What are Bionic Implants?

The Human race is more reliant than ever on the use of technology to function in ordinary life. Advancements in wearable tech has made it even easier in recent years to integrate technology into our lives. When looking towards the future of how humans will interface with technology we have to look towards bionic implants. A bionic implant is an electronic/robotic device that is surgically attached to the human body in order to replace, repair, or enhance certain body parts. This can include bionic limbs (arms, legs, etc) or bionic organs (retinas, hearts, etc). While this may seem like science fiction, many companies have made revolutionary strides in recent years with this type of technology. This new category of technology will change the human race in ways that we never thought possible.

Who is Currently Working on the Technology?

If you think that all of this talk about bionic implants is something that we will not see in our generation, then think again. Many companies have been making revolutionary advancements in this field. Nueralink is one such company that is making large strides in the advancement of a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) that can be surgically implanted into a person’s brain. BCI technology allows a user to send signals from the human brain directly to an external piece of hardware. This will allow people to interface with technology just by thinking about it. Once this technology matures and is FDA approved the development of artificial implants will really start to skyrocket.

Another market that has recently seen major success is that of retinal implants which hope to one day return the gift of sight to the blind. Second Sight’s Argus II implant has already been FDA approved and has successfully treated more than 350 patients around the world.

One of the most ambitious technologies to make it onto to bionic implant market is called BiVACOR and is being developed by the company Amerra. BiVACOR is a Total Artificial Heart (TAH) which hopes to one day take over complete function of a patients failing heart. With only 4000 donor hearts available each year, this technology could be the answer to the more than 1.1 million people diagnosed each year with Heart Failure (HF).

The merging of humans and technology is becoming a reality that many thought would never happen. Research and development in this new field is at an all time high and companies around the globe are looking to get in on the action.

What Does the Future of Bionic Implants Look Like?

Have you ever imagined a world where the difference between humans and robots is barely distinguishable? This may seem far fetched, but the reality is that this is a very real possibility. Companies around the globe are working to create artificial prosthetics that can enhance the human body and can be controlled directly by the human brain. The focus for the near future will be to help people with disabilities get back to a normal life. These advancements will one day help give sight to the blind, give mobility to the crippled, and give a voice to the mute. The possibilities are truly endless. The real issues, however, come when people start paying for bionic implants without having a medical need for them. This will happen when bionic body parts start to out perform their biologic counter parts. In the beginning, this will most likely only be a viable option for the ultra wealthy, but eventually more affordable bionic upgrades will be available for the mass consumer market. What happens when people can no longer compete for jobs without having various artificial enhancements? How will that shape the society that we live in? While in the short term there are a plethora of reasons why these technologies should continue to be developed, we have to be aware of the risks and take measures to ensure that we don’t lose sight of what we’re creating.

Sources

https://www.edisongroup.com/edison-explains/retinal-implants/

https://bivacor.com/

https://onezero.medium.com/neuralinks-technology-is-impressive-is-it-ethical-812afb38b19e