Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh recently succeeded in implanting sensors in the brain of a monkey, allowing it to move a mechanical arm with his thoughts. This is the latest breakthrough in the field of Neuroprosthetics, where implanted chips carry signals to the remaining limbs of an amputee, guiding movement.
If the research holds, breakthroughs like these could lead to a reassessment of disabled people as ‘bionic’ and fully able, and lead to a new era of mind-controlled gadgets.
Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee, uses carbon fiber-composite legs and doesn’t define himself as disabled — he’s already considered one of the fastest men in the world. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) agrees: When Pistorius requested to participate in the trials for the Beijing Olympics, he was flatly rejected.
Why? According to Time, ‘more energy is returned to [his] upper legs from his blades than from ankles and calf muscles and . . . uses less oxygen.’ He was too physically advanced to compete against ‘non-disabled’ men.
It’s true that his work ethic has a lot to do with his speed, but it’s the technology that allowed him to catch up with people with legs. And how can you measure the difference between a bionic person and a regular one in a competition of equals? You can’t, at this moment in time.
There are other high-tech prosthetics that will push these boundaries further, like the C-Leg, and the Utah Arm. They include super-durable materials like titanium, as well as powerful chips that accurately replicate the lightning-fast reaction times of the brain.
And if the brain induces physical movement through electrical currents and implants, it’s not a big thought exercise to jump to mentally conducted gadgets. They’re already lined with circuits and take precise orders. It’s what they do. (We recently spotlighted a research that shows you can change tunes in your music players with your own eyes.)
So when you bear witness to the feats of the athletes at the Olympics next month, take a moment to imagine what a race would look like with bionic athletes. An Oscar Pistorius running alongside Tyson Gay, or Chris Paul dishing to his power forward, arms raised, finishing a dunk with a mechanical hand.
If the research holds, breakthroughs like these could lead to a reassessment of disabled people as ‘bionic’ and fully able, and lead to a new era of mind-controlled gadgets.
Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee, uses carbon fiber-composite legs and doesn’t define himself as disabled — he’s already considered one of the fastest men in the world. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) agrees: When Pistorius requested to participate in the trials for the Beijing Olympics, he was flatly rejected.
Why? According to Time, ‘more energy is returned to [his] upper legs from his blades than from ankles and calf muscles and . . . uses less oxygen.’ He was too physically advanced to compete against ‘non-disabled’ men.
It’s true that his work ethic has a lot to do with his speed, but it’s the technology that allowed him to catch up with people with legs. And how can you measure the difference between a bionic person and a regular one in a competition of equals? You can’t, at this moment in time.
There are other high-tech prosthetics that will push these boundaries further, like the C-Leg, and the Utah Arm. They include super-durable materials like titanium, as well as powerful chips that accurately replicate the lightning-fast reaction times of the brain.
And if the brain induces physical movement through electrical currents and implants, it’s not a big thought exercise to jump to mentally conducted gadgets. They’re already lined with circuits and take precise orders. It’s what they do. (We recently spotlighted a research that shows you can change tunes in your music players with your own eyes.)
So when you bear witness to the feats of the athletes at the Olympics next month, take a moment to imagine what a race would look like with bionic athletes. An Oscar Pistorius running alongside Tyson Gay, or Chris Paul dishing to his power forward, arms raised, finishing a dunk with a mechanical hand.
The Big Debate
Have you watched Oscar Pistorius??? When you do, your jaw will drop. You will watch more than another 400-meter race. You will witness a man with no legs falling behind at the start, surging like a race car towards the end, competing with elite athletes with two legs, and finishing second.
You will observe the promise that Pistorius, a double amputee from South Africa, holds for the disability rights movement in and out of sports. Before your very eyes, sports' newest and most complex Pandora's box will open.
What is fairness? Do Pistorius' carbon fiber prosthetics — his augmented legs finished off with j-shaped blades that serve as technoboosters or as legitimate substitutes for human legs? Are they just a very fancy pair of Nikes?
Last week, the international track federation said his artificial limbs should prohibit him from competing at the Olympics. He must remain a competitor at the Paralympics, the global event for various classifications of athletes with disabilities, an event, unfortunately, that gets secondary attention from the world's media and sports fans. Pistorius's so-called "Cheetah" add-ons hint at the possibilities of a futuristic wide world of sci-fi sports, in which a cyborg athlete relies on mechanical aids and motors, not to mention your standard run-of-the-mill performance-enhancing drugs and genetic engineering.
But Pistorius, 21, is no cheater. He is not "dirty," like too many able-bodied athletes trying to get an edge with against-the-rule pharmaceuticals. A gold medalist in the Paralympics, he's doing what he needs to do to compete at the highest level.
For now, that's the able-bodied level. For now.
"This guy is doing something right,'' said Troy Engle, the head coach of the U.S. Paralympics track and field team. "Whatever he's doing, it might be a little bit of help, but it's not a magic wand. He got there through hard work and fantastic athleticism and that's got to be the starting point of any conversation. There's got to be the recognition that he's the real deal."
Watching Pistorius run — and produce results approaching qualifying times for the Beijing Olympics - gives new meaning to "pushing the limits." [11]
You will observe the promise that Pistorius, a double amputee from South Africa, holds for the disability rights movement in and out of sports. Before your very eyes, sports' newest and most complex Pandora's box will open.
What is fairness? Do Pistorius' carbon fiber prosthetics — his augmented legs finished off with j-shaped blades that serve as technoboosters or as legitimate substitutes for human legs? Are they just a very fancy pair of Nikes?
Last week, the international track federation said his artificial limbs should prohibit him from competing at the Olympics. He must remain a competitor at the Paralympics, the global event for various classifications of athletes with disabilities, an event, unfortunately, that gets secondary attention from the world's media and sports fans. Pistorius's so-called "Cheetah" add-ons hint at the possibilities of a futuristic wide world of sci-fi sports, in which a cyborg athlete relies on mechanical aids and motors, not to mention your standard run-of-the-mill performance-enhancing drugs and genetic engineering.
But Pistorius, 21, is no cheater. He is not "dirty," like too many able-bodied athletes trying to get an edge with against-the-rule pharmaceuticals. A gold medalist in the Paralympics, he's doing what he needs to do to compete at the highest level.
For now, that's the able-bodied level. For now.
"This guy is doing something right,'' said Troy Engle, the head coach of the U.S. Paralympics track and field team. "Whatever he's doing, it might be a little bit of help, but it's not a magic wand. He got there through hard work and fantastic athleticism and that's got to be the starting point of any conversation. There's got to be the recognition that he's the real deal."
Watching Pistorius run — and produce results approaching qualifying times for the Beijing Olympics - gives new meaning to "pushing the limits." [11]