Michael Barbella, Managing Editor09.09.19
If only the human body wasn’t so...well, human.
Imagine, for a moment, the possibilities: Organs and joints that never fail, bones that never break, neurons that never misfire, muscles that never tear, and cells that never damage. Invincibility at its very best.
Mankind is well on its way to achieving such immortality with science-fiction-inspired technological advancements like 3D-printed tissue, artificial hearts, smartphone-controlled arms, spray-on skin, exoskeletons, and brain-computer interface devices.
The latter innovation, supported by a growing cache of scientific research, fulfills humankind’s decades-long dream to harness cerebral electricity to directly control machinery and/or non-working body parts. Though still in its early stages, the technology has already been used to help a paralyzed teenager kick a soccer ball, and a quadriplegic man regain control of his hand, wrist, and fingers. “It’s certainly a huge challenge to restore movement to a paralyzed limb,” quadriplegic Ian Burkhart acknowledges in a video posted to the Battelle Memorial Institute website. The 28-year-o
Imagine, for a moment, the possibilities: Organs and joints that never fail, bones that never break, neurons that never misfire, muscles that never tear, and cells that never damage. Invincibility at its very best.
Mankind is well on its way to achieving such immortality with science-fiction-inspired technological advancements like 3D-printed tissue, artificial hearts, smartphone-controlled arms, spray-on skin, exoskeletons, and brain-computer interface devices.
The latter innovation, supported by a growing cache of scientific research, fulfills humankind’s decades-long dream to harness cerebral electricity to directly control machinery and/or non-working body parts. Though still in its early stages, the technology has already been used to help a paralyzed teenager kick a soccer ball, and a quadriplegic man regain control of his hand, wrist, and fingers. “It’s certainly a huge challenge to restore movement to a paralyzed limb,” quadriplegic Ian Burkhart acknowledges in a video posted to the Battelle Memorial Institute website. The 28-year-o
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