An interesting innovation of modern times is deposition printers, which can produce any 3 dimensional object by laying it down layer by layer in melted plastic, which rapidly cools and solidifies into a layer of the final object. If an layer can't support itself structurally until complete, the system can also lay down a second type of plastic that washes away when exposed to water. Although the systems tend to be expensive (none cost less than $500), once you own one, you can have all the plastic parts you want for a few cents worth of thermoplastic.
Medical doctors have especially taken note. Human cells can be grown in a lab, but only in flat sheets about one cell thick. The cells know that they shouldn't endlessly grow upon each other, because when they do that, they're typically cancer. Cells in your body grow on a framework, an extracellular matrix. And here's where they have the idea.
Since the 3d printer can print any shape, have it print an extracellular matrix for an organ, wash it, and introduce it to a glucose-and-saline medium. Inject one human cell, and a short time later, you have a fully functional organ. Since extracellular matrix parts are regularly replaced, this new organ will, after being implanted, slowly replace its plastic extracellular matrix with a real one, at which point the organ will be indistinguishable from the original. Other than the new one is fresh and healthy and will last for years longer.
This is giving me an even crazier idea, which I will go into tomorrow.
Showing posts with label Biological Implant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biological Implant. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Cybernetic Replacement Parts
Sometimes we lose parts of our body from accidents, or worse, intentional mayhem. In the earliest of times, we'd make a crude prosthesis to allow the person to function, at least marginally, again. A peg leg wasn't as good as a real one, but at least one could hobble about without falling over. A hook for a hand allowed you to at least grab a sandwich, and operate a few tools. A patch, or a glass eye, allowed people to not vomit from seeing your empty eye socket. You still couldn't see, but you didn't look like a freak anymore, which helped immensely.
In modern times, prosthesis technology is way better. You can get a leg that resembles a real leg so strongly that most people won't notice the difference. (Well, when you're wearing shoes and pants. Take off the shoes and there's an obvious mechanical joint at the ankle, and if you wear shorts, the knee is also obviously mechanical.) You can get a rubber and metal hand that allows you to handle objects as well as your flesh one originally did. The hand can even "feel" heat, though is otherwise deficient in the sense of touch.
I think a team of prosthesis crafters and neurologists should team of for a next generation of prosthetics that tie into the nervous system. We could have artificial hands that have a true sense of touch, one that works as well as our flesh hands. We could have "eyes" made of camera that allow true vision. (We currently have cameras that are on the sides of dark glasses, that have an inductive tie into the nervous system, allowing a very low resolution greyscale vision. It's enough to walk around and not walk face first into a wall. Most sightless people who've received it describe it as more distracting than useful.) Neurologists would be part of the team because the prosthesis would have to receive its operating signals from the nervous system, and send data back, and using the part would be not any different than using the part you had before.
I'd suggest having the prosthesis surgically grafted to remaining bone and muscle, making it a replacement for what was lost. It should have integrated blood vessels, with "vampire" power support, a system that powers itself by extracting glucose from blood and burning that for energy, as your body does now. This technology exists now, but is rarely used.
And ultimately, I'd like to see a cyberbrain developed. A part that attaches to my nervous system and extends the ability of my brain. I know that this is possible from experiments in which mice brain cells were grafted onto electronic chips, and they integrated into each other. The resulting system was then taught to operate a flight simulator. Immediately, I would expect to achieve sharper senses. Vision uses a huge amount of our neural processing ability, but if one loses it, the brain concentrates on the other four senses, which become significantly sharper. It would also, as a mechanical part, be able to interface with non-brain objects as well. Perhaps it could connect to a computer, which I could now operate by thinking commands.
At some point in this process, I think we could develop prosthetics that are superior to our original parts. Imagine having the arms of a body builder, but not needing to exercise. Camera-based cybernetic eyes will never develop Glaucoma, cataracts, presbyopia, or macular degeneration, and would also lack the "blind spot" that our eyes have from the retina being on the wrong side of the back of our eye. Cybernetic ears could be made that respond to frequencies higher or lower than current human hearing allows, and could be made arbitrarily more or less sensitive according to the needs of the situation. (Or could even be turned off for meditation or sleeping. No more being bothered at 4am by some obnoxious guy with his stereo up way too loud.) Even obesity becomes a thing of the past. If you eat too much, you could plug yourself into the wall and power your house for a bit. (Your power bill promptly becomes replaced with your grocery bill.)
