Future Culture

Futurist Writer Lei Kalina writes her tongue-in-cheek musings and ramblings on the growing worldwide phenomenon of the growth of the Future Culture in the 21st Century

Future Culture In The 21st Century

Future Culture In the 21st Century

Futures Studies, Foresight, or Futurology , according to Wikipedia, is the science, art and practice of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. Futures studies (colloquially called "Futures" by many of the field's practitioners) seeks to understand what is likely to continue, what is likely to change, and what is novel. Part of the discipline thus seeks a systematic and pattern-based understanding of past and present, and to determine the likelihood of future events and trends. Futures is an interdisciplinary field, studying yesterday's and today's changes, and aggregating and analyzing both lay and professional strategies, and opinions with respect to tomorrow.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Machines That Heal

From Popsci.com :


Control a Robot with Your Mind

Mind control technology reads thoughts, prompts a robot's actions


What: Brain-Machine Interface by Honda, which lets you control a humanoid with your mind
Where: Tokyo
Why: Disability affects one in five Americans.
Wow: Requires no surgical implants and boasts a 90 percent accuracy rate

[ Read Full Story ]

Turbo-Powered Physical Therapy

A hard exoskeleton helps speed recovery time after a stroke


What: An exoskeleton that dramatically speeds up recovery times from stroke
Where: Santa Cruz, Calif.
Why: An estimated 780,000 Americans will suffer a debilitating stroke this year.
Wow: The robot can simulate 95 percent of the motions of a healthy human arm.

[ Read Full Story ]



Our Bodies, Our Holodecks

Accessing the virtual body to save money




What: Caveman, a virtual-reality rig that simulates the anatomy and physiology of the human body
Where: Alberta, Canada
Why: Because the world needs a more affordable, less invasive alternative to body scans
Wow: Hit zoom to see a blood cell eight feet wide.


[ Read Full Story ]



Cut-by-Color Surgery

Dyes pinpoint cancer, make it easier to remove


What: Fluorescence- Assisted Resection and Exploration, a new technique that makes cancerous tissue glow during surgery, one cell at a time
Where: Boston
Why: Of the 1.5 million cases of cancer diagnosed annually, nearly all of them require surgery.
Wow: Pinpoints the spread of cancer in seconds

[ Read Full Story ]



Nursebot Says Sit Up and Eat Your Nice Jell-O

A hulking Japanese healing machine


Robo Nurse

What: A robotic servant that can help the elderly live more-independent lives
Where: Tokyo
Why: About 85 percent of people over the age of 65 suffer from at least one chronic health condition.
Wow: Lightly tapping force and pressure sensors in Twendy-One's chest tells the robot to back off.

[ Read Full Story ]
READ MORE ABOUT > future of medicine, future of robots, july 2009, machines that heal, smart robots




Laser-Beam Psychiatry

Coherent light as a way to keep depression -- and tremors -- at bay




What: A laser device that can treat neurological and mental disorders, including Parkinson's and depression
Where: Palo Alto, Calif.
Why: The World Health Organization predicts that depression will be the second biggest killer after heart disease by 2020.
Wow: Stops tremors in rodents with the flick of a switch.

[ Read Full Story ]



No comments: