The Era of Human-Machine Hybrid Medical Advances in Biomimetic Devices

摘要

There has never been a better time than the present day to closely explore the limits of the impossible. Some decades ago internet was nonexistent, and most cutting-edge progresses in technology were merely science fiction. But presently Humanity is facing strange times, where a robot in Japan can take the order of a customer in a restaurant, another robot in the United States can assemble electric cars, and a robot in France can enhance the precision of a surgeon who is physically in Germany, improving the prognosis of the patient through telepresence. All the above examples began as ideas which were impossible at one point in time, but now we can celebrate the arrival of cyborgs and brain-computer interface (BCI) implants. People have lost limbs such as hands or legs and, thanks to these strange times and new technologies, are again able to lead regular lives and even dance. The recent findings in multidisciplinary research involving synthetic biology and artificial intelligence (AI) in combination with nanotechnology and cybernetics have yielded unbelievable achievements in invasive and non-invasive bionics and biomechanics in medical care. These applications are unlimited, from organ-on-a-chip grown transplant to limb replacement with an intelligent prosthesis able to produce a precise nervous response optimized to accurately execute the user's commands. These patients could not only be satisfactorily reintegrated to society but also have enhanced human capacities such as speed, resistance, and strength that could lead to social changes. Some effects on society might include the need for transhumanism laws, and changes in the way in which sports competitions are carried out. This article discusses the insights and new paradigms that represent novel human-machine hybrid technologies in the medical field and socio-political context.