Singularity: Humans and Machines

Singularity is the point of technological and biological advances where humans and technology are completely integrated. The idea is that we will use technology to enhance human intelligence. Transhumanists, like Dr. Nick Bostrom, believe "new types of cognitive tools will be used to amplify our intellectual capacity, improve our physical capabilities and even enhance our emotional well-being."

Dr. Ray Kurzweil predicts technological trends and measures the exponential growth of technology. He predicts by the 2030's "humans will become more non-biological than biological, capable of uploading our minds onto the Internet, living in various virtual worlds and even avoiding aging and evading death."

If technology approaches the point of infinity, there is a theory that technology and the artificial intelligence created by technology could eventually become smarter than human. The product of singularity may no longer be classified as human. Then, the humans affected may eventually become superintelligent machines capable of bringing the human race to extinction.

Nanotechnology is an important part of the current technology frenzy. Researchers have already created nanobots to cure Type 1 Diabetes and help repair spinal cord injuries in mice. Advances are being made in Parkinson's Disease, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory problems. Developers hope to use nanotechnology to improve quality of life by alleviating diseases and ailments and possibly even reverse the effects of certain diseases.

The advancement of singularity will bring immense changes, requiring much preparation now for the future. To adequately prepare for a life of technology and innovations will include education, education and more education. There will be a surplus of new medical information out there for us to filter through. The key is to pay attention to the important aspects. As a student desiring to become a doctor, I have to realize that I will be inundated with new information every day pertaining to medicine. This article shows how the world will be changing in the near future. As bioengineers, this is very relevant to our interests and to what we will be doing in the workforce.

CNN article:

Scientists: Humans and machines will merge in future

By: Lara Farrar

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/07/15/bio.tech/index.html

Middle-Ear Infection: A Commonplace among Children

Strangely enough, the most common illness in children besides the common cold is an ear infection, specifically a middle-ear infection. Seventy-five percent of children have at least one ear infection by the time they are three years old. Treatment for the infections include one of two different antibiotics prescribed by doctors, or for more serious cases, surgeries are performed that entail inserting a tube in the ear drum which alleviates pressure. Despite these treatments, twenty percent of children have repeated infections. This is particularly detrimental because repeated episodes can lead to a loss of hearing and balance. Because of these serious consequences, biomedical engineers are researching alternative treatments and studying the properties of the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube is a complex system of muscle, cartilage, and fat tissue, which is responsible for regulating air pressure inside the ear. Normally it supposed to open and close three or four times a day and when traveling to higher altitudes, it opens and closes more frequently. This is due to a change in air pressure and this triggers the ears to pop. A middle-ear infection causes the ears to pop more frequently. However, a more serious infection causes the Eustachian tube to not open or close at all. Researchers know that the primary cause of middle-ear infections is Eustachian tube dysfunction, however they are trying to discover the cause for this dysfunction. They believe that they can answer this question by modeling the functioning of a healthy Eustachian tube and using the model to predict the physical behavior of a diseased tube. The researchers are hopeful that this will lead to a clever development of treatment that corrects the underlying cause of middle-ear infections, as opposed to just treating the symptoms. Solid mechanics and fluid dynamics are some of the engineering principles that researchers are using to simulate how the Eustachian tube functions. Researchers believe that with the help of these engineering principles and modeling, they will be able to figure out how to prevent bacteria from forming and inflammation from occurring. This will ultimately lower the number of drugs doctors have to prescribe to patients, which means fewer children are struggling with a middle-ear infection.

http://www3.lehigh.edu/engineering/news/chadialibiomechanical.asp