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The Future Observatory

Posted in 3D printing, automation, big data, biological, bionic, bioprinting, biotech/medical, bitcoin, business, chemistry, climatology, complex systems, computing, cosmology, counterterrorism, cybercrime/malcode, cyborgs, defense, driverless cars, drones, economics, education, energy, engineering, entertainment, environmental, ethics, events, existential risks, exoskeleton, finance, food, futurism, general relativity, genetics, geopolitics, government, habitats, hardware, health, human trajectories, information science, innovation, law, life extension, military, mobile phones, nanotechnology, neuroscience, nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, open access, open source, particle physics, philosophy, physics, policy, polls, posthumanism, privacy, rants, robotics/AI, science, scientific freedom, security, singularity, space, supercomputing, surveillance, sustainability, transhumanism, transparency, transportation, treaties, water | Leave a Comment on The Future Observatory

FEBRUARY 04/2014 UPDATES. By Mr. Andres Agostini at www.Future-Observatory.blogspot.com
lba
Lockheed Uses Robot Arm To Build F-35s

Lockheed Uses Robot Arm To Build F-35s

New Method of Creating Stem Cells is a “Game Changer”
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2014/01/30/new-method-of-creating-stem-cells-is-a-game-changer/#.Uu7rhLTSmHd

The Future of Skunkworks Management to Impossible Business Enterprises
http://lnkd.in/bYP2nDC

Was There A Beginning Of Time And Will There Be An End Of Time?
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/timeslowingdown.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Messagetoeaglecom+%28Message+To+Eagle+-+News%29#.Uu7yMbTSmHd

Stem Cell Powder Regrows Finger
http://www.minds.com/blog/view/275393897318846464/stem-cell-powder-regrows-finger

Bill Gates: We need global ‘energy miracles’
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/12/bill.gates.clean.energy/

Forecast: America to be hit by temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2014/01/forecast-america-to-be-hit-by-temperatures-as-low-as-minus-40-degrees.html

Top 10 cities people are moving to
http://money.cnn.com/gallery/real_estate/2014/01/27/cities-moving/index.html?iid=HP_LN

The Super Rich are mad as hell — and doing great
http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/28/news/economy/super-rich-attack/index.html?iid=HP_Highlight

Was There A Beginning Of Time And Will There Be An End Of Time?
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/timeslowingdown.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Messagetoeaglecom+%28Message+To+Eagle+-+News%29#.Uu8CN7TSmHd

Quantum Vibrations Evidence For Theory Of Consciousness?
http://www.science20.com/news_articles/quantum_vibrations_evidence_theory_consciousness-127866

Facebook Steps Onto Twitter’s TV Data Turf
http://mashable.com/2014/01/30/facebook-tv-data/

Big Data Debates: Machines Vs. Humans
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2014/01/31/big-data-debates-machines-vs-humans/

Brain-Machine Interfaces Threaten Privacy of Thought
http://www.techthefuture.com/technology/brain-machine-interfaces-threaten-privacy-of-thought/

Researchers find early developmental signal hidden amid ‘noncoding’ RNA

‘On’ switches for cells

Eye Movement Can Reveal Much about Your Personality and Behavior

Eye Movement Can Reveal Much about Your Personality and Behavior

Storage system dramatically speeds access to ‘big data’
http://www.kurzweilai.net/storage-system-dramatically-speeds-access-to-big-data

Training your brain using MEG neurofeedback
http://www.kurzweilai.net/training-your-brain-using-meg-neurofeedback

‘Rogue’ asteroids may be the norm
http://www.kurzweilai.net/rogue-asteroids-may-be-the-norm

Quantum engineers make a major step towards a scalable quantum computer
http://www.kurzweilai.net/quantum-engineers-make-a-major-step-towards-a-scalable-quantum-computer

