subject: Modern Achievements And Nearest Perspectives Of Transhumanism [print this page] Technical and scientific progress does not stand still. It is constantly developing. The progress in engineering led to the production of robots, which resemble human beings. However, humans themselves also take some specific features of the robots and get robotic artificial parts. Transhumanism is a comparatively new philosophical trend that says our body is not complete and needs considerable improvements. It is still not accepted by the majority, but its ideas find development in medicine and some other areas.
Artificial Eyes
The first cameras that were set in artificial eyes and would send the data into the brain were introduced a few years ago in the USA, Japan, Germany and Switzerland. However, the quality of the picture is not good. American corporation Optobionics has recently presented a new invention. This is the artificial retina that reads the information from 5000 photodiodes and sends it directly to the visual nerve.
Artificial Ears
The device that consists of a microphone, a microprocessor, a decoder and an electrode matrix, was presented long ago. The companies that produce ear implants make them appropriate for the spectrum of frequencies a human ear normally can recognize. The next step is creating an artificial ear that differentiates infra- and ultrasounds. However, scientists are inclined to think, such ear would harm the patients psychics.
Artificial Intelligence
The reasons for the creation of AI are the following: it may be applied in science; it may be used to copy the mind of a real human in the perspective and create an immortal personality; it can be applied to create the robots; it may be implanted into the human brain to extend the memory, improve the brain activity and optimize the information processing. The studies in this direction are already being done, but today the scientists and programmers are still far from inventing the real AI working like a living brain.