I'd also like to see cybernetic replacements for organs, which could save millions of lives worldwide. If I had an artificial heart as good (or better) as my current biological one, I'd cheerfully replace it, and my original biological one could keep alive a person who would otherwise die. (This assuming that the dying person opposes cybernetic replacements as "unnatural" or something. More likely, those dying of heart disease are the ones who wind up with artificial hearts.) Artificial kidneys would make the expensive and difficult process of dialysis a thing of the past. Artificial livers would make hepatitis a thing of the past, as its mechanical nature proves impossible to infect. Also, cirrosis as caused by alcoholism no longer need kill you. Quality of life worldwide would massively improve, and organ banks would always be able to fall back on the cybernetic versions.
The research to invent these things would be very expensive. Perhaps a corporation could be persuaded to invest for the royalties, which would assuredly be massive. Expenses would be recouped, one invention at a time.
I'd like to thank the Chinese Guy for inspiring this post.
In modern times, prosthesis technology is way better. You can get a leg that resembles a real leg so strongly that most people won't notice the difference. (Well, when you're wearing shoes and pants. Take off the shoes and there's an obvious mechanical joint at the ankle, and if you wear shorts, the knee is also obviously mechanical.) You can get a rubber and metal hand that allows you to handle objects as well as your flesh one originally did. The hand can even "feel" heat, though is otherwise deficient in the sense of touch.
I think a team of prosthesis crafters and neurologists should team of for a next generation of prosthetics that tie into the nervous system. We could have artificial hands that have a true sense of touch, one that works as well as our flesh hands. We could have "eyes" made of camera that allow true vision. (We currently have cameras that are on the sides of dark glasses, that have an inductive tie into the nervous system, allowing a very low resolution greyscale vision. It's enough to walk around and not walk face first into a wall. Most sightless people who've received it describe it as more distracting than useful.) Neurologists would be part of the team because the prosthesis would have to receive its operating signals from the nervous system, and send data back, and using the part would be not any different than using the part you had before.
I'd suggest having the prosthesis surgically grafted to remaining bone and muscle, making it a replacement for what was lost. It should have integrated blood vessels, with "vampire" power support, a system that powers itself by extracting glucose from blood and burning that for energy, as your body does now. This technology exists now, but is rarely used.
And ultimately, I'd like to see a cyberbrain developed. A part that attaches to my nervous system and extends the ability of my brain. I know that this is possible from experiments in which mice brain cells were grafted onto electronic chips, and they integrated into each other. The resulting system was then taught to operate a flight simulator. Immediately, I would expect to achieve sharper senses. Vision uses a huge amount of our neural processing ability, but if one loses it, the brain concentrates on the other four senses, which become significantly sharper. It would also, as a mechanical part, be able to interface with non-brain objects as well. Perhaps it could connect to a computer, which I could now operate by thinking commands.
At some point in this process, I think we could develop prosthetics that are superior to our original parts. Imagine having the arms of a body builder, but not needing to exercise. Camera-based cybernetic eyes will never develop Glaucoma, cataracts, presbyopia, or macular degeneration, and would also lack the "blind spot" that our eyes have from the retina being on the wrong side of the back of our eye. Cybernetic ears could be made that respond to frequencies higher or lower than current human hearing allows, and could be made arbitrarily more or less sensitive according to the needs of the situation. (Or could even be turned off for meditation or sleeping. No more being bothered at 4am by some obnoxious guy with his stereo up way too loud.) Even obesity becomes a thing of the past. If you eat too much, you could plug yourself into the wall and power your house for a bit. (Your power bill promptly becomes replaced with your grocery bill.)
