The speed at which technology is developing means that scientists are able to explore some pretty amazing ideas, and in the future, bionics could be used to both treat and upgrade the human body.

Here are three ways technology could enhance our bodies.

1. Increase our senses

While humans have five senses to help us understand the world, for some, that’s not enough. According to Kevin Warwick, a cybernetics professor at the University of Reading in England, having only five senses is too limiting.

There are lots of signals that occur naturally that we are currently unable to register with our existing senses, such as x-rays, magnetism, and radio waves. Missing out on these signals, Professor Warwick suggests, means that we are looking at the world through a tunnel.

By 2035, we could all be increasing our faculties to address this sensual shortcoming, by using implants that detect a range of signals. Small neuronal implants in the hands would interact with our nervous systems, allowing us to perceive additional signals, subsequently enhancing our senses.

While this sound a bit wacky, this technology could be used to help patients who have lost their sight, by allowing them to detect objects around them ultrasonically.

2. Improve our vision

Scientists are also working on one sense in particular - sight. A research team at the University of Washington are currently developing a bionic eye to help enhance vision. The wirelessly-powered eye display will both restore and enhance patients’ vision.

By using micro-optics, which are embedded in the lens, the bionic eye projects data into the line of sight. It is hoped that this technology will help with macular degeneration, a common age-related condition that can lead to complete vision loss.

The bionic eye would be used to treat macular degeneration by distributing incoming images across the functioning parts of a person’s retina. The research team behind this technology are hopeful of creating a commercially viable version of the bionic eye within ten years.

3. Backup our brains

Developing and enhancing our senses is one thing, but how about backing up your brain to a computer? According to Dr. Ian Pearson, a futurologist who claims an 85% accuracy rate, we will theoretically be able to create technological replicas of the human brain by 2050.

Being able to create a replica version of your brain would allow us to make digital backups of ourselves, with scientists believing this concept to be the key to immortality. In principal, if you were hit by a bus, Dr. Pearson suggests, it wouldn’t really matter, because you would continue to live through your backup digital brain.

Technology is pushing the human body in new and amazing directions, what else could we see in our lifetimes?

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