Technological upgrades of body and mind soon to be a reality — but only for the very rich

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/07/technological-upgrades-of-body-and-mind-soon-to-be-a-reality-but-only-for-the-very-rich/

Technological upgrades of body and mind soon to be a reality — but only for the very rich
By Ian Sample, The Guardian
Sunday, September 7, 2014 11:32 EDT

Homo sapiens were not always so special. In the ancient past, other human forms lived beside us. The Neanderthals in Eurasia. Small, hobbit-like humans in Indonesia. The mysterious Denisovans in the Ural mountains.

But our time alone may be nearing its end. Through the power of technology, humans are set to take on the role of Intelligent Designer. We can upgrade ourselves and surmount evolution. Ultimately, we can become entirely new beings that set the stage for a posthuman future.

The scenario has played out for decades in science fiction but the prospect is raised more seriously by Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli historian, in his latest book, Sapiens. In it he sees trouble ahead. The latest human enhancements will be accessible only to the rich, leading to a 21st-century society more unequal than any that came before.

~snip~

Harari says the rich will always have first access to the latest enhancements. “When the aim is to upgrade, by definition, you want to be better than others. So no matter how much the cost goes down, there will always be the next treatment which is only available to the rich. The differences might become so big that if you miss the train it will be too late.”

[DetlefK]

1. Of course. There will be cyborgs around before 2020.

We have fantastic sensors that can read neural signals when they are attached to skin.

We have made great stride in robotics engineering.

We are making great progress in miniaturization: A norwegian company can produce data-storage as thin as paper.

We are making great progress in flexibility: With organic electronics we can print electronic circuits on a flexible substrate.



In the beginning, the machine (from greek "mechos" = tool) was separate from the human: We crafted and discarded it as we saw fit.

Then it moved into our houses.

Then it moved into our pockets.

Then it moved into our clothes: Baby-clothes with medical sensors are commercially available.

Next step will be the machine moving into our body: Bionic replacements exist, but they are not very good yet.

And the step after that will be the machine moving into our mind: There are successful experiments of electronic brain-to-brain-communication.