Addons for man: empowerment

A source

Man is not at all the "crown of nature." In every sense, including the physical. Therefore, many people are so attracted by the idea of ​​artificial or natural improvements, giving new and expanding existing capabilities of the human body. There are many different areas of "human improvement", from the reception of special substances, temporarily increasing strength, endurance and perception, to genetic sorting and the most complex electromechanical implants. What high technology can offer to supporters of transhumanism and other fans of cyber improvements of the body?

Inside

The idea of ​​improving the human body with the help of devices has quite a few supporters and opponents who appeal to moral, ethical and social consequences. We will not argue here the pros and cons, but many of you will certainly agree with the statement that today not everyone will enthusiastically accept the proposal to introduce an alien object into his body. Let him even promise the acquisition of some new opportunities.

However, such doubts are clearly unusual for a programmer from Novosibirsk, who injected himself with subcutaneous attachments for a wearable device, which vibrates slightly when the wearer turns north.

Why such a functionality programmer, who, frankly, rarely have to navigate the terrain in everyday life? The customer himself explains simply: "because it is cool." Probably, some practical benefit from such an improvement of the body can be only for foresters, huntsmen and lovers of hiking. Although for them the benefit is dubious: the battery capacity lasts about a day of work. After that, the vibrocompass must be removed from the body and charged, and how to do it in the wild is an open question. Isn't it easier to put Adrianov's good old compass on your wrist?

In 2016, the United States conducted a study of the perception by society of the idea of ​​biomedical "expansion" of human capabilities. 68% of respondents answered that their “definitely” or “probably” do not want to get a brain implant, which improves the information processing capabilities. The results of such a study in Russia are unlikely to be very different. One gets the subjective feeling that society as a whole is not yet ready for such “implant transformations”. But this is how to look - 32% of Americans would nevertheless agree to have a device inserted into their brains. So it’s possible that we don’t have to wait so long for the analog of the eidetic memory chip to appear in the head of state security chief Simon Illyan, one of the characters in the fantastic series about Miles Vorkosigan (we recommend to fans of fiction).

Of course, if it is a question of restoring lost physical abilities with the help of an implant, then it is unlikely that anyone will refuse. Neuroscientists have already achieved notable success in this respect: last year, a man with paralyzed limbs could not only move his fingers thanks to a brain implant, but even play Guitar Hero :

The topic of neural interfaces is generally one of the most promising. However, while the developers are mainly focusing not on empowerment using implants, but on restoring lost abilities. For example, the return of hearing. However, there are more bizarre applications of brain implants. For example, a certain Liss Murphy (Liss Murphy) for several years suffered from severe depression, which doctors could not cope with. Neither medication nor electroshock therapy helped. In June last year, batteries were implanted under the collarbone, wires from which were held under the skin and connected to two wire implants implanted in the brain area responsible for the state of depression. Doctors hoped that after energizing the implants, the brain would rebuild neural chains. It worked: Murphy was one of the first people in the world who managed to get rid of a mental disorder due to deep brain stimulation.

The military here also has its own interests. For several years now there have been rumors about DARPA projects for the development of various neural interfaces. We are talking about implants that allow you to restore lost memory and mobility after injuries, as well as ... manage emotions. If it is possible to effectively suppress the feeling of fear and the instinct of self-preservation, then this will be just a holiday for the military. Imagine: an officer enters a command in his tactical tablet, and his unit instantly turns into nothing afraid of cold-blooded murderers, who are capable of carrying out any orders without hesitation, no matter what. Straight illustration from satirical fiction by Harry Harrison " Bill - the Hero of the Galaxy ".

Bionic prostheses are a formally external addition, but they replace lost parts of the body and imply certain surgical interventions so that they can be used. Even today, the most advanced prostheses allow owners to perform fairly complex activities: run, ride bicycles, go to the mountains, manipulate fragile objects like chicken eggs, and drive a car.

In principle, with the development of technology, bionic prostheses can become more advanced than living limbs. More powerful, accurate in movement, more sensitive. Instead of imperfect hands, it will be possible to install cutting-edge bionic prostheses that allow for very precise work, for example, in surgery. Or artificial hands, equipped with additional tools. Or replace your legs with those who do not know fatigue, always standing firmly on any surface. Or insert yourself artificial eyes, which are not afraid of myopia, hyperopia, cataracts and fatigue from many hours sitting behind the monitor.

Or maybe you want to see well in the dark, choosing eyes with high photosensitivity, or even with infrared mode? Or maybe you need binoculars eyes?

The first steps in the direction of artificial eyes are already being taken:

However, with regard to improving vision, there is hope for the emergence of "smart" contact lenses. If it is possible to implement the function of broadcasting the image, then such a scenario may well be realized:

Of course, it’s still far from such heights, we would create, for example, such lenses that are capable of recording an image and transmitting it to an “older” device, for example, a smartphone. Sony has already patented this design:

A few years ago, it was reported that Google is experimenting with high-tech lenses. Look forward to.

Outside

The idea of ​​external additions for the human body is perceived much more positively than the surgical implementation. For example, transcranial electrostimulation (TES-therapy). This is the name of one of the methods of dosed exposure of electricity to certain sections of the brain using external contacts attached to the scalp. According to current research, TPP has a variety of applications:

• anesthesia,
• mood modulation (recall the example of soldiers! In the coming years, commercial medical mood modulator chips will be expected on the market.),
• acceleration of tissue healing,
• weakening of inflammatory processes,
• and most importantly, the improvement of cognitive abilities, which made it easier for subjects to study and master various disciplines, from languages ​​to mathematics.

Probably, in a few years, the phrase “foil cap” will be perceived not as a sneer, but as a term for devices that allow to temporarily pump certain functions of the brain, quickly improve your mood, get rid of a headache, and so on.

Another example of "external" add-ons for humans is exoskeletons. The modern level of development of mechanics and electronics already allows you to create very compact and lightweight devices that can take a considerable share of the load from a person, allowing you to lift and carry heavy objects.

Alas, the main problem of exoskeletons today is the traditional scourge of the whole world of portable devices, the capacity of batteries. It is obvious that the numerous motors of the exoskeleton require a lot of energy. It is alleged that the American exoskeleton HULC runs on batteries up to 72 hours. That's just to change his batteries in the field, the whole problem.

On the other hand, we simply may not be aware of real achievements in this area: the main customers for creating exoskeletons in all countries are the military, and they are extremely reluctant to engage in public relations with their advanced developments. It is likely that in the conditions of the “battery crisis”, emphasis will be placed on the creation of passive exoskeletons that do not use electricity at all. For example, the exoskeleton TALOS , which, apparently, will have elements of ballistic protection from bullets and shrapnel, as well as various integrated sensors and cameras:

Since the fall of 2016, the passive exoskeleton “ ExoAtlet ”, created in Moscow State University, has gone on sale .

This is a purely mechanical design that removes part of the load from a person (not all). In such an exoskeleton, you can easily carry loads weighing up to 100 kg, and he weighs only 12 kg (HULC - 25 kg). This device is “dual” purpose: ExoAtlet can be used both by soldiers and undergoing rehabilitation after injuries. By the way, recently the military exoskeleton K-2 was lit up in the news about our engineers in Syria:

The military claim that it weighs 5-6 kg (according to other data - 3 kg) and allows, without feeling tired, to carry up to 35 kg of cargo (maximum - 50 kg).