I'd also like to see cybernetic replacements for organs, which could save millions of lives worldwide. If I had an artificial heart as good (or better) as my current biological one, I'd cheerfully replace it, and my original biological one could keep alive a person who would otherwise die. (This assuming that the dying person opposes cybernetic replacements as "unnatural" or something. More likely, those dying of heart disease are the ones who wind up with artificial hearts.) Artificial kidneys would make the expensive and difficult process of dialysis a thing of the past. Artificial livers would make hepatitis a thing of the past, as its mechanical nature proves impossible to infect. Also, cirrosis as caused by alcoholism no longer need kill you. Quality of life worldwide would massively improve, and organ banks would always be able to fall back on the cybernetic versions.
The research to invent these things would be very expensive. Perhaps a corporation could be persuaded to invest for the royalties, which would assuredly be massive. Expenses would be recouped, one invention at a time.
I'd like to thank the Chinese Guy for inspiring this post.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Bionic Animals
People care a lot for animals. What sucks the most for them is when they loose limbs. It further hinders their ability to survive.
However, bionics as a field has stepped up to the plate. I've heard of everything from a turtle being given new fins, to dolphin getting a new tail, to an eagle getting a new beak, to a cockatoo having its entire legs replaced.
Perhaps people feel that it's silly to expend so much effort on an animal, but it's good practice for us humans, who also lose body parts at a larger rate than we'd like.
However, bionics as a field has stepped up to the plate. I've heard of everything from a turtle being given new fins, to dolphin getting a new tail, to an eagle getting a new beak, to a cockatoo having its entire legs replaced.
Perhaps people feel that it's silly to expend so much effort on an animal, but it's good practice for us humans, who also lose body parts at a larger rate than we'd like.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Mindphone
One of the weirder things about cell phones is that you have a huge number of people inexplicably talking to themselves in public. As phones shrink, it becomes less and less apparent that they're using a device to speak to another person, and looks a lot more like a crazy person babbling to themselves. This is strange.
I'm imagining an implanted device, that controls like a phone, but can be operated by thinking. Imagining a number at the phone would make it dial, and imagining talking to it would modulate speech into the connection. So you could "talk," but without talking.
Probably too invasive to actually build, but it would help people with vocal chord paralysis, and allow people to make phone calls without, you know, endlessly talking to themselves in public.
I'd also like to see this applied to computer interfaces, where it could first type from your thoughts. Then cursor from your thoughts. Then replace the monitor with directly injecting to your "mind's eye." And in the end, I compute while walking down the street, with no one the wiser.
I'm imagining an implanted device, that controls like a phone, but can be operated by thinking. Imagining a number at the phone would make it dial, and imagining talking to it would modulate speech into the connection. So you could "talk," but without talking.
Probably too invasive to actually build, but it would help people with vocal chord paralysis, and allow people to make phone calls without, you know, endlessly talking to themselves in public.
I'd also like to see this applied to computer interfaces, where it could first type from your thoughts. Then cursor from your thoughts. Then replace the monitor with directly injecting to your "mind's eye." And in the end, I compute while walking down the street, with no one the wiser.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Robot Leg Research
What does a three legged dog have to do with a walking robot? Plenty, says Discovery news. Both need to learn to walk all over again.
See, a dog knows how to walk with four legs, in a variety of gaits. If the dog then loses one leg (say, to an accident, injury, or whatever), the regular style of walking or running doesn't work anymore, but they can learn to limp in short order. Apparently, this encouraged a German scientist to see if this can be applied to robots, who also need to learn to walk from scratch.
Apparently, every animal on earth has an even number of legs, arranged in pairs, and roboticists have been trying to shoehorn their patterns into robots that have odd numbers of legs, and this works out rather poorly, balance wise. A pattern for an odd number of limbs would be completely different.
See, a dog knows how to walk with four legs, in a variety of gaits. If the dog then loses one leg (say, to an accident, injury, or whatever), the regular style of walking or running doesn't work anymore, but they can learn to limp in short order. Apparently, this encouraged a German scientist to see if this can be applied to robots, who also need to learn to walk from scratch.
Apparently, every animal on earth has an even number of legs, arranged in pairs, and roboticists have been trying to shoehorn their patterns into robots that have odd numbers of legs, and this works out rather poorly, balance wise. A pattern for an odd number of limbs would be completely different.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Artificial Retina
Biological eyes last for only a limited amount of time. Most people lose the ability to focus their eyes by the time they are 50, requiring bifocal lenses to see either near or far, and at some point their retina clouds over, a condition known medically as a cataract, further robbing the person of their ability to see.
