The Million-Dollar Man
I am returning from my brief hiatus from blogging to entrance my readers once again with my brilliant observations and storytelling, as well as my over-awe-inspiring humility.
For a long time, I have been a fan of the transhumanist movement. For those who are not quite up with the latest science-fiction theories, the transhumanist movement is centered around the idea of moving humanity past the pitiful restrictions that our frail bodies place on our indomitable spirit.
To a transhumanist like myself, there are few problems (if any at all) that are not ultimately solvable by using advanced technology. More to the point, though, there are few human diseases and injuries which are not able to be controlled and eliminated using science.
For instance, why should we have bones made from actual bone, when we could craft lightweight bones out of durable synthetic materials? We could infuse them with catalysts to create blood cells just like your natural bones, and these false bones would be more resistant to breakage.
Why should we have eyes that degenerate over time when we could replace their lenses with actual lenses that transmit photons to microchips embedded in our eyes which stimulate our optic nerve? For that matter, if I wanted wings, why shouldn’t I be able to have artificial wings grafted onto my back and rigged up to my nervous system and musculature?
Stop and think about the possible benefits of an altered human for a moment. How fantastic would it would be if I could use powerful mechanical legs to leap over buildings, run at 65 miles per hour, or use my own wings to fly to work? Goodbye cars.
How much less food would we collectively need to grow if we could manufacture an artificial form of chloroplast into our skin cells? We’d generate energy through photosynthesis, just like a plant. Surely, it wouldn’t feed us entirely, but what if you could skip an entire meal each day just by being exposed to the sun while you worked each day? End of starvation in the third world (or at least a large reduction in it).
Get in an auto or industrial accident and get a severe cut on your body? Why not have a fleet of tiny nanobots patrolling your body who can start healing your injury as it happens? They could eliminate cancer cells before they form large tumors, clear blood clots or cholesterol from your circulatory system, and be a second-line of defense behind your immune system for invading microorganisms.
On some level, this may sound like eliminating humanity and replacing it with something more akin to Star-Trek's Cyborg race. Some transhumanists stop there, but most, including myself, envision the eventual transplantation of a human consciousness (itself nothing more than chemical states, neural connections, and electrical conductivity - all easily re-creatable) into a fully mechanical system. Indeed, some theorists in the field have even said that technology of this type will offer individuals their first real taste of immortality.
While some find this cyborg future nightmarish, I say, “bring it on.”
Well, it’s already been brought’n. In a move guaranteed to give the sci-fi geek in all of us a little thrill (what? you don't have a little sci-fi geek in you? how weird. And just for you, I'll skip the off-colour joke where I ask if you'd like one), scientists at the University of Texas have developed artificial muscles. These muscles are more than 100 times as powerful as standard human muscles, and are run on a fuel of alcohol and hydrogen (fuels which would be easy to work into the human body).
The scientists suggest (in an article from “Science”) that these new muscles will be able to be used in prosthetic limbs. One forward-thinking scientist even suggested using them in exoskeletons for individuals in jobs where strength could be an asset, like firefighters, astronauts, or soldiers. While new technology is almost always reserved for people in specialized careers, that new technology eventually becomes available to all. I don't know about you, but I'd be first in line to sign up for a mechanical exoskeleton just for fun.
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
For a long time, I have been a fan of the transhumanist movement. For those who are not quite up with the latest science-fiction theories, the transhumanist movement is centered around the idea of moving humanity past the pitiful restrictions that our frail bodies place on our indomitable spirit.
To a transhumanist like myself, there are few problems (if any at all) that are not ultimately solvable by using advanced technology. More to the point, though, there are few human diseases and injuries which are not able to be controlled and eliminated using science.
For instance, why should we have bones made from actual bone, when we could craft lightweight bones out of durable synthetic materials? We could infuse them with catalysts to create blood cells just like your natural bones, and these false bones would be more resistant to breakage.
Why should we have eyes that degenerate over time when we could replace their lenses with actual lenses that transmit photons to microchips embedded in our eyes which stimulate our optic nerve? For that matter, if I wanted wings, why shouldn’t I be able to have artificial wings grafted onto my back and rigged up to my nervous system and musculature?
Stop and think about the possible benefits of an altered human for a moment. How fantastic would it would be if I could use powerful mechanical legs to leap over buildings, run at 65 miles per hour, or use my own wings to fly to work? Goodbye cars.
How much less food would we collectively need to grow if we could manufacture an artificial form of chloroplast into our skin cells? We’d generate energy through photosynthesis, just like a plant. Surely, it wouldn’t feed us entirely, but what if you could skip an entire meal each day just by being exposed to the sun while you worked each day? End of starvation in the third world (or at least a large reduction in it).
Get in an auto or industrial accident and get a severe cut on your body? Why not have a fleet of tiny nanobots patrolling your body who can start healing your injury as it happens? They could eliminate cancer cells before they form large tumors, clear blood clots or cholesterol from your circulatory system, and be a second-line of defense behind your immune system for invading microorganisms.
On some level, this may sound like eliminating humanity and replacing it with something more akin to Star-Trek's Cyborg race. Some transhumanists stop there, but most, including myself, envision the eventual transplantation of a human consciousness (itself nothing more than chemical states, neural connections, and electrical conductivity - all easily re-creatable) into a fully mechanical system. Indeed, some theorists in the field have even said that technology of this type will offer individuals their first real taste of immortality.
While some find this cyborg future nightmarish, I say, “bring it on.”
Well, it’s already been brought’n. In a move guaranteed to give the sci-fi geek in all of us a little thrill (what? you don't have a little sci-fi geek in you? how weird. And just for you, I'll skip the off-colour joke where I ask if you'd like one), scientists at the University of Texas have developed artificial muscles. These muscles are more than 100 times as powerful as standard human muscles, and are run on a fuel of alcohol and hydrogen (fuels which would be easy to work into the human body).
The scientists suggest (in an article from “Science”) that these new muscles will be able to be used in prosthetic limbs. One forward-thinking scientist even suggested using them in exoskeletons for individuals in jobs where strength could be an asset, like firefighters, astronauts, or soldiers. While new technology is almost always reserved for people in specialized careers, that new technology eventually becomes available to all. I don't know about you, but I'd be first in line to sign up for a mechanical exoskeleton just for fun.
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
posted by The Academian | 7:09 PM
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