He is a Cyborg!
Most likely you have heard of Transhumanism, an international school of thought pushing for transformation of the human physique using sophisticated technologies to enhance the body.
In keeping with this theme filmmaker Rob Spence has become a cyborg of sorts; he has a prosthetic eye that contains a video camera allowing him to record images for up to thirty minutes a time before the battery runs out.
Rob says that his prosthetic eye ‘looks like a ninety’s iMac, you can see all the goods inside.’
For his new eye, he has two styles to choose from, one resembling a realistic human eye and the other a Terminator-like-style which provides variety and allows him to become a real-life Terminator when he chooses.
His prosthetic eye consists of a sealable prosthetic shell, a circuit board, battery, camera module and a wireless video transmitter.
Rob says; “I swap between the two of them as a prosthetic eye is as switchable as a pair of earrings.
“I tend to pop one in when I am filming something interesting. And I often wear an eyepatch.”
There is no real science fiction involved, as he cannot see out of the camera because it’s not connected to an optic nerve.
How it works is a video signal is transmitted to a receiver that then streams the images to a monitor.
Rob’s plan is to develop a 3D printed version of the eye and he is working with a team of engineers to work on the tech side and streamline the manufacturing.
“For me being an Eyeborg is all about taking a bad situation and making it better” he says.
“I don’t have to just ‘fit in’ with a prosthetic; I can celebrate my cyborgness and individuality. In other words, being one eyed can be f***ing cool.”
Medical 3D Printing Is Revolutionizing Healthcare
3D printing is already revolutionizing human health care on many levels.
It’s enhancing people’s lives like nothing else before it. Best of all is that there’s still plenty of potential for further research and development in 3D printing for medical uses.
Some things are already in use and making a real difference in people’s lives. Other designs are currently awaiting approval.
Here are just a few of the mind-blowing medical applications produced by 3D printing:
· Affordable prosthetic parts
· Bones
· Cranium replacement
· Drugs
· Ear cartilage
· Heart valves
· Human embryonic stem cells
· Human organs
· Human tissues with blood vessels
· Medical models
· Synthetic skin
· Precision medical equipment
It sounds like science fiction, but 3D printed organs have arrived, at least in part.
Most experts predict that some printed artificial organs will make perfect replacements. Others even believe they’ll be an improvement on the human machinery, but there are limitations.
As of now, few experts feel that 3D printing will be able to yield whole, complex organs. This is because of the complicated architectures of whole organs like livers and kidneys.
It’s down to this; it’s not the mechanical process that’s the problem but the biological materials.
Thermoplastics and metals used in regular 3D printing models don’t die once they’ve cooled off.
Living tissue, on the other hand, is far more delicate so for the foreseeable future artificial organ transplantation is some way off.