Quantum espionage
http://www.kurzweilai.net/quantum-espionage

Faces Of The Future? Artist Nickolay Lamm’s Illustrations Show Freaky Facial Features (PHOTOS)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/11/faces-of-the-future-human-facial-features-photos_n_3391747.html

Quantum encryption for wiretap-proof communication a step closer
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20140203-quantum-encryption-for-wiretapproof-communication-a-step-closer

The Fastest-Growing Jobs of This Decade (and the Robots That Will Steal Them)
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/the-fastest-growing-jobs-of-this-decade-and-the-robots-that-will-steal-them/283411/

IBM’s Next Big Thing: Psychic Twitter Bots
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025738/ibms-next-big-thing-psychic-twitter-bots

Robots Are Coming for Our Poems
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/robots-are-coming-for-our-poems

Researchers Identify Major Obstacle to Converting Cells Back to Their Youthful State

Researchers Identify Major Obstacle to Converting Cells Back to Their Youthful State

SUGGESTED BOOK: Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler
ISBN-13: 978–1451614213

QUOTATION: “…Again, yesterday holds tomorrow hostage .… Memory is past. It is finite. Vision is future. It is infinite. Vision is greater than history…”

SUGGESTED BOOK: Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler. ISBN-13: 978–1451614213
Regards,

Mr. Andres Agostini
www.Future-Observatory.blogspot.com
www.ThisSuccess.wordprocessor.com
www.xeeme.com/AAgostini

The Future Observatory

Posted in 3D printing, automation, big data, biological, bionic, bioprinting, biotech/medical, bitcoin, business, chemistry, climatology, complex systems, computing, cosmology, cyborgs, defense, driverless cars, drones, economics, education, energy, engineering, environmental, ethics, existential risks, exoskeleton, finance, food, fun, futurism, general relativity, genetics, geopolitics, government, habitats, hardware, health, human trajectories, humor, information science, innovation, law enforcement, life extension, lifeboat, media & arts, military, mobile phones, nanotechnology, neuroscience, open access, philosophy, physics, policy, posthumanism, privacy, robotics/AI, science, scientific freedom, security, singularity, space, space travel, supercomputing, surveillance, sustainability, time travel, transhumanism, transparency, transportation | Leave a Comment on The Future Observatory

FEBRUARY 03/2014 UPDATES. By Mr.Andres Agostini at www.Future-Observatory.blogspot.com
lba
Maps showing which parts of the world would be flooded if all the world’s ice melted
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/rising-seas/if-ice-melted-map

3-D printing takes shape
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/manufacturing/3-d_printing_takes_shape?cid=manufacturing-eml-alt-mkq-mck-oth-1401

40 more maps that explain the world
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/01/13/40-more-maps-that-explain-the-world/

The Future of Space-Age Management
http://lnkd.in/bYP2nDC

Race Is On to Find Life Under Antarctic Ice
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/12/121218-antarctica-life-microbes-ice-science-environment/

Google sets up artificial intelligence ethics board to curb the rise of the robots
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2548355/Google-sets-artificial-intelligence-ethics-board-curb-rise-robots.html

WORLD HUNGER: A CRISIS NOW AND A CATASTROPHE IN 2050?
http://www.economistinsights.com/sustainability-resources/event/feeding-world-2014?utm_source=Global%20Policy%20&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=EM0167%3A%20Feeding%20the%20World

40 charts that explain the world
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/15/40-charts-that-explain-the-world/

Assignment Remix: Intern-preneurs and Building Bold Thinking
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2014/01/assignment-remix-entrepreneurial-internship-work/

The 3rd Citizen Cyberscience Summit: Feb 20 — 22, 2014

Home

Waypoint 2 Space Trains Passengers For Commercial Launches
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2014/01/29/waypoint-2-space-trains-passengers-for-commercial-launches/

Megacity Tips from Europe’s Highest Town as Davos Debates Future
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-26/megacity-tips-from-europe-s-highest-town-as-davos-debates-future.html

