For decades now, bionic advancement has been a staple of sci-fi – the dream, or nightmare, that we would all become one with our technology, a super race of enhanced cyborg beings with the strength, speed and smarts of the Six Million Dollar Man. Nowadays, of course, a great deal of technology has become integrated with our everyday lives, but in some slightly subtler ways. Here’s a digest of some of the more strikingly surprising bionic betterments that technology has just round the corner.
Artificial Gills
According to tech startup Triton, who launched a crowdfunding appeal just last month, the advent of aqua humans is just around the corner – with the development of what they’re describing as “artificial gills” which will allow a diver to breathe for up to 45 minutes without a tank, an impressive claim that has drawn skepticism from scientific quarters who doubt whether such a feat could be possible. Check the video below and see for yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrT_KtdGFa8&feature=youtu.be
3D Printed Prosthetics
Another decidedly futuristic development is being witnessed in the field of prosthetics and limb replacement, with the wider adoption of 3D printing technologies lending a greater haste to the race toward fully regenerative 3D printed limbs being made, bespoke for either those with congenital limb defects or amputees.
Bionic Eyes
Long considered the holy grail of prostheses, and medical technology in general, possibly the most impressive gadget on Earth is the bionic eye developed by German company Retina Implant AG. Earlier this year, Rhian Lewis from Cardiff became the first person outside Germany to have the eye “installed” during an 8 hour operation that appears to have had fairly dramatic results. Definitely one to keep your sensor-rich optical implant on.
