Tiny robots unlocking human physical potential Can Nanobots bring about immortality? - that's what scientists are looking to answer, or what many people are curios about. Far-fetched? Probably, but it yet again demonstrates a case of Science Fiction finding its way to reality, today. I've blogged about the existence of Skynet, well here's a look at how machines could influence our lives in a very personal, intimate and implicit way, by infiltrating our bodies, and the best part,we'll let them, in fact, some will be desperate for some techno infusion. The thing is though, regardless of whether there's any credence to this theory that nanobots hold the key to immortality, an obvious issue is that in a Capitalist world, only the rich will ever have access to the medical benefits of this technology. The 'Spiderbot': "... recently featured in the science journal Nature. These microscopic robots are made out of DNA... Personally I'm skeptical about the "10 000 times smaller than human hair diameter", but I don't doubt their existence - in some form or other (seems an exaggeration though, then again truth is stranger than fiction! And, realistically these microscopic machines need to be miniscule to operate effectively)... But what exactly can Nanobots do, or what can we expect from them? Here's a short bullet list of the roles these little marvels can be expected to perform in the human body:
Needless to say that with these things swimming through your system - even carrying medication to your brain, the possibilities grow exponentially when you go into the details... and that is where this immortality fascination has been fueled, because these robots effectively act as a secondary (or new primary) immune system, making living longer the realistic pay-off. Although, it is believed that Nanobots are merely to be used as a form of treatment and medication, thus they will NOT remain in the patient indefinitely. Along with their primary purposes, these machines are also designed with different specs, equipped with navigation technology (to guide it out of your system) and a few propulsion methods - they could be self propelled using artificial intelligence, or 'driven' by a remote external source, controlled by a qualified doctor/technician/pilot. Regardless of whether you believe in immortality or not - why would one want to live forever anyway... this may seem cynical but, part of the beauty of this life is the fleeting nature of it, which happens to (or should) help us appreciate it even more. I for one believe there is a time limit to our lives, and that even with the aid of Nanobots adding decades more to your life, that person may well still plop down, dead, for some inexplicable reason. In Biblical times it was known that humans lived for much longer than in today's world, but that had as much to do with the conditions and the general health of society - what they ate and the way they lived. I think we can all agree that today, in a time of GM foods and pill dispensers, that we are not a physically healthy society; add to that anxiety, stress and a lack of exercise to a materialistic lifestyle, and you end up with humans looking desperately for any means to prolong an inherently ill-rooted life. This then is an innovative, complicated (in design and conception, and for now, by all accounts, implementation), expensive and in some ways scary solution (or alternative) to a widespread self-made messy problem/s. We're still early in the development of these things, so it'll be a while before they're fully in the public domain, but it does provide some necessary food for thought and debate. This piece may have an undercurrent of negativism, due mainly to humanities' exploitation of innovations, but there is a very legitimate and positive vision behind Nanobots, in a bid to cure Cancer and combat all sorts of illnesses, but as always I'm biased to natural products and methods,I'm even partial to stem cell research - using our own cells to target affected areas. Perhaps Nanobots is a topic best left for the next generation, or when I'm much older, and the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks... Your Thoughts? Some interesting links to browse through: 10 ways technology could destroy the world 10 reasons why Tesla is a scientific god
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Wallpaper from cyberdyne-systems.fr article by Steven Benjamin (2012) When Terminator was released in the mid-eighties, it was hailed and would later prove to be a trend setting film, re-establishing the thought process of science fiction films. A key element in it's success, was the plausibility, or perceived plausibility of some of the events. It wasn’t that people thought “Robots from the future will send terminators back in time to kill off our future resistance fighter leaders, effectively winning the war before it begins”, but everyone recognized the distinct possibility that sometime in the future, if technology continued on the progressive path it was, and still is on, artificial intelligence and ‘robots’, could bite back eventually. In other words, it wasn’t that difficult to connect the proverbial dots, much like the thought provoking film ‘Children of Men’ – chronicling a near future wherein women are unable to give birth – an occurrence that has been noted and experienced in various areas for a variety of different reasons. So, how close are we to developing a system that mirrors that of the fictional ‘SkyNet’ or ‘Cyberdyne Systems’? The truth is, we’re not that far off… Tesla book cover. The first thing that might come to mind when you hear “Killer Robots”, is most likely Drones, aka UAV’s (Unmanned aerial vehicles), scout machines, drone boats etc. which are developed and used by several countries including the