Implants, Artificial Lungs, and Other Technologies Could Change Medicine Forever

This story appeared in the February Issue of VICE magazine. Click HERE to subscribe.

Anyone who's watched the TV series  The Knick will know that we've come a long way in the field of healthcare. Set in the early 1900s (years away from the development of antibiotics), the series follows the staff of New York's Knickerbocker Hospital, and occasionally shows some brutal and bloody surgical procedures from that time.  Things have, of course, improved since then, most notably after the introduction of computers around 1940 and their subsequent miniaturization. Computers are now very much enmeshed in our everyday lives, and little by little, they've become part of our bodies as well. Today we can have mind-controlled robotic limbs and exoskeletons, we can expand our senses with wearable technology and gadgets, and we've made robots so small they can perform surgery while inside our bodies. Looking ahead, 3D imagery and augmented reality are expected to play larger roles in medical training and complex surgeries.