Category: Humans

Facebook’s Mind Reading Headset

Have you ever imagined a world where you would just think things and they would happen? For example, you thought to send a happy birthday message to your grandmother and your phone does it automatically? Well, this concept seems to be coming closer to becoming reality very soon. In 2017, Facebook decided to create a device which would use your thoughts to type. So whatever you were thinking at that moment would be typed out by Facebook’s new brain-computer. Now Facebook has started to show how far they have come with this invention and how soon consumers can have it in their hands. It is something that will revolutionize technology as it will let the disabled speak and make our daily lives much easier.

Facebook says that they are in collaboration with scientists and researchers at the University of California to work on this new invention. They stated that they want to connect the world without any limitations whether they are geographical, physical or mental. They want to make the world instantly accessible and completely hands-free. So with collaboration from researchers, Facebook is trying to build a device that will let patients with neurological diseases have a voice again by examining their brain’s activity in real-time.

An experiment was conducted by the researchers where a neurological patient who had been surgically implanted with electrodes on the surface of his brain was asked to answer questions aloud. Around 61% of the time, the computer was able to comprehend and present the correct answer through brain signals alone. Researchers now believe that this could have a real impact on society as it would enable those who cannot speak to now have a voice and share their opinion with the world too.

However, there is much more work to be done. Right now the project is just at the beginning stage where it is starting to take form. What the researchers aim to achieve will take many years of trials and practice. The researchers want to decode around 100 words per minute with a vocabulary of 1000 words, and they want less than a 17% chance of error. This is a huge goal for the researchers and if this is achieved, it could transform the technological world.

However there are a few downfalls too, the procedure is surgically invasive, which in itself is a huge risk. This is a different model compared to the one aimed for normal consumers which will be manual headsets. Also in the initial trials, there was very limited vocabulary that was tested which means very limited answers could be provided. It leaves a great deal of scope for improvement. This device will take many years to be completed and to reach the consumers and patients, and will need much more money and effort to become a reality.

Elon Musk’s Mars City

Elon Musk has decided to build a city on Mars, the neighboring planet to Earth. It is said that if it were to be built, it would be the most expensive construction in human history and could even cost up to 1/8 of the world’s total economy.

The CO of SpaceX does not only want to send humans onto mars to visit but he even sees them starting a permanent settlement. If things go according to the Musk’s plan, a proper city and settlement on Mars could be developed as early as 2050.

After that, there are many questions that may arise. Specialists believe that the people living there could develop and evolve according to the conditions of the planet; they could inhabit the planet and even build an economy from ground up. Musk even suggests that they plan on selling people return tickets to Mars at the same price as a house may cost in the United States.

It is said that the new futuristic city will cost within 100 billion dollars to 100 trillion dollars. These assumptions of the numbers are based upon the fact that around 1 million tons of cargo would be needed on Mars and would be transported from Earth to Mars. Hence, the extremely high cost.

It is said that they will be using the Starship to start the mission onto Mars. The rocket is a 348-foot rocket, made out of stainless steel and is completely reusable, it holds a pressurized cabin which could easily hold up to 100 people within it and take them up to Mars. It is also made to carry payload to Mars, however only if SpaceX can solve the problem of adding more fuel during orbit.

The journey, however, could only take place when Earth and Mars are closest. Hence to build a city by the year 2025, Musk believes that the ships need to start going up to Mars by 2024. He plans to update people in August 2019. He also said that they will be sending 4 ships of which 2 will be manned and other 2 will be unmanned.

The reason that Musk says he wants to carry out this project is that he believes that humans need something to look forward to. Due to climate change and global warming, our future seems to be bleak and depressed. He believes that space travel may be exciting for people and will free humans from the confinements of Earth. It could also be a way to solve all the global warming issues and save the human race from extinction that we are progressing towards, due to the current conditions within the world.