Student-built satellite sends data from space
http://phys.org/news/2014-01-student-built-satellite-space.html

How the Dream Chaser was built
http://phys.org/news/2014-01-video-chaser-built.html

How Is Business Intelligence Being Used Differently in Asia?
http://www.idgconnect.com/blog-abstract/5387/how-is-business-intelligence-being-used-differently-asia

Stumbling Blocks That Faceplant Security Analytics Programs
http://www.darkreading.com/stumbling-blocks-that-faceplant-security/240165754

Bio-printing human parts will spark ethical, regulatory debate
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9245834/Bio_printing_human_parts_will_spark_ethical_regulatory_debate

Bioprinting human organs and tissue: Get ready for the great 3D printer debate
http://www.zdnet.com/bioprinting-human-organs-and-tissue-get-ready-for-the-great-3d-printer-debate-7000025730/

China Emerges Tanzania’s Major Investor
http://www.ventures-africa.com/2014/01/china-emerges-as-tanzanias-major-investor/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

How We Increased Productivity on the Shop Floor
http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/how-we-increased-productivity-on-the-shop-floor/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=smallbusiness&_r=1

Eve Online virtual war ‘costs $300,000′ in damage
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25944837?ocid=socialflow_twitter#

Millions experiencing Arctic chill, new snow
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/millions-experiencing-arctic-chill-new-snow/

Google Still Wins by Selling Motorola for Cheap
http://www.wired.com/business/2014/01/google-moto/?cid=co17808934

There’s a giant robot directing traffic in Congo
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/01/30/theres-a-giant-robot-directing-traffic-in-congo/

The Link Between Viral Content And Emotional Intelligence
http://www.fastcompany.com/3025474/leadership-now/the-link-between-viral-content-and-emotional-intelligence?partner=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company%29

Scientists Create Map of Solar System’s Asteroids
http://www.sci-news.com/space/science-map-solar-system-asteroids-01731.html

Hackers, spies, threats and the US spies’ budget
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25933791

Sparking innovation

Sparking innovation

NASA Instruments on European Comet Spacecraft Begin Countdown
http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/inbrief/2014/01/20140128291716.html#ixzz2s912yA9p

Media Relations: Why The Economist Thinks We Have It Wrong
http://socialmediatoday.com/ginidietrich/2120391/media-relations-why-economist-thinks-we-have-it-wrong?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=hootsuite_tweets

How Your Internal Organs Could Power Implanted Devices
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/med-tech/how-your-internal-organs-could-power-implanted-devices-16405636??src=rss

7 Takeaways From Google’s Sale Of Motorola To Lenovo
http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2014/01/30/7-takeways-from-googles-sale-of-motorola-to-lenovo/?utm_campaign=techtwittersf&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Mad for mapping: 6 projects that change the way you see data. What lessons can geography teach your business?
http://www.itworld.com/slideshow/128479/mad-mapping-6-projects-change-way-you-see-data-382783

Trendspotting: 6 mapping trends that are good for business
http://m.itworld.com/big-data/382674/trendspotting-how-mapping-your-data-can-make-business-trends-more-obvious-and-more-p?sf19695409=1&mm_ref=http%3A%2F%2Fautobahn.esri.com%2Fesri%2Fetrack.aspx%3FDSN%3Db9ca57b2fbe8cb42458807853387983f6a0f6be5ccdab113%26FORMID%3Dbd09aee841585a03db5938ed3e6f762d%26AUDID%3Dd0f0fbb0e32b41c94cbec060b7894cfc%26EMAILID%3Db6bf6e6f9ba0ce80e263faf3a935abb77e1eee5986325dae%26DECODE%3D1%26INTID%3Dbfd252c8149e6539f3aebefbb222ec6a%26URL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.itworld.com%2Fbig-data%2F382674%2Ftrendspotting-how-mapping-your-data-can-make-business-trends-more-obvious-and-more-p%3Fsf19695409%3D1

