In this day and age, technology is no longer a novelty. It has enabled exponential medical advancements in recent years; developing vaccinations holding the key to curing diseases including Yellow Fever and Polio which has increased life expectancy globally by a total of 30 years.
With Apple alone making $36 billion more than the entire meat industry in the US in 2015, its no secret that the digital age is well and truly upon us. Tablets and gadgets are completely integrated into all of our lives, whether we like it or not.
But is modern technology advancing too far for our own good?
The latest developments in technology may answer that question.
As of this year, medical professionals have been performing robot assisted procedures to carry out major surgeries, considerably reducing the number of surgeons required in hospitals.
From self-checkouts in supermarkets to on-screen check ins in Doctor’s offices all over the UK, machinery has already progressed from roles in manufacturing to unskilled work. But when machinery begins to replaced highly skilled workers like surgeons, the question is: just how intelligent can technology really become?
While true that technology has created more jobs than it has destroyed in recent years, this impact may only be short term due to the rapid progression of the mechanical race.
Is it only a matter of time before mankind becomes inferior to its own creation?
As it turns out, scientists have recently developed what they claim to be a “Mind Reading Computer” in attempt to help stroke victims and paralysed people who are otherwise unable to communicate.
The computer is connected to two electrodes and the nodes in the person’s brain which is responsible for encoding and retrieving thoughts and memories. Because the human brain stores all knowledge – facts, thoughts, memories etc. – as a series of numbers, this computer can retrieve all information through the brain and decode the sequence, making sense of it.
In this sense, technology has exceeded the ability of man; a very frightening thought indeed.
Some may say that a Zombie Apocalypse is more feasible than a Technological Take-over, but in a time when messages can be transferred between countries in seconds and humans are beginning to live on mars, the technology epidemic truly is rife.
I’d keep an eye on that iPad.
