees Celsius) was the only and best means of preservation. Brain preservation research today is focusing more on chemical preservation, which does not require incredible temperatures like cryonics.
At the moment, it is absolutely certain that it is impossible to preserve the human mind together with the brain, therefore the sphere is exclusively engaged in the development of the possibility of the highest quality preservation of the body, as well as something else. For example…
Artificial bodies
When we can replace more and more parts of our body with versions that were designed and grown in the laboratory, as it should be, it is clear that one day everything will come to a logical point where every point of the human body, including the brain, can be recreated.
At the moment, a collaboration of 15 research institutes around the world is trying to create hardware that emulates various sections of the human brain - and their first prototype was a 10-centimeter plate containing 51 million artificial synapses.
Yes, "software" can be copied too - the Swiss Blue Brain Project is currently using a supercomputer to recreate brain functions, having successfully simulated a rat brain beforehand. The project leader, Henry Markram, believes he can build an artificial brain in ten years.
Our muscles, blood, organs - artificial analogs are under development, and one day the prospect of assembling a fully functional human body will appear in our field of vision. But with all this, it would be nice to acquire another technology that will allow us to dump a little out of our bodies.
Loading consciousness
Ray Kurzweil, one of the leading futurists, believes that by 2045 we will be able to literally download the contents of our consciousness into a computer - and he is not the only one who thinks so.
Of course, many argue that brain functions cannot be reduced to simple computations, that they are simply "incalculable" and that consciousness itself is a problem that science can never solve. There is also the question of whether the loaded or "backup" consciousness will be different from its original and represent a different individual. Let's hope that these questions will soon be answered by neurologists.
But if we can ever really upload consciousness to the digital world, it’s obvious that we don’t have to die. We can hang out indefinitely in a fantasy digital world like a program on a hard drive. You can transmit yourself over long distances in space and instantly comprehend all the knowledge available to humanity.
People who are smarter than us will do it before they have to die. Even if at least a fraction of all of the above becomes true, we can add ourselves a few extra decades and see what happens next.