Google’s New A.I. Ethics Board Might Save Humanity From Extinction
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/29/google-ai_n_4683343.html?ir=Technology&utm_campaign=012914&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-technology&utm_content=FullStory

Russian Coders, Ukrainian Cybercriminal, Mexican Smugglers, And The Largest Cybercrime In History
http://www.ibtimes.com/russian-coders-ukrainian-cybercriminal-mexican-smugglers-largest-cybercrime-history-1547854

African banks investigated for cybercrime complicity
http://www.cfoworld.com/technology/80728/african-banks-investigated-cybercrime-complicity#sthash.ykyccS6U.dpuf

Will the Next Industrial Revolution Be Bigger than the First? Will Geospatial Technology be Part of It?
http://geospatial-solutions.com/will-the-next-industrial-revolution-will-be-bigger-than-the-first-will-geospatial-technology-be-part-of-it/

New Patent Mapping System Helps Find Innovation Pathways
http://www.news.gatech.edu/2014/01/14/new-patent-mapping-system-helps-find-innovation-pathways

America’s Most Promising Companies: The Top 25 Of 2014
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2014/01/22/americas-most-promising-companies-the-top-25-of-2014/

Solving the Mobile Device Dilemma: InZero Systems offers 2-Tablets-in-1
http://www.prlog.org/12276372-solving-the-mobile-device-dilemma-inzero-systems-offers-2-tablets-in-1.html

What We Talk About When We Talk About Economies Of Scale In Tech

What We Talk About When We Talk About Economies Of Scale In Tech

Emerging markets: Locus of extremity | The Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21595485-developing-economies-struggle-cope-new-world-locus-extremity

Climate change research is globally skewed
http://news.ku.dk/all_news/2014/01/climate-change-research-is-globally-skewed/

Towards the circular economy: Accelerating the scale-up across global supply chains

Towards the circular economy

QUOTATION: “…Our world tomorrow will be utterly different, in ways we cannot even conceive…”

RECOMMENDED BOOK: Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction and Economics by Paul Ormerod
ISBN-13: 978–0470089194

Regards,

Mr. Andres Agostini
www.Future-Observatory.blogspot.com
www.ThisSuccess.wordprocessor.com
www.xeeme.com/AAgostini

Future Observatory

Posted in 3D printing, automation, big data, biological, bionic, bioprinting, biotech/medical, bitcoin, business, chemistry, climatology, complex systems, computing, cosmology, counterterrorism, defense, driverless cars, drones, economics, education, energy, engineering, environmental, ethics, existential risks, finance, food, futurism, general relativity, genetics, geopolitics, government, hardware, health, human trajectories, information science, innovation, law, life extension, lifeboat, media & arts, mobile phones, nanotechnology, neuroscience, nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, particle physics, philosophy, physics, policy, polls, posthumanism, privacy, robotics/AI, science, scientific freedom, security, singularity, space, space travel, supercomputing, surveillance, sustainability, transparency, transportation | Leave a Comment on Future Observatory

www.FUTURE-OBSERVATORY.blogspot.com JANUARY/30/2014 HEADLINES. By Mr. Andres Agostini

lbaCancer Researchers Identify New Drug to Inhibit Breast Cancer

Cancer Researchers Identify New Drug to Inhibit Breast Cancer

Russia, US to join forces against space threats
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_01_29/Russia-US-to-join-forces-against-space-threats-1145/

The rise of artificial intelligence
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/the-rise-of-artificial-intelligence-20140122-317g3.html

MIT and Harvard release working papers on open online courses
http://www.kurzweilai.net/mit-and-harvard-release-working-papers-on-open-online-courses?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=cbb093c38b-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_147a5a48c1-cbb093c38b-282009765

13 Quotes That Show Why Libertarian Tech Billionaire Peter Thiel Is A Scary Genius
http://www.businessinsider.com/peter-thiel-quotes-2014-1?op=1#ixzz2rr4DD75T

