November 2009

An Artificial Heart

November 20, 2009

A new artificial heart developed in France could be the future for thousands of cardiac patients. The heart has an artificial skin which reduces the chances of transplant rejection and is expected to be available around 2012. The cyborgs are coming… but just when do we stop to be human and turn into machines?!…

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Smart Contact Lenses and Artificial Retinas

November 16, 2009

In the last few years Genetics, Robotics and Nanotechnologies have all become Information Technologies and are often quoted as singularity precursors. Vernor Vinge’s sci fi novel Rainbows End, set in what he calls “a slow take-off” pre-singularity period, describes wearable computers and smart contact lens technology for augmented reality. But is this science fiction? Is it so hard to imagine smart contact lenses or a robotic eye prosthesis with enhanced vision capabilities that are widely available at low prices? As attested by Reuters, the technology for those is already underway and may indeed be widely available around the 2020′s as predicted by Vernor Vinge… Are we all going to be cyborgs soon? //

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Singularity University: Ray Kurzweil’s Opening Address

November 16, 2009

TechCrunch, Nov. 13, 2009 Over the last week, Singularity University has been holding an Executive Program with the goal of preparing executives for the “imminent disruption and opportunities resulting from exponentially accelerating technologies.”

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Do you want to live forever?

November 15, 2009

Humanity has achieved huge progress in life-extending and anti-aging technologies. Just weeks ago the BBC reported that today half of the babies born in the advanced world are likely to live to 100. A quick comparative review shows us the following life expectancy change in years: Cro-Magnon Era: 18 years Ancient Egypt: 25 years 1400 Europe: 30 years 1800 Europe and USA: 37 years 1900 USA: 48 years 2002 United States: 78 years The trend is hard to miss: since our Cro-Magnon times we have managed to increase our longevity fivefold and in the last 100 years we have managed to double it. Both of those trends are important to note for they reveal that we are not only living longer but this change is happening at an accelerating pace. For example, it took tens of thousands of years to [...]

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