Paul Bills recently made a great post that talked about some ways that crowdsourced video games are helping to solve complex medical problems, and that got me thinking a bit about this week's class discussion, wherein we talked a little bit about how modern advances in medical technology are creating new opportunities for people with disabilities. We watched above video, which shows a woman hearing her first sound ever, thanks to a cochlear implant. If you haven't seen the video, take the chance now to do so, because if you're anything like me, it'll probably make you pretty grateful just to be able to see and hear and feel and live out an ordinary life.
The idea of bionic implants and prosthetics isn't exactly a new one. In fact, the man considered by many to be the father of bionic technology and wearable computing, Steven Mann, has worn a bionic eye of sorts for the past thirteen or fourteen years and has apparently sported some form of wearable technology since the late 70's. How's that for thinking ahead?
Modernly, though, we've seen huge improvements in both the technology itself and in availability of such technology to everyday people. There are bionic eyes undergoing testing right now that fit into the eye socket and function, for all intents and purposes, just as would a regular eye. Other technologies such as 3D printing are opening the way to the creation of viable human cells, bone implants, and a wealth of other things that are revolutionizing medicinal research and reparative efforts. The reality is that the bionic man is not so much a thing of the past. Even if we look at just regular people, we're hard pressed to find someone without a cell phone or other device, but it seems altogether likely that over the next few years, these technologies will become more and more integral--more and more a part of who we are and how we interact with one another.
Check out the video below for more info on 3D printing in medicine. Also, what are your thoughts on modern bionic technology? Should it be used to augment our natural abilities? What social issues might arise as integrated technology becomes more prevalent within our society?
Well, it goes without saying that as we begin to attach more and more technology to our persons, we appear to be losing our humanity. What exactly does that mean? My guess is it means that we are so absorbed with technology that we forget how to live. Or we forget what's important in life. Captain Ahab, for example, is so obsessed with the fact that Moby Dick cut his leg off, and he wears an ivory peg-leg as a constant reminder.
ReplyDeleteI see what you're saying, Lizy, but I actually think that the more we advance ourselves in technology the more we increase our humanity, not decrease it. Through technology, we are expanding our abilities as human beings. However, like anything, we must be wary of becoming obsessed. Becoming obsessed with technology will limit what we can do as human beings because we will only focus on what technology can do for us, rather than looking to other sources as well. So long as we keep using technology as a tool, rather than a way of life, I think we will be okay.
DeleteThat video about 3D printing is so crazy. I think it's amazing that we can do things like reconstruct faces and human-like organs. You can argue that it is taking away the "natural" human, but it's really enhancing lives, like the guy who was able to talk again after having part of his face replaced. Technology like this is great when it is used to enhance lives when someone is not able to live normally.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when technology is only being used to for selfish purposes (such as the plastic surgery-like purposes when someone is getting a new face when there is nothing wrong with the one he or she has) then I think that is when it is being misused.
Once certain technologies become naturalized (such as eyeglasses), they are not actually seen as technology at all. Am I less myself or less human because for nearly 40 years I've worn glasses / contact lenses?
ReplyDeleteDid you know that BYU has a 3D printer that anyone can use? Print your own object at the library's media lab for around $5.
I had heard that there was a 3D printer, though I don't know that I have much of anything right now that I need/want to print. I had thought about just downloading a model to try it out, but I haven't really come up with anything useful to print...
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