Quantum cloud simulates magnetic monopole
http://www.nature.com/news/quantum-cloud-simulates-magnetic-monopole-1.14612

North Korea possesses two-thirds of the world’s rare earths
http://www.impactlab.net/2014/01/24/north-korea-possesses-two-thirds-of-the-worlds-rare-earths/

Recent discovery of quantum vibrations in microtubules inside brain neurons corroborates controversial theory of consciousness
http://www.impactlab.net/2014/01/21/recent-discovery-of-quantum-vibrations-in-microtubules-inside-brain-neurons-corroborates-controversial-theory-of-consciousness/

The internet population in China hit 618 million in 2013 with 81% connected via mobile internet
http://www.impactlab.net/2014/01/20/the-internet-population-in-china-hit-618-million-in-2013-with-81-connected-via-mobile-internet/

The Bitcoin ATM Has a Dirty Secret: It Needs a Chaperone
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2014/01/bitcoin_atm/

Can Science Save Modern Art?
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025595/asides/can-science-save-modern-art

Welcome to the 2020s (Future Timeline Events 2020–2029)

2070–2079 timeline
http://www.futuretimeline.net/21stcentury/2070-2079.htm

Lemur Studio Design develops mine detector in a shoe
http://www.gizmag.com/lemur-studio-saveonelife/30569/

CERN experiment produces first beam of antihydrogen atoms for hyperfine study
http://phys.org/news/2014-01-cern-antihydrogen-atoms-hyperfine.html

Architects build the jellyfish house around a floating pool

wiel arets architects build the jellyfish house around a floating pool

Monitoring Drugs Flowing in the Bloodstream
http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2014/01/monitoring-drugs-flowing-bloodstream

$1.7 million personal submarine lets you ‘fly’ underwater
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/17-million-personal-submarine-lets-you-fly-underwater/

Computing with silicon neurons: Scientists use artificial nerve cells to classify different types of data
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140128094539.htm

10 technology trends to watch in 2014
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-technology-trends-to-watch-2014/

The year ahead: Hot ICT tech trends in 2014
http://www.marsdd.com/2014/01/28/year-ahead-hot-ict-tech-trends-2014/

5 Futuristic Trends That Will Shape Business And Culture Today
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3025012/futurist-forum/5-futuristic-trends-that-will-shape-business-and-culture-today

Stephen Hawking says there is no such thing as black holes, Einstein spinning in his grave
http://www.express.co.uk/news/science-technology/455880/Stephen-Hawking-says-there-is-no-such-thing-as-black-holes-Einstein-spinning-in-his-grave

Google’s Ray Kurzweil predicts how the world will change
http://jimidisu.com/?p=6013

Celebrating water cooperation: Red Sea to Dead Sea
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/01/celebrating-water-cooperation-r-201412072619203800.html

7 Trends For 2014
http://blogs.sap.com/innovation/innovation/seven-trends-2014-01242649

8 Quick Ways to Unlock Your Creative Potential
https://www.openforum.com/articles/8-quick-ways-to-unlock-your-creative-potential/?intlink=us-openforum-exp-mostrecent-3

Exploring Mars Habitability – Opportunity Updates Our Understanding of Our Planetary Neighbour

Exploring Mars Habitability – Opportunity Updates Our Understanding of Our Planetary Neighbour

DAILY QUOTE: By Michael Anissimov utters, “…One of the biggest flaws in the common conception of the future is that the future is something that happens to us, not something we create…”

RECOMMENDED BOOK:

Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies — and What It Means to Be Human by Joel Garreau
ISBN-13: 978–0767915038

Regards,

Mr. Andres Agostini
www.ThisSuccess.wordpress.com
www.xeeme.com/AAgostini

By Daily Mail Reporter -

The U.S. military have commissioned the creation of a vehicle that can drive and fly remotely so it can be sent on missions unmanned

  • New drone is in development to meet the requirements of the U.S. military for a new evacuation vehicle
  • Currently being tested by Advanced Tactics, an El Segundo-based firm
  • Called Black Knight Transformer, it would be capable of both flying and driving and would be operated by a remote

by

Hardware Battlefield entrant Pocket Drones blew past their initial goal of $30,000 last night after launching on our stage at CES 2014. The company, run by long-time friends and moderators of the Drone User’s Group, Tim Reuter, TJ Johnson, and Chance Roth, built their drones as an alternative to expensive, bulky toy drones.

