00:00:00
getting stronger and smarter through
00:00:02
technology this sci-fi dream
00:00:04
is quickly becoming reality researchers
00:00:06
and developers
00:00:07
are driving forth the digital
00:00:08
optimization of humans with
00:00:10
mind-blowing results will we all soon
00:00:12
become cyborgs
00:00:14
today's topic on shift
00:00:18
[Music]
00:00:23
the cybernetic organism or cyborg for
00:00:26
short
00:00:26
has played a major role in pop culture
00:00:29
for example
00:00:30
in the movie robocop a police officer
00:00:32
with potentially fatal injuries
00:00:34
becomes a super cop with his high-tech
00:00:36
implants
00:00:37
tony stark from the marvel universe can
00:00:39
fly in his armor
00:00:40
and superman's colleague cyborg updates
00:00:43
his hardware
00:00:44
to gain new powers and skills these days
00:00:46
even real-life humans enhance their
00:00:48
bodies with artificial components
00:00:50
they call themselves cyborgs or
00:00:52
biohackers
00:00:53
neil harbison from britain is one of
00:00:55
them he is colorblind and has an antenna
00:00:58
that converts colors into sounds and
00:01:00
unlike the human eye
00:01:01
his antenna can even detect infrared and
00:01:04
ultraviolet
00:01:05
he has a chip implanted in his head to
00:01:07
make this work
00:01:08
pretty intense but actually there are
00:01:11
lots of scientists and companies working
00:01:12
on
00:01:13
brain computer interfaces they allow
00:01:15
direct communication between brain
00:01:17
and computer so you can control the
00:01:20
device
00:01:20
with your mind but it's not just a
00:01:22
gimmick it can fundamentally improve the
00:01:24
lives of people
00:01:26
with spinal injuries or neurological
00:01:28
disorders
00:01:29
us tech titan elon musk is developing a
00:01:32
brain computer interface at his startup
00:01:34
neuralink the team implanted ships in
00:01:36
both brain hemispheres of a macaque
00:01:38
pager
00:01:39
they then taught him to play a game with
00:01:41
a joystick and his nerve signals
00:01:43
were transmitted to a computer via
00:01:45
bluetooth pager
00:01:47
was fed banana smoothie through a tube
00:01:49
as a reward
00:01:50
when the researchers deactivated the
00:01:52
joystick pager controlled
00:01:54
the game with his thoughts alone the
00:01:56
computer had learned
00:01:57
to interpret the brain activity but
00:01:59
there are devices that humans can
00:02:01
control with the mind
00:02:02
even without a brain chip like bionic
00:02:04
prosthesis that replace missing body
00:02:07
parts
00:02:07
british gamer daniel melville even uses
00:02:10
one when he plays
00:02:11
video games but prosthesis can also give
00:02:14
people
00:02:14
brand new powers how would you like
00:02:17
a third thumb this prosthetic thumb
00:02:21
makes it possible to do things that
00:02:23
usually require two hands
00:02:26
the prosthesis is connected to a
00:02:28
wristband with a motor
00:02:30
which drives the thumb it receives
00:02:32
signals via bluetooth from pressure
00:02:34
sensors attached to the shoes
00:02:36
the user can control the prosthesis by
00:02:38
moving their big toe
00:02:40
[Music]
00:02:45
new zealand-born scientist danny claude
00:02:47
developed the third thumb in london she
00:02:50
wanted to show that prosthetics
00:02:51
don't always have to replace what's
00:02:53
missing they can also provide
00:02:55
an add-on an upgrade
00:03:01
[Music]
00:03:03
what's fascinating is after just five
00:03:05
days of training with the third thumb
00:03:07
new synapses had formed in the test
00:03:10
subject's brains
00:03:11
and the way they used their normal
00:03:12
fingers had changed
00:03:14
there are other developments like this
00:03:16
that blur the line between human and
00:03:18
machine
00:03:18
sometimes on the skin sometimes under
00:03:21
the skin
00:03:22
it might look like a temporary tattoo
00:03:25
but this is actually a communication
00:03:27
interface made from gold leaf
00:03:31
duo skin was invented by the
00:03:32
massachusetts institute of technology
00:03:35
one version works like a touch pad while
00:03:38
another uses near-field communication
00:03:40
or nfc technology to communicate with
00:03:43
other interfaces in the future when you
