Yes, we all think smartphones are a major boon to mankind, not only to chare about inane things with our mates but also in emergencies where they can locate the caller or the caller can send pictures that might prove critical in assessing aid needs.
But the disbled are getting benefits as well, "intelligent", nerve linked, prosthetics from hands to exoskeletons are on the drawing board. But these are expendive, tailored-to-fit items. In the supermarket yesterday I found sonething a tad simpler, quite clever and just about universal - powered wheels.
From a distance it looked like an ordinary "big-wheel" wheelchair, but the wheels had huge hubs with a small strip of leds on them. It seems there must be batteries and motors in each hub. By observation it seemed obvious that there were also sensors that detected the speed and direction the user applied with his hands. Once established the chair would trundle along in that directiong, even doing a 360+ I would guess, at the impulse speed. Another nudge increased the speed, a little friction decreased it. A grab stopped the chair.
No harder, just as intuitive, as unpowered chairs but with the benefit of energy overcoming friction, possibly slopes as well - especially if it had anti-roll back! It looked like the spindles were standard so the wheels would fit other frames. Be fairly easy to fit Bluetooth as well so that a simple joystick could also be used. If that were a remote unit the user could park and retrieve the chair as well.
Belatedly found the maker:
http://www.epc-wheelchairs.co.uk/wheelchairs-powerchairs/power-wheels/alber-e-motion-m15-powered-wheelchair-wheels?original_route=wheelchairs-powerchairs%2Fpower-wheels%2Falber-e-motion-m15-powered-wheelchair-wheels
I'm more, much more a computer rather than phone person.
I accept that they are an extension of the modern persons brain.
Can't quite remember something? Google will help.
What will our brains achieve with the advantage of outsourcing some functions?
Oh ye, disabled people are moving stuff around with them, that might come in handy when...
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Ulp! Just noticed them powered wheels is £4000 a pair!
Could buy a good electric scooter for that price. But, you can still hand propell these wheels, pushing a flat-battery scooter is uxually not possible for the user.
A good improvement of technology with the disabled can be seen famously with stephen hawking.
As far as this can go. CRISPR can do wonders. The implications of success with that is they can genetically engineer babies to remove all genetic defects and improve on the "original design" and essentially eliminate disease. Although I'm not sure what the effects of changing a babies DNA before it is born is...Like when they tried to introduce trans fats, that actually turned out to be bad. But human experimentation is illegal. And I can understand the ethics of that. But the food now is getting progressively unhealthier, and I think the long term benefits of experimentation on a large scale like with the GMOs might out weight the negatives of the current path in time.
Unless everyone gives up eating meat and they start mass producing crops. But who knows if that will stay healthy...
And other things I like are these brain scans they want to do. Like brain mapping and incorporating into A.I. and study mental illnesses. I think that's cool...for me.
Drones sre getting in on the act here. In Myanmar they are using drones to replenish the very important mangrove fringes - which reduce erosion and provide breeding grounds and nurseries for important species.
QuoteOnce the process is fully automated, a single pilot operating six drones can plant up to 100,000 trees per day...
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-environment-mangroves-tech/mangrove-planting-drones-on-a-mission-to-restore-myanmar-delta-idUSKCN1B10EQ