Neural Implants for the Blind

Due to various diseases including cancer, many people become blind. It really is a sad story, however, it is their eyes that cause the issue and not their visual cortex. In this way, their visual cortex which is part of the brain is completely fine and undamaged, but as there is no information coming in from the eyes, it holds no use for the person. This, however, is not the case anymore. Through an amazing medical trial, 6 people who were blind are now able to partially see. The device that helps achieve this is called Orion. It takes pictures from a camera and inputs them directly into the brain, acting as the eyes for the person.

Doctors believe that this is a ray of hope for those who are completely blind and have lost their eyesight due to a disease or accident. They believe that if the camera completely erases the purpose of the eyes, it could lead to many more opportunities for people who cannot see.

Orion is made up of 2 parts. It includes an implant within the person’s brain and a pair of glasses which contain the camera. The camera in the glasses takes pictures and sends information to 60 electrodes which are placed in the implant within the brain. These electrodes process information and present it to the visual cortex. This then shows the blind person a partial image of what is in front of them. Meaning the device removes the need for natural eyesight.

For testing the device, researchers used a computer. They first chose completely blind people and showed them a black screen on a computer with a white square, which moved within a random pattern. They would then ask them to point at the square at whatever position it was at. They pointed at the correct place, making scientists believe their invention truly worked.

It is believed that the square which was shown to the patients may just be the beginning. If they were to introduce many more electrodes within the brain, they would be able to create a proper image, which would show the blind person everything around them. What they aim to do is use the reference of a style of painting. When you paint tiny thousands of spots, they come together and represent a full picture – this could be done in the brain too. When electrodes are stimulating thousands of places in the brain while the camera is feeding the information, there is potential that a proper image may be created in the same way as a painting.

Even the way the device is at the moment, it really has the potential of changing lives.

Electronic Tattoos

Science fiction has given birth to many new technological advancements simply by inspiring curiosity. As our technological knowledge has increased we have been able to explore even more possibilities. We have now reached a point where nano-technology has merged with 3D printing and bio-MEM research to create an entirely new playground for the physicists of our time.

There have been movies alluding to advancements in meshing humans and technology; cyber-humans. Nanshu Lu began to make this sci-fi reality with her research into and development of Flexoelectricity of Nanomaterials on Deformable Substrates. Lu’s idea was that by upgrading our capabilities in the combining of electrical and mechanical technologies at a nanoscale level, we can turn mechanical action into electrical impulses.

From her research we have reached into the world of augmented humans in real life. With the aid of new developments in 3D printing, mainly being able to use mediums other than hard plastic, we are now able to create printable electronics. And what’s more, when computer scanning technology is added to the 3D printer, printing on skin becomes a viable option.

So, now we have a printable ‘tattoo’ that can perform electronic functions. These devices are referred to as tattoos because they stick to the skin the same way that a temporary tattoo does. But these polymer structures adhere and move with the skin, as well as being completely customizable on a cellular level, tailored to each individual’s needs.

In fact, this aspect of the technology is so exciting, that there is work being done to create bio-synthetic organ replacements for people needing transplants. It is already possible to match the exact size and shape of whatever body part is needed. And the implications for the medical community are countless. The printer is fairly inexpensive ($400) and fits in a backpack. Imagine being able to administer to a patient at the scene of an accident instead of transporting them to a hospital.

We already connect everything to our phones; what if you never lost your phone and it was always charged – because it was always on your wrist.  If you add a medical monitor and sync that to your doctor’s office, they can track your health in real time, allowing for faster diagnoses and shorter treatment times; and you can receive health advice just as fast.

Perhaps this is the beginning of a future where humans even have augmented senses – eyesight like an owl, or the hearing capability of a bat. A future where we can start to wipe out some of the most common medical issues we face. A technology that can grow with us and perhaps even lengthen our lifespan.

Realistically, we could be looking at bio-electrical devices in a lot of new applications very soon. The technology has already been developed enough to allow biocompatible material to engage seamlessly with skin. It seems to be only a matter of improving upon this already amazing technology and developing new ways of integrating our current systems to what are likely to become the systems of the future.