Read more

Kelsey D. Atherton — Popular Science

Consider it a rough Audubon guide to the mechanical fauna of battlefields. Created by Amsterdam-based designer Ruben Pater, the Drone Survival Guide is, on one side, a rough bird watcher’s guide to the modern robot at war. The other side is a short section of printed survival tips, and the guides are available in Pashto, Dutch, German, Italian, Indonesian, Arabic, and English.

The selection of drones included in the guide leads heavily towards those from NATO member countries, with the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, and the United States all represented, as well as NATO itself, for the other member countries that use these drones. Partly because those are the countries that have used drones, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, the most, but partly because they are just the countries where it is easier to get information about the scale and wingspan of their flying robots.

Read more

CINCINNATI (AP) — Some Ohio schools are preparing students for a boom in the drone industry once the federal government, as is expected, allows civilian unmanned aircraft to fly in U.S. airspace.

The Federal Aviation Administration estimates as many as 7,500 commercial drones could be flying in national airspace within a few years, and has until 2015 to present a plan for safely integrating drones into U.S. airspace.

Read more

Mary (Missy) Cummings is Associate Professor at Duke University and Director of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Humans and Automation Laboratory.

In just the past two years, it seems as if drones are everywhere in the news. This technology has been around for more than 60 years, but has only recently captured both national and international attention. This is primarily because of the increasing use in the military, but also because of concerns that such technology will be turned on a country’s own citizens.

The average person thinks of a drone as a flying spy camera, loitering overhead waiting to spot a target and then possibly launching a weapon when that target is labeled as a threat. To be sure, this is indeed one mission of drones, typically of organizations like the CIA.

However, this is by far the least common mission. The vast majority of military drone missions today are data and image collection. Their ability to provide “situational awareness” to decision makers on the ground is unparalleled in military operations since drones can essentially conduct perch and stare missions nearly endlessly.

image credit - Protomag.com

Technology for pain-free healing:

“Your threshold for pain is near zero”, said my dentist, as she deftly moved the extremely thin fiber optic laser head away.

“That’s why I chose to fly in here. Gum filet carving doesn’t appeal to me”, I mumbled, my lips feeling leathery from the anesthetic spray.

There was a mild tingling as the laser killed millions of enemies under my gum-line. I lay back in the chair and considered the alternative I was presented only the day before by an over enthusiastic periodontist — A scalpel and suture gum flap procedure for “deep cleaning.”

‘This is 2013′, I had thought to myself. ‘There has to be a less primitive way… a less painful solution.’

12 hours later, with 25 browser windows open and an estimated further 40 websites bookmarked, I was sure I had enough information to consider writing a thesis on pain free dentistry — The answer, I concluded, was LANAP. I delved deep into the pros and cons of laser dentistry procedures, understanding OPG xrays, doing comparisons and reading on soft tissue lasers, diode lasers, wave-lengths and even the patent wars of companies spearheading the future of medical technology.

The Transhumanist Patient:

Doctors have it hard today and I genuinely sympathize with them- to a certain degree. After all, every person has access to the internet but not everyone knows how to distill this ‘open source knowledge’ effectively. So doctors stand to lose patients and patience, when catering to the whims of clients walking into their clinics.

Yet, we are in the midst of an information and knowledge explosion and if doctors rely only on a degree earned about a decade ago or even 3 years ago, while not immersing themselves in the accelerating changes in technology and discoveries in their field, they will encounter a patient who will challenge or at the very least — question such a doctor’s line of diagnosis and treatment.

