From Wearables to Aware-ables and Human 2.0? (Part 2 of 2)

In my previous post I talked about how we would see an evolution of wearables that will focus more on HOW we are doing (not simply WHAT we are doing) and capture insights that can change our lives. It looks like the industry is moving in that direction. Since my last post, we’ve seen a reference design from Samsung for a wearable that could track heart and respiratory rates, blood pressure and other data. One of the interesting things about the design, was that while the sensors involved included the usual ones, they also included some innovative ones, such as light and acoustic sensors to measure other things going on inside the body – the WHAT part I’ve talking about.

So, as expected, devices are moving from telling us what we are doing, to how we are doing, but this is clearing just the beginning.

The notion of wearables is far from new, and arguably is part of a much longer continuum… In this post I’m going to share a few thoughts about what’s next.

I believe there are four phases to this, and we are currently in phase 2.

Phase 1, which I’ll call the Adornment phase began roughly about 100,000 years ago, possibly even more. The adornment phase of human history (which still continues) was when people augmented themselves with cosmetics, tattoos and jewelry, etc. for example, to indicate social status or alignment with a given social group.

Phase 2 (where we are today) is the Wearable Technology phase. It’s all about smart watches, glasses, bracelets, etc.. I spoke much about this in my last post and much is being written about this topic.

Phase 3 is the Embeddable phase. This is where it starts to get really interesting. Embeddables are where we implant technology to fix or enhance an existing ability out of necessity. This is about embedding (not simply wearing) technology inside of us to fix or improve something. Arguably, we do this today with things like cochlear implants, pacemakers, artificial retinas etc., but we are very much at the early stages.

Some technology is starting to blur the lines now. For example, wearables like Google Glass are interesting, but consider that same functionality and much more in a contact lens. A lens that you simply pop in, and is powered by the glucose in your blood, or the ambient light in the room. While a few years away, we are starting to see signs that point in this direction. Take Innovega as an example. Innovega has developed a technology called iOptik – a contact lens that works along with a pair of special glasses fitted with tiny projectors that transmit data forward onto the eyeglass lenses. It won’t be too many years until the glasses are unnecessary and the functionality will be in the contact lenses alone.

Bio-hackers are already experimenting with some of these new embeddable capabilities. DIY biohacker Rich Lee has sound-transmitting magnets implanted into his ears so he can compensate for his loss of vision by learning to echolocate.

Amal Graafstra has RFID implants in his hands which he uses to unlock his car, computer and door to his Seattle home.

Phase 4, the final phase?, is the Replacement phase. This is where where humans can choose to upgrade or augment their biological self out of desire (not simply necessity). Imagine a world where someone could choose to replace a healthy human eye with a robotic eye capable of seeing in infrared, or which featured a night vision lens to assist nighttime driving. Imagine a baseball pitcher electing to replace his biological throwing arm with one that adds a 25% speed boost to his fastball.

Consider Jason Barnes. Jason had wanted to be a professional drummer since he was a teenager. Jason lost the lower half of his right arm two years ago, after getting an electric shock while cleaning a vent hood in a restaurant. When he lost his arm in a freak accident he thought his dream was over. Now he has a second chance at the big time – thanks to a brand new robotic arm. Jason can apparently create music that cannot be created by humans alone. Watch this video on YouTube for Jason's story and to see the arm in action.

Jason replaced his arm today out of necessity, to pursue his dream, but tomorrow? Will humans choose to replace perfectly good eyes, ears, limbs in the future to gain an advantage? Will we add neural implants so we can access information at will, perhaps learn a new language a day or two before traveling, or to move an object simply by thinking about it?

Wearables are just the beginning. I believe we are on the path to a self-evolution of the species - human 2.0? We are rapidly learning to replace, replace or augment who we are. Technologies such as bio-printing of human organs, stem cell technologies, brain-machine interfaces and neural prosthetics are just very much the beginning.

We are in for a wild ride, but as we strive to become ever “more human”, let us be sure to not forget our own humanity.

Top Photo: Gordana Sermek / Shutterstock