Now, Discovery News is reporting that medical researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have produced artificial retinas for restoring sight in people who are blind due to retinal problems.
Artifical retinas actually already exist, being focusable bags of saline water that restore the existing ability of the eye to see, solving the problem for people with cataracts but not presbyopia. This system is different: It turns the eye into a low-resolution camera that feeds directly to the brain. The camera is good for the user's entire remaining life. It contains a battery that can be recharged inductively, so the user can recharge it with a small electric pad on their face, perhaps while sleeping.
This is encouraging, and I think within my lifetime, someone will invent artificial eyes that can see better than biological ones, and it will become worth it to have ones eyes outright replaced.
Now, Discovery News is reporting that medical researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have produced artificial retinas for restoring sight in people who are blind due to retinal problems.
Artifical retinas actually already exist, being focusable bags of saline water that restore the existing ability of the eye to see, solving the problem for people with cataracts but not presbyopia. This system is different: It turns the eye into a low-resolution camera that feeds directly to the brain. The camera is good for the user's entire remaining life. It contains a battery that can be recharged inductively, so the user can recharge it with a small electric pad on their face, perhaps while sleeping.
This is encouraging, and I think within my lifetime, someone will invent artificial eyes that can see better than biological ones, and it will become worth it to have ones eyes outright replaced.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Control it with your mind
I think the trend in communication is towards concealment of technology. Same abilities, less footprint. Electrical wires are hidden in my walls, powering my devices. Plumbing, also hidden in the walls, brings me water and takes it away again. And phones are a little box that lets me talk to people that are thousands of miles away.
Back in the day, I remember, phones were larger. The size of my head, practically. The trend has been for smaller and smaller phones. I currently have a mobile phone about the size of two of my phlanges, which is way smaller than was seen as even possible when I was born.
Discovery is reporting that phones and remote controls may soon be replaced with a small unobtrusive hat that you wear and impose your will on your living room by your thoughts. It's another EEG project.
Or possibly more in the future. We may have cybernetic implants that let us think our way through a phone call, so you can reach the office by closing your eyes and concentrating. No more speaking aloud, which used to be necessary but will now just make you look like a tool. And controlling the TV? It already knows what you want to see and has tuned itself to the right station.
Okay, maybe no implants. Drunk calling is trouble enough on cell-phones, I don't wanna wake up tomorrow to find that I called Amenijad on my brain-implant and insulted him for several hours and now have a phone bill that costs more than a house.
But the possibilities are endless and amazing.
Back in the day, I remember, phones were larger. The size of my head, practically. The trend has been for smaller and smaller phones. I currently have a mobile phone about the size of two of my phlanges, which is way smaller than was seen as even possible when I was born.
Discovery is reporting that phones and remote controls may soon be replaced with a small unobtrusive hat that you wear and impose your will on your living room by your thoughts. It's another EEG project.
Or possibly more in the future. We may have cybernetic implants that let us think our way through a phone call, so you can reach the office by closing your eyes and concentrating. No more speaking aloud, which used to be necessary but will now just make you look like a tool. And controlling the TV? It already knows what you want to see and has tuned itself to the right station.
Okay, maybe no implants. Drunk calling is trouble enough on cell-phones, I don't wanna wake up tomorrow to find that I called Amenijad on my brain-implant and insulted him for several hours and now have a phone bill that costs more than a house.
But the possibilities are endless and amazing.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My Craziest Desire
The strangest thing I've ever wanted for myself is a head computer. A cyberbrain, if you will. It's technically possible, I believe Dr. Kevin Warwick will have one for sale within the next ten years. It's too early to be sure of the details yet, but let me talk about what I assume the advantages and disadvantages would be.
On the plus side, I should be at least able to offload all mathematical operations onto it. Let's say I'm shopping at the supermarket, and I want to know which can of corn is a better deal. One can is $0.90 for 8 oz, one is $2.50 for 30 oz. When this has actually happened, I am lost in thoughts for minutes as I attempt to make the necessary divisions. But using a computer (and my fingers), I can have an answer in 30 seconds, using a calculator program, "bc":
The second option is the better deal, at 8 cents per ounce. This would be even faster, since I wouldn't have to bother typing it, I would just think it and it would happen. I would also be able to write my blog from anywhere, and interface computers with no human interface devices. Don't need keyboards, mice, or monitors anymore.
