It's Iron Man! Everyone's favorite bionic super hero came here today to talk about cybernetics. Cybernetics is the science behind things like Iron Man's suit. It is a field of study that encompasses many different scientific fields, and deals with the communication between man and machine.
Iron Man's suit has many different capabilities. It allows its operator to run faster than an average man, fly, and shoot lazers out of his hands! He is able to communicate with his suit using his brain, which is connected to his cybernetic helmet.The movies don't go into much detail about the science behind this, but in the real world, this type of feat would be accomplished through the use of cybernetic implants. Cybernetic implants could allow for the enhancement of a humans natural abilities, but they can also repair/replace abilities that a person might have lost or never had. While we have a bit of catching up to do to get on the level that Iron Man is at, there are several cybernetic implants that are in use today. One of the most common implants is the cochlear implant. This type of implant is designed to enable the user to hear when they previously could not.
These types of implants are expensive though, with even the most basic costing upwards of $100,000 [1].
Cybernetic implants can do many amazing things! Another common implant is one that allows the user to control a prosthetic limb. A prosthetic limb is an artificial or fake body part, and the ones we're discussing today are advanced machines. These allow people who
Reference
National Institute on Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders. (2017). Cochlear
implants. Retrieved from https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/cochlear-implants
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