I just stumbled upon this

How to Build a Bionic Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmAMozXhuJM

Just to add to the discussion about cybernetic/bionic/*ic started in the other thread. I kinda feel it's worth having its own thread

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wzl's burrow

Blocked in my country due to copyright. It's from Channel 4, a British channel.

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10

Oh, this happens in countries that are not germany too?

How about this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5QVvy1NUq0

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Long pork is people!

wzl's burrow

They block videos in the US more than Germany or the UK. So, yeah, don't feel too special.

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What most people don't understand about "enlightenment" is that it is not an end-goal; but where you find yourself just before taking a new "first step."

The leg-prosthetics guy was the best part. I hated it whenever the philosopher talked.

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What most people don't understand is what I like to explain as a thing that I understand.

Still blocked Will try to find it on 4OD.

[Edit]
It's Here for those that can view 4OD content.

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10

Wow, that was.... fascinating... but really scary at the same time. but he did look amazing when he had his clothes on... Still, it makes you think just how many parts can you replace in a human.

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Did you ever wonder, how time works?

Undoubtedly all.

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What most people don't understand is what I like to explain as a thing that I understand.

It was an interesting watch, some of the tech is very cool, but the 'Bionic Man' was a bit naff really. Why have the heart? It wasn't providing blood to anything. Why were they having problems with the sensors on the arms? All the movement was driven remotely, no need to read muscles or nerves, just push the inputs directly to the controllers.

I think the only ethical issue is the memory enhancements. All the other prostheses offered less functionality than organic equivalent, despite the MIT guy's arrogance.

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10

Haha yeah.


Yup, I did not like the bionic man thing they did. Total TV garbage.


"Less functionality" ? That depends on your perspective.

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What most people don't understand is what I like to explain as a thing that I understand.

Yeah, at first i thought it used hydraulics so the heart was just providing pressure in a stylish way, but then again, it was probably just for the sake of having a heart as a symbol of living thing? perhaps? i don't know they went full nuts on that thing...


Exactly what I thought, "Why the hell are you making this more complicated that it has to be?!!!"


I agree with Pieman here, he could turn his hand full 360, and the increase in endurance and strength provided by the mechanical legs and stuff must have been useful too.

Still, I loved the mans face when they put the mask on that thing

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Did you ever wonder, how time works?

Now old athletes know where to go after their knees blow out.

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What most people don't understand is what I like to explain as a thing that I understand.

The prostheses do provide improved performance in specific areas. However, if you've watched Oscar Pistirous before a race (and we probably won't see him race again now ), he can't stand still, same goes for the climbing legs, they don't offer enough surface area to balance while standing still.

The black and blue hand may allow the guy to do a wrist 360, he cannot manipulate a steering wheel properly with it. Organic limbs are pretty good at most things and that generalisation is where the artifical limbs fall down, they are specialist devices.

I'd rather make do with all-round, general purpose limbs than a bag full of specialist attachments.

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10

That was an interesting video..

The theme at the begining was all about treating the impaired, but near the end it ventured into 'lets make a super cyborg'.

I'm all for using bionics for medicinal/rehabilitative purposes, but for performance augmentation? I don't think thats right at all. I'm a big fan of progressive technology, but things that compromise our own humanity just for the sake of it are oubviously a bad idea. One of those ethical things, I guess. "Just because we can, should we?"

It's all well and good in sci-fi games/movies etc.. but IRL it's just plain scary. I think that was demonstrated when the guy saw his own face on the 'creature' and he was clearly revolted by it(even if he was being a bit overly dramatic). Hopefully the same ethics laws that govern genetic engineering step in to regulate the bionics field as well.

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Should we not?

And if you don't want it (at least I don't, simply because I find mortality and weakness more interesting to live with), don't prevent others from making their own decisions. Listen to Aubrey de Grey. Also, I hope you're not leaning on some cartesian dualism bullshit.

The only problems I can see are:
- Exploitation of other's body parts, not limited to hacking into other people's memory chip thingies. Don't worry about the memory chips, this will become possible to do with organic brains (at least for read-only purposes, lol) very soon anyway.
- I guess, cyberpunk-like crime.
- Yep. That's about it.


I thought you understood this is about the future and not the present.

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What most people don't understand is what I like to explain as a thing that I understand.

Yeah, so far those specialized devices are necessary, climbing protheses, running spring protheses, because the current generalized generation is not durable or flexible enough. I cannot imagine they will stay clumsy and specific in use though. some 30years ago, and even today, most protheses wearers use dummy limbs still, maybe with a bit of technology to help balance. The lower leg protheses can already simulate a natural walk (even stairs), which is a major step forward. They can and will improve of that. More degrees of freedom, more flexible design. We're not yet outdone by cyberlimbs, but the day will come in not such a far off future.




Should we? More like 'can we help it'. It's not like we can stop progress in any way, except politics cripple and ostracize public science for good. and even that would merely slow progress down. I really prefer the open approach, instead of hiding it all away behind a curtain and maybe one day end up having an ex-military-superhuman-cyborg-special-force patrolling the streets.

This is what i like about the discussion on transhumanism. We cannot prevent it. There's too many implications of what can be done. Drugs, genetical adjustments, supplements, artificial biological and bionical organs, cybernetik limbs and even regrown or cultivated body parts. The only thing we can do at this point is deciding how it will be used, which path were going to take.

I'd say this outcome, or maybe this progression, was inevitable since our ancestors decided that just hunting and gathering wasn't quite it. They started tossing the snowballs that turned into an avalanche of progress and development.

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Long pork is people!

wzl's burrow

This thread keeps reminding me of an ancient 2000AD/Judge Dredd story about an old man who had loads of medical implants. He was mugged and dropped into an acid pit, but the implants tried to survive even after the organic body was gone.

[edit]

Found a pic:



[Double edit]
Jebus! It was 1983! I bought that comic on the way to school.



I'm going for a lie down.

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10