00:28
10 Engineering Feats That Could
Change Everything
From 3D computers that can print body parts to in-flight
Shower Spas on two-story aircrafts, we are already
living in the future.
1. The “skin cell gun” could quickly and
easily heal severe, disfiguring burns.
The innovation:
While the technology to regrow human skin in a lab has
existed for some time, “mesh grafting” is slow, painful,
and presents a high risk of infection. Enter Jörg C.
Gerlach and his colleagues, whose skin cell gun (thinkof
an airbrush loaded with healthy adult stem cells) can
regrow near-flawless human skin in a matter of days.
How it could change the game:
Once this becomes widely available it will change the
lives of burn victims in almost immeasurable
ways. There
is somewhat disturbing footage of burn victims, but it’s
also kind of mind-blowing.
2. De-extinction could roll back climate
change.
The innovation:
Another sign we are living in the future:
The raging
debate has switched from “Can we bring a wooly
mammoth back to life” to “Should we bring a wooly
mammoth back to life?” And while genome-based
cloning still gives a lot of people the willies, those who
can look past the Jurassic Park-ness of it all see a wayto
heal the planet’s complex, fracturing ecosystem.
How it could change the game:
Don’t think in terms of one sad, caged mammoth livingin
a theme park somewhere; think about herds of elephant-
ancestors roaming the Tundra in their old natural habitat
and battling global warming by restoring ecological
symbiosis. As Harvard professor George Church wrote
in the September 2013 issue of Scientific American, the
mammoths’ ancient habitat is rapidly thawing,
potentially producing as much greenhouse gas as if all
the world’s forests burned to the ground:
Mammoths could keep the region colder by:
(a) eating dead grass, thus enabling the sun to reach spring grass, whose deep roots prevent erosion;
(b) increasing reflected light by felling trees, which
absorb sunlight; and
© punching through insulating snow so that freezing air
penetrates the soil.
3. 3D printers can now manufacture tiny
synthetic body parts.
The innovation:
3D printing is impressive enough when it’s used to
create pop-culture nonsense , but the
technology has come so far that engineers can basically
make body parts.
How it could change the game:
Just ask Kaiba Gionfriddo (well don’t ask him ask him —
he’s a baby), who was born with a life-threatening birth
defect that made it hard to breathe. Doctors used a 3D
him to breathe normally and which won’t need to be
surgically removed. It might not be long before
engineers
can print heart valves, replacement eyes, you name it.
4. Lab-grown, cruelty-free meat could end
world hunger.
The innovation:
In vitro meat (AKA schmeat AKA tubesteak AKA food in
desperate need of rebranding) is an animal product that
has never been part of a living animal. In the works for
years, the first lab-grown burger was cooked and served
by Dutch scientists in August 2013. Despite the cost
hurdles and ick-factor, how many meat burgers have
the full support of PETA? And while the phrase “test-
tube-grown meat” doesn’t sound appealing, when you
get down to it, the phrase “eating animal carcasses”
isn’t much better.
Why it could change the game:
Has the potential to end world hunger and geuinely slam
the brakes on climate change.
5. Synthetic shark skin could radically
curb bacterial infection.
The innovation:
Researchers have observed for years that shark skin is
insanely bacterially resistant, and now University of
Florida researcher Anthony Brennan — who started
studying shark skin for the U.S. Navy in an attempt to
improve submarines — has a figured out a way to apply
it to hospital technology.
How it could change the game:
E. coli and similar bacteria account for 1.7 million
hospital-acquired infections every year in the U.S.
alone. Sharklet, as the new material is called, has
already
been shown to decrease the spread of E. coli by up to
80%. There is enormous potential not just to save lives
by reducing infection, but to save lives indirectly by
drastically reducing health care costs and saving
medical resources.
6. Cars no longer need drivers.
The innovation:
Long the staple of science fiction, self-driving cars are
close to being a reality. Google, who is pioneering this
technology (surprise surprise), has found itself unable to
find a domestic automotive partner to build the cars, so
guess what? They’ve decided to build them on their
own. Word around the campfire is that Google is
planning on introducing driverless taxis, as well.
How it could change the game:
Well, for one, we would all finally be free to text and
drive. And I guess it could also put a dent in the 35,000
plus annual traffic fatalities in the U.S. alone. Or you
could eat ice cream while you drive. Oh man. Sky’s the
limit.
7. The Hyperloop could revolutionize
ground travel.
The innovation:
Dreamed up by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk (the
guy behind SpaceX and the electric carb) and described
as “a cross between a Concorde, a rail gun, and an air-
hockey table,” the Hyperloop would be a solar-powered,
safe, eco-friendly mode of transportation capable of
shooting passengers through a tube at hundreds of
miles per hour.
How it could change the game:
Though billions of dollars and several years away from
being a reality, an actualized Hyperloop(which engineers
agree is techynically possible ) would allow someone to
travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco, for example,
in half an hour — with virtually no carbon footprint.
8. Self-aware robots already exist. So…
think about that. (Before they do.)
The innovation:
Yale grad student Justin Hart has developed a robot that
looks like it’s going to cross a long-sought-after artificial
intelligence threshold: the ability to recognize itself
changing in a mirror. This is a very, very big deal. Most
animals can’t do this (congratulations elephants,
chimps, magpies, and bottlenose dolphins) and Lord
knows no machine can. Also worth noting: It bears a
jarring similarity to Johnny Five from short circuit .
How it could change the game:
In theory a robot like this could recognize damage and
repair itself without being told to do so. Or, you know,
laugh at a joke, rebel against its human overlords, and
teach a cold-hearted scientist to love. And if true
artificial intelligence is ever going to become a reality,
self-awareness of this sort is an absolute prerequisite.
All hail our new robot overlords.
9. Advances in laser technology could
allow us to change the weather.
The innovation:
Weather experts have been testing out how intense
pulses of light can produce aritifical cloud formations in
laboratories and have recently begun taking their
experiments out into the real world.
How it could change the game:
Scientists hope that this innovation will allow them not
only to divert lightning from buildings during intense
storms, but to trigger rain clouds in certain areas as well.
10. Researchers have implanted false
memories in mice.
The innovation:
Scientists have successfully implanted false memories
in mice that they cannot distinguish from real memories.
Again: Scientists can now erase and implant memories,
and the subject will never know. The technical term for
this is optogentics , but the scientists responsible have
been calling it “incepting” as a nod to the Christopher
Nolan film.
How it could change the game:
The potential for amazing mouse pranks is now officially
limitless. Oh, and NBD, but scientists are also one
massive step closer to understanding how memory
works and unlocking the full potential of the human
brain.
0 comments:
Post a Comment