From Wearable Devices to Human Augmentation
The Technological trend to empower the Human being
The title of this article is objective to make it understood in summary, that the current electronic devices defined as wearable, from watches to glasses or smart shoes, are a technological trend composed of the union of multiple technologies trend including AI, IoT, Big Data and Robotics to date in the early phase and will have its future evolution in Human Augmentation. The mission of Human Augmentation is to help improve the physical and mental performance of human beings, providing the basis for leading a better and healthier life in society future. However, my opinion is that we are currently at the beginning of this technological trend and to arrive at a definitive approach to Human Augmentation in human society it will take about 50 years.
You need to be aware that the wearable device technology that we see in circulation today, from watches to the smart belt, which has been given the task to monitor our activities and provide the information that helps us to lead a better and more productive life, as mentioned, it will have over time its development and its final evolution will end in Human Augmentation where the devices will be present directly in the human body by interacting with external devices connected to the technologies described above. It should also be specified that the term wearable does not just mean something to have on your wrist or to wear on your body, but also something that is a smart extension of the type of clothing that we wear, such as sports shoes that measure performance and progress, or like robotic prostheses or wearable robotic technology in the industrial field (augmented and virtual reality).
How the future of wearables will develop
Over time, technology will become smaller and smarter, and the result will be that the range of wearables will expand enormously with new, smaller and smarter products that will replace the current wearables we are familiar with today. An example of an evolution to be described are the current smart glasses, which will probably be replaced by smart contact lenses, which will in turn be replaced by smart eye implants. There are now many experts in the field who believe it is possible to hypothesize a future where men and machines will eventually merge to create human beings defined as Transhumanism or Humans 2.0 if you prefer, where the human body will be boosted like a sports car and will have improved physical and mental performance. This would transform the world of medicine so much so that, for example, some believe that the disappearance of disabilities as we know them today is possible, defining a new frontier of what it means to be human.
Wearable device technology is moving forward, but the future won’t be limited to smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart apparel over the next decade new and better innovations will come through the use of new materials, sensors and devices that will take this technology off its current track. An example will be the rethinking of the smartphone as we have known it which will be smaller and tied to our wrist. Expandable capacitive sensors will arrive with the potential to be used for wearables in sports, animation, virtual reality, healthcare and security, able to produce energy from your body. There is also talk of ultra-sensitive nanosensors that are almost invisible to the human eye that can detect the throat movements of people with speech problems to allow them to speak. This is a technological trend of enormous development that will evolve man towards something new and never explored.
Human Augmentation as a next Technological Step
To date, we already have cases of use of a first approach to Human Augmentation for people who have disability, and they can continue their normal lives instead of having limits. From prosthetics that help restore the motor functions of people who have had their limbs amputated to industrial equipment with augmented and virtual reality, which helps employees work more smart and safe. These are wearable devices that approach Human Augmentation. Human Augmentation is also known as Human 2.0. This is a field of research that involves the use of medicine mixed with technologies to improve one’s health condition. Something technological is added to the human body to improve the things it could do. It could be defined as an interactive digital extension of human capabilities.
Studies and research in this field focus on methods and technologies that can be applied to improve human perception, action, or cognitive ability. This improvement is achieved through the use of detection and implementation technologies, AI, and the collection and use of big data information. In the past, it was the chemicals that you ingested could improve certain skills. Today, modern technology has created a wide variety of plants and other technologies. Each of these is known as Human Augmented, and can be categorized into different classes. Prosthetics or limb devices that improve muscle capacity. Devices and systems that help in the development of more advanced sensors. Here Big Data brings a great contribution through the data connection connected to the human body and external sources of visual, textual, or both information.
Problems and Categories of Human Augmentation
Unfortunately, despite the potential benefits that Human Augmentation has in improving human health and quality of life, concerns have been expressed about its use as it could trigger problems. These include ethical and social issues, such as social manipulation through the use of Augmented devices. There is a need to solve even the unpredictable and therefore think about possible solutions. A part of the scientific community, for example, is concerned about whether human augmented devices are being built with biotechnology and nanotechnology. They recommend that these technologies should be monitored to verify their long-term and short-term human impact.
There are three main categories of Human Augmented, and these work in the field of senses, action, and human cognition. In summary, we have:
- Augmented Senses that are elaborated through the interpretation of human multisensory information that includes tactile sensation, hearing, smell and taste.
- Augmented Actions that detect human actions and map them in local, remote or virtual environments, based on human gaze, movement and strength.
- Augmented Cognitions that detect human cognitive state by combining cognitive psychology, neuroscience, engineering, computer science, and human-computer interaction. The survey is carried out using analytical tools to correctly interpret and adapt the computer’s response to match the current and future needs of the user.
In conclusion, finding practical applications and actions to do can be a bit difficult when it comes to what to wear to collect data or what to do. Insert into the body in the future. But there are practical actions that your business can do to benefit from the potential of wearable device technology right now, and that is to analyze the aspects described here, as based on your sector and the needs to be solved.