00:03:46
walk into a tattoo parlor
00:03:48
you would come out with a tattoo like
00:03:50
this they will not only
00:03:52
be very sophisticated technically but
00:03:55
they become an extension of yourself
00:03:57
[Music]
00:03:59
often forget your keys eric frisk can
00:04:02
open his door in sweden with a microchip
00:04:05
implanted
00:04:05
under his skin it's the size of a grain
00:04:08
of rice
00:04:09
and works like a room card in a hotel
00:04:12
it's estimated that 50
00:04:14
000 people around the world already wear
00:04:16
one of these implants
00:04:18
they can even be ordered online the
00:04:20
interesting thing is
00:04:21
when the chips start getting smarter
00:04:24
and start having you know sensors and
00:04:26
things like that so
00:04:28
instead of just opening a door maybe i
00:04:30
can have continuously record my
00:04:33
my body temperature my blood sugar
00:04:36
levels you know etc etc
00:04:39
and actually give me useful information
00:04:42
about my body
00:04:45
but technology that literally gets under
00:04:48
your skin isn't for everyone
00:04:50
implants are just one way to become a
00:04:52
cyborg there are also
00:04:54
robotic suits called exoskeletons they
00:04:56
promise more strength
00:04:58
and better agility heavy lifting
00:05:01
uncomfortable work exoskeletons could
00:05:04
someday help people
00:05:05
reduce the strain on their backs
00:05:08
originally developed for medical and
00:05:10
military use
00:05:11
they're now increasingly deployed in the
00:05:13
automotive industry and logistics
00:05:15
many see it as win-win employees stay
00:05:18
healthier
00:05:18
and companies profit from the increased
00:05:21
efficiency in production
00:05:27
robotic technology that makes work more
00:05:29
ergonomic is under intensive development
00:05:31
predominantly in the us and germany but
00:05:34
also in china and japan
00:05:44
we want to create devices that help
00:05:46
people in their workplace
00:05:48
and to make these tools more accessible
00:05:50
and easy to use
00:05:52
i don't think humans will ever become
00:05:54
dispensable
00:05:56
there are only a few companies that are
00:05:58
designing completely automated systems
00:06:00
because they require considerate
00:06:02
investment so i think we'll always have
00:06:04
human workers
00:06:08
the exoskeleton created by japanese
00:06:10
company ataun
00:06:11
has been in use for years in production
00:06:14
the care sector and in japan's biggest
00:06:16
airports
00:06:18
[Music]
00:06:19
the four and a half kilogram suit is
00:06:21
worn like a rucksack
00:06:22
it has a sensor that detects the
00:06:24
wearer's movements so when lifting two
00:06:26
motors in the suit automatically support
00:06:28
the user's movement
00:06:32
the motors deactivate when the user is
00:06:34
walking
00:06:38
countries like japan are increasingly
00:06:40
relying on robotics
00:06:42
because with an aging population
00:06:44
workforces are becoming depleted
00:06:47
right now we mainly make support devices
00:06:49
but in the future we want to create
00:06:51
products that enhance people's abilities
00:06:53
and add physical functions
00:06:55
like a third arm we want to cater to a
00:06:58
society in which people of all ages can
00:07:00
work without physical limits
00:07:03
and it could get much more spectacular
00:07:05
than that the developers at artun
00:07:08
have been working for more than 10 years
00:07:10
on this mega exosuit called
00:07:11
neo i was even allowed to try it out
00:07:14
during my visit to japan i felt like
00:07:16
lieutenant ripley and the sci-fi classic
00:07:18
aliens with
00:07:19
supernatural powers the developers claim
00:07:21
that one arm alone
00:07:22
can lift up to 50 kilograms it's hoped
00:07:26
that neo will soon aid the construction
00:07:28
industry
00:07:28
or in disaster management exoskeletons
00:07:31
have a growing role in the medical
00:07:33
sector as well
00:07:34
what's special about this model from
00:07:36
japan is that it's controlled by nerve
00:07:38
impulses
00:07:39
hell is its name that stands for hybrid
00:07:41
assistive limb
00:07:43
as an ultimate goal even paraplegics
00:07:45
could train with hal
00:07:47
