IEEE Future Directions
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Cleary humans have evolved. Our lost ancestors were different from us in shape and most notably in mental capabilities. The evolution occurred over hundreds of thousands of generations and it is only across these long periods of time that it becomes visible. Going back 2.000 years, or even 10.000 years is unlikely to show any difference. A Neolithic man born today would be perfectly capable to run a start up or work at the stock exchange.
However we are seeing an inflection point. Evolution is speeding up and technology is the root cause.
A person with a physical disability, like missing a foot, can now use a prosthetic that can help copying with his disability. These prosthetics are becoming more and more effective emulating the real thing and providing a full function restoration. In a few cases we are seeing an increase in functionality, be it the capability to be a better rock climber or having a better sight.
Indeed, the goal of fighting physical disabilities and restoring functionality is driving the evolution of prosthetics, in hearing, sight, walking. Exoskeletons are offering a hope to paralysed people to be autonomous again, evolution in Brain Computer Interfaces makes the control of prosthetics seamless (it will take several more years to reach this point but again it is a matter of when, no longer of “if”). Prosthetics are leading to augmented humans and we are already starting to see the first examples of prosthetics overcoming mental disabilities, like OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorders- that can be treated (in a growing percentage) through DBS – Deep Brain Stimulation.
If the driver to help people with different kinds of disabilities is clear and clearly visible, the augmentation of humans through a seamless adoption of technology is seldom perceived, although significant and widespread.
We are already seeing, and we are, Internet Augmented Humans, with the smartphone acting as a prosthetic device. Our memory and even our solving problem capability has expanded enormously. Today we “know” the date of the death of Napoleon as well as the cubic square of 43,967. They are just a few clicks away and we no longer think about using the smartphone, we just use it as in the past we would have used the pencil on a sheet of paper.
As smartphones become more and more effective, and eventually morph into something that is indistinguishable from ourselves, we will grow to be a species that extends into the internet, as we are extending today into the (mostly invisible) delivery chains (we no longer know how to manufacture a fork, we just have one around to use and if not we buy one at the nearest store). We have become part of a complex environment without which we won’t be able to survive. Our life expectation has doubled in the last 100 years, thanks to clean water and medicine and yet 99.99% of us haven’t the foggiest idea how to make clean water or medicines.
Educations is, slowly, changing taking notice of the existence of Internet. It is getting more important to know how to fetch the right information through the web than to memorise it by endless repetition.
The next step awaiting us in the coming decade(s) is an increased reliance on a responsive ambient, extending our reach. We are going to become Ambient Augmented Humans.
We are already seeing the first signs with Amazon Echo, Siri and the likes. The ambient “listens” to us and is getting more and more aware of who we are, what we need, and even what we “will” need. The ambient is more and more populated by smart objects that can shape their behaviour to fit ours.
The presence of sensors embedded or wearable, is providing more and more data that are creating a digital twin, a virtual self in the cyberspace. The first instances of this digital twin, firstly mirroring only a few aspects but more and more becoming a faithful copy, including our genome and metabolome, are being created to improve health care monitoring, particularly for people experiencing some form of physical and mental disability. This will expand soon to include all of us, again first for health care monitoring –proactive health care, and then further expanding leading to what some are predicting to be an immortal existence in the digital space.
The creation of digital twins for most part of the people will go through the occurrence of a Seamless Technology Augmented Humans stage. Part of this technology may be embedded in the ambient, part will be embedded in our bodies.