USA, Israel, China, Russia, Germany, et al. Basically very large remote controlled airplanes in military use. Nicola Tesla (the man/genius who gave us the AC motor, neon lights and the remote control, among many other inventions) spoke of unmanned aerial fleets as early as 1915, so the idea is anything but new. Killer Robots though, are something quite different. Whereas Drones always have a person operating it via satellite from some military base, ‘Killer Robots’ are autonomous – meaning there is little or no human involvement when the machine does inevitably pull the trigger. The Iron Dome, Israel’s missile defense system is one such machine/program which operates autonomously, ‘sensing’ incoming rocket fire and relaying messages to operators (human) who then take action. Many human and civil rights watches have led inquiries and protests of such weapon use, calling for greater care and conducting further intensive investigations, stating that in a few decades, the global military scene could be largely autonomous… And how safe would we all feel then? Here's a look at some, albeit crude looking, robots from DARPA - think of them as today's version of SkyNet... I suggest you Google DARPA on look for their videos on youtube, such as the Big Dog, humanoids and the Sand Flee (an small autonomous robots that can jump onto rooftops or scale fences)... Special Forces on tumblr This is simply natural progression. Military's have sought and trained the veritable perfect soldiers, legions of Special Forces, then they sought to create ideal weapons to kill with minimum risk to human life (on the side of the ones doing the killing anyway)… meaning the highly contested chess match of the world’s super powers can now make their moves and issue their action orders – to be carried out almost instantaneously… And that, without even the touch of a button, because ‘autonomous’ means the machines will pre-empt the decision, practically eliminating the human power game and guidance. Effectively this will not only redefine war, but it will redefine what constitutes an act of war, infringing on the rules of engagement, and removing much of the element of accountability in the inevitable transgression of the parameters of said war. - “If you have an autonomous robot then it’s going to make decisions who to kill, when to kill and where to kill them. The scary thing is that the reason this has to happen is because of mission complexity and also so that when there’s a problem with communications you can send a robot in with no communication and it will decide who to kill, and that is really worrying to me.” – Noel Sharkey (2008) – Prof. of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Sheffield. Many, if not all of the world’s super powers have committed war crimes, including the very initial (catalyst) act of war itself – Vietnam, Iraq… yet they’ve gone unpunished and largely unnoticed by an uninformed or misinformed public. So how much can the powers-that-be get away with in the future… and what happens when that power is taken from them by the very things they created… It could be called the ‘Frankenstein complex’… Man, we’ve always been our own worst enemy. It’s not all doom and gloom though. Autonomous Robots have also been deployed in disaster relief efforts, and let’s not forget bomb disposal robots. DARPA (the USA’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is often associated with such projects. Many robots are developed with humble and often good intentions, but governments more often than not take those designs, concepts and prototypes and inevitably weaponize them. From humble beginnings, SkyNet was born… Welcome to the bizarre, and the creepy of modern robotics, and think to yourself; if this is what they publicise, what they let us know about, what don’t we know, and what the heck is already in use today? In any event, however crude these 'bots may look, give them 10/15 years... “We build but to tear down. Most of our work and resource is squandered. Our onward march is marked by devastation. Everywhere there is an appalling loss of time, effort and life. A cheerless view, but true.” - Nikola Tesla For a list of 10 inventions by Nikola Tesla, click here Amendment (20/12/2012): Skynet does exist... ... and by that very name too! It is in actual fact a series, or "family", of satellites, the first of which, Skynet 1 was launched in 1969 (the series, which was last updated, or shall I say the youngest addition was welcomed to the family just a few days ago with the launch of Skynet 5 - *report TBC) - predating the fictional Terminator version by a decade and a half. FYI, the Brits and NATO 'owns' the family... Of course we all know about satellites and the technology they possess - being able to look into your backyard, powerful enough to detect the color of your eyes etc... and that actual privacy is a remnant idea of the past - it is amazing however, just how powerless we are to this encroachment. This is the type of information most people know about without actually truly knowing about it, though it was highlighted for me quite recently, and quite plainly, by a highly qualified industry insider, opening my eyes a bit wider to the devious ways of 'Big Brother'. Predictions are widely set at 2060 - the time whereabouts the existence of a Technological singularity will emerge (a self aware AI supercomputer) - though I do have my own opinions and misgivings about this - beyond that date, experts believe the future to be, well, 'an unpredictable crapshoot' (my words)... In man's continuous attempts to create an independent artificially intelligent entity, I keep asking myself "Why? For what purpose?" and "to what end?" |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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