In the event that brain-calculations and computer-calculations are compatible (which is dubious), I would gain a thousandfold increase in mental capability, sharpening my senses by significant amounts, and generally being a superhuman genius.
On the downside, this would involve the most invasive surgery possible. The device would need to be wired to my nerves, possibly even implanted in my brain through a large sawed hole in my skull. (Which I need like, well, to pardon the pun, a massive hole in my head.) Also, massive software security would be needed lest it be useful as a torture mechanism. It might be possible to control me through the device, or if not, drive me insane through incessant voices in my head. It may, depending on the construction, be possible to use the device to read my very thoughts. I don't give myself the pretension of thinking that anyone would give a crap about my personal thoughts, but if this becomes common, I can definitely imagine entities that salivate at the thought of being able to instantly read the mind of anyone they deem to be their nemesis.
Lastly, I don't know enough about medicine to know about how the immune system deals with foreign bodies. Would it grow scar tissue around the computer? (I don't want scar tissue in my brain!) Would the immune system attack the computer, ignore the computer, or attempt to cordon it off? Would an electrical malfunction in the computer result in me suffering an epileptic attack? (I don't have epilepsy now, but computers involve stronger currents than the brain usually has, and should they "leak...") If the computer's code should malfunction, could I be stuck with an annoying input that never goes away, or would I have some way to reset or turn off the computer?
Maybe this isn't worth it.
On the plus side, I should be at least able to offload all mathematical operations onto it. Let's say I'm shopping at the supermarket, and I want to know which can of corn is a better deal. One can is $0.90 for 8 oz, one is $2.50 for 30 oz. When this has actually happened, I am lost in thoughts for minutes as I attempt to make the necessary divisions. But using a computer (and my fingers), I can have an answer in 30 seconds, using a calculator program, "bc":
~ $ bc
bc 1.06.95
Copyright 1991-1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
For details type `warranty'.
scale=2
.9 / 8
.11
2.5/30
.08
The second option is the better deal, at 8 cents per ounce. This would be even faster, since I wouldn't have to bother typing it, I would just think it and it would happen. I would also be able to write my blog from anywhere, and interface computers with no human interface devices. Don't need keyboards, mice, or monitors anymore.
In the event that brain-calculations and computer-calculations are compatible (which is dubious), I would gain a thousandfold increase in mental capability, sharpening my senses by significant amounts, and generally being a superhuman genius.
On the downside, this would involve the most invasive surgery possible. The device would need to be wired to my nerves, possibly even implanted in my brain through a large sawed hole in my skull. (Which I need like, well, to pardon the pun, a massive hole in my head.) Also, massive software security would be needed lest it be useful as a torture mechanism. It might be possible to control me through the device, or if not, drive me insane through incessant voices in my head. It may, depending on the construction, be possible to use the device to read my very thoughts. I don't give myself the pretension of thinking that anyone would give a crap about my personal thoughts, but if this becomes common, I can definitely imagine entities that salivate at the thought of being able to instantly read the mind of anyone they deem to be their nemesis.
Lastly, I don't know enough about medicine to know about how the immune system deals with foreign bodies. Would it grow scar tissue around the computer? (I don't want scar tissue in my brain!) Would the immune system attack the computer, ignore the computer, or attempt to cordon it off? Would an electrical malfunction in the computer result in me suffering an epileptic attack? (I don't have epilepsy now, but computers involve stronger currents than the brain usually has, and should they "leak...") If the computer's code should malfunction, could I be stuck with an annoying input that never goes away, or would I have some way to reset or turn off the computer?
Maybe this isn't worth it.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Diabetic Monitoring Implant
One big problem for people with diabetes is having to monitor their blood sugar. If it gets too high, there are massive problems, but if it gets too low, that's even worse. Severe diabetics must always carry around with them a syringe full of insulin in case of the first, and a candy bar in case of the second. They need to avoid sugar consumption when not having a low-sugar attack, and would benefit from weight loss.