and learn to walk again my colleague
00:07:49
cassandra beau went to test the
00:07:50
exoskeleton
00:07:51
at the company's cyberdyne in japan so
00:07:55
these electrodes here will detect my
00:07:58
brain signals
00:07:59
and send it to this machine so that it
00:08:02
will move
00:08:03
for me so now i'm going to try
00:08:07
to flex and move my arm
00:08:13
it detects pretty well and now i'm going
00:08:16
to try
00:08:18
to lock my arm in place and
00:08:21
it will still move for me
00:08:28
did you see that it's pretty cool
00:08:31
but i do wonder um does this kind of
00:08:35
is this safe does this go out of control
00:08:38
sometimes
00:08:39
no awesome
00:08:42
electrodes translate cassandra's brain
00:08:45
signals into a command for the
00:08:46
exoskeleton
00:08:48
her brain sends the command move to the
00:08:50
muscles
00:08:51
via the spine the signal is detected by
00:08:53
hal's built-in sensors
00:08:57
the motor receives the signal and pal
00:08:59
starts moving
00:09:03
this is more difficult for patients with
00:09:05
paraplegia because the nerve connections
00:09:08
are disrupted
00:09:09
but if there are any remaining impulses
00:09:12
hal could provide beneficial treatment
00:09:14
time for a little test walk cassandra is
00:09:17
allowed to wear the exoskeleton herself
00:09:20
it's attached to a bracket since it's
00:09:22
designed for people with impaired
00:09:23
mobility
00:09:24
it's a very intimate um
00:09:28
setting it's actually really light
00:09:32
starting training right now
00:09:36
okay i feel a little bit
00:09:40
mechanic with my movement
00:09:44
but i think it's just getting used to
00:09:46
the machine because now i feel a little
00:09:48
more comfortable
00:09:49
in it so now he's increasing the speed
00:09:52
[Music]
00:09:56
the monitor displays cassandra and her
00:09:58
nerve signals as a waveform
00:10:00
hal works together with other ai systems
00:10:03
to analyze the
00:10:04
signals and evaluate user data
00:10:08
so how do paralyzed people actually
00:10:10
learn to walk again with hal
00:10:13
the activation of muscle impulses
00:10:15
creates a feedback effect
00:10:16
that enables the brain to learn how to
00:10:18
make the body walk again from scratch
00:10:21
it's called neural feedback training it
00:10:23
only works for about 20 to 30 percent of
00:10:26
paraplegic patients
00:10:27
but the results are still impressive
00:10:32
so with other exoskeletons the movements
00:10:34
are pre-programmed
00:10:36
so patients wearing the suit will have
00:10:39
to rely on it
00:10:40
permanently however with hell it teaches
00:10:43
you
00:10:44
how to walk again basically making the
00:10:46
connections from your brain
00:10:47
to your broken synapses so basically
00:10:51
these
00:10:51
patients they go through these trainings
00:10:54
and at the end of the training they're
00:10:57
able to walk again without
00:10:59
the technology without the suit hell
00:11:02
was developed by japanese roboticist
00:11:04
yoshiyuki sankai
00:11:05
he is the founder and ceo of cyberdyne
00:11:08
and
00:11:08
a professor at the university of tsukuba
00:11:11
he believes these bionic aids and cyborg
00:11:13
technologies
00:11:14
are a step into a new age
00:11:19
we're constantly wearing technology or
00:11:21
strongly connected to it
00:11:22
in that sense we're born cyborgs don't
00:11:24
you think as technology becomes more
00:11:29
accessible we'll be able to use it
00:11:31
without even being aware of it
00:11:33
this phenomenon is the fusion of humans
00:11:35
and technology
00:11:36
and this symbiotic relationship will
00:11:38
continue to develop
00:11:40
are we all becoming cyborgs or are we
00:11:42
already
00:11:43
and if the technology becomes available
00:11:45
soon won't people get left behind who
00:11:48
don't want to be enhanced or
00:11:49
who can't afford it what are your views
00:11:52
on cyborg technology
00:11:54
is this the chance for us all to upgrade
00:11:56
or are you skeptical
00:11:58
let us know for example on youtube there
00:12:00
you'll also find more videos about elon
00:12:03
musk's new ruling project
00:12:04
and a paralyzed man who controls an
00:12:06
exoskeleton with his mind
00:12:09
take care bye
00:12:31
you