I learned the following:

  • Ask for a 3rd opinion — That second-opinion should be one’s own obligation, using the internet as an interactive medical encyclopedia to thoroughly understand the ailment.
  • A medical practitioner who does not have access to the latest in medical technology and/or has not updated their skill-set in the usage of such, will lose out.
  • Tele-medicine is the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUKVV_JyVUE

Services such as Medcarelive, that offer a flavor of tele-medicine is just the start. Competition will soon catch-up and there is no doubt, the smart phone will truly become ubiquitous with personal healthcare. Devices such as Google Glass are already providing healthcare professionals with real time updates of patients vital information.

A smart phone coupled to such wearable technology could transform such a visor — into a Wizer — the fictional device from the story Memories with Maya.

Apps for the Smart phone, running sophisticated software and processing algorithms can harness common sensors in the device such as a Microphone, to analyze or transmit a patient’s cough or voice. There’s even a possibility to do ultra-sound imaging with an add-on peripheral. High resolution cameras can transmit detailed imagery and videos for remote diagnostics — and possibly in real-time in some scenarios with tele-medicine.

alivecor-iphone-ecg
(Above: AliveCore Smart-phone device)

The Transhumanist Doctor:

A medical professional who has a genuine love for learning and keeping abreast with technology in his/her field of practice is by very definition — a Transhumanist. Such professionals may not even know of their transhumanist leanings, but by putting into practice what some Transhumanist fashionistas only preach about, a transhumanist doctor is doing actual ground work to better a patients condition, using science and technology. One such (highly respected) person is Dr. Eric Topol and the strides he’s made with his contribution to Wireless Medicine

To be true to the medical profession in this age, one needs to be highly trained and competent in the use of advanced medical technology — Simply attending a 101 or a couple of seminars and training sessions on use of robotic surgery equipment for instance, can lead to severe accidents and can stall the progress of the very technology that we seek to make mainstream.

There are downsides to be aware of if medical practitioners are not thorough in their training and in their own follow-up research in related fields. For example: Should a dentist or surgeon be studying more about lasers in-depth than the system and controls that are present on the console they are using? I would argue yes they should. Learning as much as possible about types of laser, pulse duration, power and even the very type of laser to use for different soft/hard tissue procedures is an important factor that should not be ignored. In robotic surgery systems, should surgeons understand the degree of motion scaling and tremor reduction systems? Just as a true camera professional might learn how much his/her camera lens ‘breathes’, so too should a surgeon be keen on in-depth learning about the technology and tools they are using.

In keeping with the ethics of such emerging technology, it is only appropriate to mention the many ‘accidents’ that have occurred with even the very advanced minimally invasive DaVinci Robotic Surgery system. The video in the link below is worth the approx 10 minutes viewing time. Full link to report :here:

The home of 2025 — Kitchen, living-room, bedroom and the MedPod room:

med-pod3000_armadyne_Elysium_home_medicine (1)

Medical technology has to become affordable, if our quest to better the human condition is to succeed. Pain free or minimally invasive medicine should not only be for the rich. While it is true that private corporations are investing in the manufacture of these systems and thus earn the right to profit from their deployment, access to advanced medicine should be the right of every person - else we run the risk of an Elysium like future.

With smart phones already being deployed in medical diagnostics, it won’t be long before personal health pods find a place in homes. Such systems might allow for remote tele-medicine or even remote human assisted surgery to become reality. After all, in the DaVinci Robotic Surgery system, it does not matter if the surgeon is sitting a few feet away at his master console or… across town.

Desktop 3D printed Pharmacies:

Desktop 3D Printing Pharmacies could print out capsules / pills on-demand, or drones could deliver a prescription from a local pharmacy right to one’s door-step.

The future looks good for pain free healing of the human body — and it is up to us to make such technology accessible and affordable.