The Future of the Body

Natasha Vita-More Building Energy 2005

Why develop sustainable energy if we are not going to be around long enough to practice it?

Why not develop a sustainable body? The answer might be obvious if we first look at some very serious facts.

Why a Sustainable Body? — Serious Facts Cause for Concern % of world population unfit % of world population overweight # of needless deaths

Call for Awareness # of people over 100, and growing % of people who have transplants and implants % of people who receive chemicals (drugs) % of people with prosthetic parts % of people who undergo reconstructive, plastic or cosmetic surgery

In the United States60 % of more infrequently exercise25% never exercise6 out of 10 take medication to feel betterConservative 1/3 are overweightConservative 14% suffer from depression2 out of 5 die of heart diseaseEvery 1.598 seconds a person diesSurgeon General’s office

Body

Advancing ResolvingFraming

3 Million BC 500,000 future40,000

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State of the Art

Leading Ideas:

Innovative Ideas in anti-aging technologies, brain microchip implants for neural interface, programmable blood, nanosensors

Leading Events:

Growing industry in human-computer interface, robotics, prosthetics, nanotechnology R&D

Leading Authorities/Advocates:

Dr. Michael West, Ray Kurzweil, Christopher Reeve, Dr. Aubrey de Gray

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Strategist’s Grab Bag of Ideas

Social – Society adapting changes of living longer and conflicts that will come about

Technological – Fast-paced accelerations change our lives

Environmental – Physical and virtual habitats

Economics – supply and demand

Political – Precautionary Principle vs. Proactionary Principle

Natasha Vita-More.World Futures.Module 1.Framing9

Future Body

Innovation

No. of New Diseases

No. of new body parts

Amount of restriction on technologies

Amount of research generated

No. of people living longer

Amount of resources

Amount of Food Available

Amount of Public Awareness

No. of Advocate Organizations

No. of DesignBusinesses

Cost of living

No. of Job training programs

The Sustainable Body

A body that transports us in a variety of environments and provides us numerous communication ports.

One that maintains itself well in minimizing entropy when we process energy.

The body of today cannot sustain us in the future.

We need a more durable, flexible and adaptive body.

Primo Posthuman

 body design

Evolving at the speed of Technology 2005

Scientific Team —

Dr. Max More, Strategic PhilosopherDr. Robert Freitas, NanomedicineDr. Michael Rose, Evolutionary BiologistDr. Greg Fahy, CryobiologistDr. Ralph Merkle, NanotechnologistDr. Marvin Minsky, Artificial IntelligenceAlexander Sasha Chislenko, Enhanced RealityDr. Roy Walford, GerontologistGregory Benford, PhysicistDr. Robin Hanson, EconomistDr. Vernor Vinge, SingularityDr. Hans Moravec, Robotics

State of the Art Development

• Architecture for Sustainable Body

– Augmented Body • Augmented Immune System

– Nanorobots, Nanosensors – Smart Skin

» Energy efficient sensory texture and tint

– Augmented Brain – Metabrain

» Enhanced Reality» Autonomic computing» Neoteric nervous system» Nanorobots

– Emotion Design» Energy saving dashboard

Traditional BodyLimited Life spanLegacy genesWears outMakes random mistakesSingle viewpointGender restrictionProne to environmental damageEmotional distress

Future BodyAgelessReplaceable genesUpgradesError correctionMultiple parallel viewpointsGender changeabilityImpervious to environmental damageTurbocharged optimism

Built to last, engineered to adapt.

Body Comparison Chart

Solar protected skinwith tone and texture changeability._____________

Biosensors externally stimulate atmospheric tensions.

Active integument management system keeps all outer surfaces totally smooth and wrinkle free (unless you choose wrinkles for effect), and maintains maximal suppleness and instant response to sudden demands for stretch and twist.

Color control for instant blending in or standing out. Optional silicon carbide sheath enables you to become almost invisible.

ActiveSkin makes clothing unnecessary and allows you to display written or pictorial messages to convey mood

Metabrain

body of the future

Framing Advancing Resolving

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Primitive clinical neurochemical modification starting in the 1950s.

Anti-tremor electrode implants, late 1990s.

intricate interconnected collection of information processing organs.

“Neuromorphic" modeling (i.e., reverse-engineering of brain and nervous system.

Neural implants to fix damaged retinas.

A variety of techniques are being developed to provide the communications bridge between the wet analog world of biological information processing and digital electronics. 

Brain sensors to perform brain functions, and NEMS nanoelectromechanical for directing muscles to function.

Emotion Design

An energy-saving dashboard of indicators and control instruments

The emotion dashboard's indicator checks anxiety levels and sends instant playback directly to the brain. Memory share takes the playback and projects it to friend-share, a network of sympaths.

The emotion dashboard carefully identifies mistakes and performs error-correction simulations providing opportunity for emotional growth.

Why develop sustainable energy if we are not going to be around long enough to practice it?

Why not develop a sustainable body?

PrecipiceCo-directed by Elizabeth James and Elizabeth Witham

Precipice is a short digital video that plays host to a discussion about genetic engineering, bioethics, the future form of the human body, and the possibility of agelessness.

FESTIVALS AND SCREENINGS:

Student Academy Awards Regional Finalist, 2002 Crested Butte Reel Fest, 2002 Rencontres Internationales, Paris/Berlin, 2002 President's Council on Bioethics Screening, 2002

Building the Future Body

Each day we move closer to trials that will not just minimize the symptoms of disease and injury but eliminate them.

Christopher Reeve

I did all I can. Thank you for doing all you can.

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Who will be the Designers?