Our Body After Death – Special Ways to Rest in Peace

Most religious and spiritual groups believe that the body is occupied by a soul that lives on after death. For centuries humans have been using different methods to ensure that a body remains at peace, after the soul has departed. With the changes in the world, due to more advanced technology, the way we put our loved ones to rest is also changing and new methods of preserving our memory include:

  1. Becoming a Diamond

Cremated bodies can be made into synthetic diamonds, in a process which heats extracted carbons from a loved one’s remains to extreme temperatures. These are then placed into LifeGem’s diamond press, a 13,000-pound industrial machine. Once the diamond has been made it can be cut and polished, as well as have unique features engraved on its surface.

  1. Floating Island Burial

The Buddhist traditions observed in Hong Kong require proper respect to be shown to the bodies of those that have passed on. The country has been running out of space to store their ever-increasing number of dead. Burial plots in Hong Kong are now being reused and families often wait up to 56 months to get one. This means that most of the bodies of those that die are cremated and the country has also begun running out of space to store the urns.

To solve this problem Hong Kong has teamed up with British architectural firm, BREAD Studio, to create a floating island where the ashes of 370,000 people can now be housed. The island is called ‘Floating Eternity’ and is located alongside the harbor. Visitors can pull up by boat, place their urn in a designated niche or sprinkle the ashes overboard for a burial at sea. The circular walkway has also been designed to ensure that the view from any angle remains unobstructed.

  1. Coral Reef Burial

Eternal Reefs has revolutionized a way for deceased loved ones to become a part of the ocean’s ecosystem. Cremated remains are put inside reef balls, which are specially designed to repopulate the oceans reefs after their drastic decline in recent decades. The unique design encourages sea life to attach itself to the surface of the balls and grow outward. The reef ball can also store personal memorabilia, such as dog tags for navy veterans.

  1. An Atmospheric Release

Mesoloft is a company that takes cremated remains up in a balloon and releases them into the atmosphere, where they float around the Earth before drifting back to the planet’s surface to settle on various landforms. Other ashes will pass through clouds to become a part of rain or snow. The release is recorded and played for loved ones at the deceased’s funeral, or a special memorial service.

Stem Cell Storage – Preparing to Combat Future Ailments

One of the major quests of the human species is finding a way to prolong our lives. Unfortunately, as we age our stem cells decrease and deteriorate, making us more susceptible to age-related illnesses. Scientists believe that many of these diseases can be slowed down, or stopped entirely, using our own stem cells. Although more research needs to be conducted into ways to use them to prolong our lives, and our healthy years, one study has already shown that mice injected with stem cells began aging more slowly. The best stem cells to be used in any medical process would be the ones that we have in our youth, before the deterioration process begins.

Forever Labs has developed a system to harvest and store these ideal stem cells for future use, where necessary. The company has partnered with doctors, predominantly plastic and orthopedic surgeons, to extract stem cells which their labs will keep for an annual fee. The extraction is a fifteen-minute process, and the company’s website provides those interested with a list of doctors that do the procedure. The process is virtually pain free, with little or no recovery period. This means that you could essentially be saving your own life, with an effortless procedure, conducted during your lunch break!

The stem cells are collected from the bone marrow, near the hip, which has the highest number in the body. The bone marrow produces most of our blood, supports the immune system and the connected tissue, as well as the vasculature and soft muscle systems. Scientists at Forever Labs believe that replacing the stem cells in the bone marrow (with younger ones) as we age, can help to prolong our lives and health. Most age-related diseases are caused by problems arising at the cellular level, which then extends to the tissues. If they can be addressed at this stage they can be controlled before they become debilitating, essentially prolonging a healthy life.

The procedure is straightforward, harmless and, for most patients, risk-free. Those that may face risks will be told beforehand. Scientists continue to research the possibilities that exist with stem cell treatment including: combating Alzheimer’s, osteoarthritis, heart disease and strokes. A study conducted with rats has shown where stem cell application may even be able to treat alcoholism. Regardless of the cures that will arise, most scientists believe that harvesting stem cells at a younger age will give individuals a higher fighting chance if they find themselves dealing with age-related diseases in the future.