The Future of Hardware and Technology
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Technologically, we live in an ever-evolving world that is seemingly limited only by our own imaginations and the expanding confines of science. Recent technological breakthroughs have given us the glimpse of a future that was once believed to only be science fiction. In the very near future we could see imagination turned into reality.
If you’ve ever seen “I, Robot”, the 2004 motion picture from 20th Century Fox, then you have seen one of many sci-fi thrillers that present a “realistic” future. In the movie, you’re immersed in a futuristic world of free-thinking robots and mind shattering technology. Everything portrayed in the movie could theoretically happen in real life –- and maybe sooner than you might think.
The movie, which stars Will Smith as Detective Del Spooner, takes place in the year 2035. The world they depict is definitely futuristic, but not too different from the one we have now. In fact, it was mostly comprised of technologies that were being developed at the time it was made.
So here we are two years later. You almost have to ask the question, “How much closer are we?” Well, the answers might surprise you.
In the opening scenes of the movie, we see Det. Spooner rising out of bed and rubbing his shoulder. You can see scars, but it isn’t until later that you learn his arm is a robotic prosthetic. You’d never know it. It looks perfectly normal on the outside, and he uses it without any limitations. In fact, not only has his arm been replaced at the shoulder, but some ribs and even a lung have been replaced as well. This can’t be possible in real life! Or can it?
Doctors and scientists have been working together and have made some pretty impressive advancements that once more bring medicine and technology closer together. The combination of the two for the use of prosthetics relies on bio-mechanics, or bionics for short. It’s the fusion of robotic or mechanical parts with living tissue, a feat that until recently was only left for sci-fi movies (and the occasional TV show --Ed.). Robotic arms have been around for ages, but true though-controlled arms have been hard to perfect.
In 2002, a working bionic arm was introduced. Since then, six patients have received the implant. Of those, five have been able to achieve thought-controlled movement.
But this isn’t completely realistic. The movement isn’t natural and flowing, and the prosthetic arm isn’t comparable to a natural one. There are limitations in the way that it interacts with the brain as well as with its look and feel, but that may not last much longer. Some other recent advancements may be used to improve upon it.
Scientists have been hard at work developing a new synthetic skin that has the look and feel of the real thing. They have also conducted extensive brain research trying to develop an interface that would allow the brain to control mechanical devices. A 14-year old boy was recently able to play Space Invaders using only signals from his brain to control movements. The technology is far from being ready for use in prosthetics, but I imagine it’s only a matter of time.
Next: Enter the Robot World >>
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