As robotics quickly advance,
scientists say the lines between robots and humans is beginning to blur. That
means one day with robotic prosthetics that work seamlessly with a human's
muscles, with tiny robots that swim in our blood streams and fix medical
problems and nano-scale robots implanted in our brains, we will become robotic
humans. As scary and sci-fi as that may sound, researchers say robotics will
cure diseases, make amputees feel whole again and greatly extend our lives.
Many, if not most people, will be wary of the idea of the melding of humans and
robots, with images of Star Trek's evil cyborgs running through their heads.
The fictional characters -- with both human and mechanical parts -- have
superhuman strengths but have lost their individualism.
More than six years ago, a
University of Arizona researcher who had successfully connected a moth's brain
to a robot predicted that by 2017 or 2022 we'll be using hybrid computers that
run a combination of technology and living organic tissue. Robotic exoskeletons
have helped people suffering from paralysis walk again and the U.S. military is
just weeks away from testing a new exoskeleton, or Iron Man-like suit, designed
to make soldiers stronger, give them real-time battlefield information, monitor
their vital signs and even stop their bleeding. Robotic prosthetics, using a
built-in computer, 100 sensors and 17 motors can take natural cues from a
user's residual limb, giving him or her the dexterity and grace to play a
piano.
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