So I propose a monitoring implant. Vampirically powered, it would constantly record the glucose concentration of the blood flowing past it, harvesting a tiny amount of that to power itself. Using RFID technology, the records could be downloaded into a wristwatch-like device for display or transfer into a computer. Alternatively, it could signal the person in case of excessively high or low readings by some means that I have yet to determine. A friend of mine says to put it in the watch, which would be smart because the watch could have more complex and sophisticated circuitry.
The glucose use of the machine would treat the underlying problem of uncontrolled glucose use, and the stored information would eliminate the need for the constant finger-prick tests that a diabetic person has to undergo as it is. Since it would read continuously, the person would have a record of their blood sugar levels through the day for further management. If the person has a good memory, this could lead to the identification of patterns that would lead to better health.
As a secondary benefit, if the owner is overweight, this may lead to a slight weight loss.
So I propose a monitoring implant. Vampirically powered, it would constantly record the glucose concentration of the blood flowing past it, harvesting a tiny amount of that to power itself. Using RFID technology, the records could be downloaded into a wristwatch-like device for display or transfer into a computer. Alternatively, it could signal the person in case of excessively high or low readings by some means that I have yet to determine. A friend of mine says to put it in the watch, which would be smart because the watch could have more complex and sophisticated circuitry.
The glucose use of the machine would treat the underlying problem of uncontrolled glucose use, and the stored information would eliminate the need for the constant finger-prick tests that a diabetic person has to undergo as it is. Since it would read continuously, the person would have a record of their blood sugar levels through the day for further management. If the person has a good memory, this could lead to the identification of patterns that would lead to better health.
As a secondary benefit, if the owner is overweight, this may lead to a slight weight loss.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Mad Engineering and Weight Loss
In many of the wealthier countries, obesity is an increasing problem. Low-quality food is cheaper than high-quality, and many of these low quality foods are full of empty calories, leading people who eat them to become overweight. The usual standards of diet and exercise are difficult for most overweight people, exercise because they have little spare time and are left tired, and diet because quality food is expensive and they miss their favorites after only a short time.
60% of the US population is overweight, and in wanting of an easy, inexpensive solution. And I might have it.
A device including a glucose converter is connected to the legs. (One device per leg, please.) The converted glucose produces electricity, which we can use to, say, power a microchip. The lowest powered device I know of, a 5 watt device, would burn an extra 103 calories per day. The highest powered device I know of, 300 watts, would be 6,190 calories per day, obviously too much. These calculations are based off the of patently unreasonable assumption that the device is 100% efficient, which it clearly won't be. So in practice, the device would use up more Calories than I listed here.
What would a microchip in your leg be able to do? I suppose it could, on a schedule, say 3am to 5am, twitch your leg muscles for extra energy use, or it could just track its own energy use, or the cycles could be used for a charity project, such as Folding at Home. The implantation clinic should have a number of software options for people who get the implant.
One potential pitfall is if the device makes the user hungrier. If it uses 103 calories per day, but makes the user eat an extra 200 calories per day, the user will get fatter. What connection does blood glucose level have with hunger?
60% of the US population is overweight, and in wanting of an easy, inexpensive solution. And I might have it.
A device including a glucose converter is connected to the legs. (One device per leg, please.) The converted glucose produces electricity, which we can use to, say, power a microchip. The lowest powered device I know of, a 5 watt device, would burn an extra 103 calories per day. The highest powered device I know of, 300 watts, would be 6,190 calories per day, obviously too much. These calculations are based off the of patently unreasonable assumption that the device is 100% efficient, which it clearly won't be. So in practice, the device would use up more Calories than I listed here.
What would a microchip in your leg be able to do? I suppose it could, on a schedule, say 3am to 5am, twitch your leg muscles for extra energy use, or it could just track its own energy use, or the cycles could be used for a charity project, such as Folding at Home. The implantation clinic should have a number of software options for people who get the implant.
One potential pitfall is if the device makes the user hungrier. If it uses 103 calories per day, but makes the user eat an extra 200 calories per day, the user will get fatter. What connection does blood glucose level have with hunger?
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