What body parts are capable of being replaced by prosthetics today?
Is their a limit to what can be replaced?
>>7977192
>What body parts are capable of being replaced by prosthetics today?
That depends on how much loss of functionality you can accept.
>Is their a limit to what can be replaced?
Probably not.
>>7977246
What are the current limitations on artificial limbs becoming widespread?
Is it simply the need for more convenient functionality and better engineering? Or are there other limitations?
>>7977192
Legs and arms can be replaced with biomechatronic limbs, as well as some organs if you want to throw them into the same class.
Current tech doesn't allow people to feel through their prosthetics, also they're not as maneuverable as a real limb, a guitarist who lost his arm couldn't ever shred again with current level prosthetics.
A lot of people will tell you there is a limit but as we have learnt from history a couple of decades after any nay sayers had their spotlight tech has gone 50x past what was expected (eg. people in the 50's and 60s thinking computers might get twice as powerful but have to be 5x bigger).
In reality a human being is a brain and only a brain, and all the brain needs to survive is oxygenated blood. The rest of our body is merely there so we can complete an ongoing cycle, getting the recourses we need into our body to run our organs, which in turn keeps us alive and keeps our brain full of oxygenated blood.
With more advanced tech there is no reason we couldn't replace an entire human body and organ bit by bit until a person is a cyborg. OR just remove the brain and put it into a biomech-suit-of-sorts which simply becomes your new body.
>>7978028
Your brain needs a lot more than oxygenated blood.
>>7978028
>In reality a human being is a brain and only a brain
Considering the complexity of the enteric nervous system and the unusual degree to which gut microflora appear to affect mental health and important neurotransmitters, I wouldn't bet on that *too* confidently. Your brain might rely on that lower-level feedback for fundamental subconscious processes
Pic related. It's a mechanical prosthetic heart that uses a turbine instead of pumping chambers like our hearts use.
Imagine how awesome an athlete could perform with one of these. I wonder if in our lifetime we are going to see sports controversies about people with prosthetic organs. A turbine heart would be a huge advantage.
>>7979013
i think he meant nutrient enriched.
by the by, what organs or nonbrains make required brain nutrients, if any?
>>7979749
How does that not shred red blood cells?
>>7979755
I've wondered the same thing. But if the clearance between the edge of the turbine and the housing was large enough to not shred the cells and if the RPM was low enough to not cause lots of stress on the cells I imagine they would be OK. Just don't crank it up to thousands of RPM. I think at lower speeds it could be very gentle.
>>7979755
Humans don't need red blood cells, they aren't insects.
>>7979753
The stomach, small intestine, gallbladder, pancreas, and liver, primarily. Plus a pile of glands whose hormones and transmitters affect behavior and emotional state.
>>7979749
I've got a heart defect and will need a valve replacement ~20 years
hopefully by then i'll be able to get a fully functioning artificial heart
i'll actually get to be a cyborg
>>7979755
That's why they (or the heart-assist devices they were adapted from) were not developed until very recently - it was assumed they would obviously destroy blood cells.
Turns out, passage through a high-speed turbine causes very little trauma to blood cells! They only reduce the average life of a red cell from 28 to 24 days.
Apparently the blood is simply pushed through the turbine too quickly for the cells to be shredded.
>>7979776
>They only reduce the average life of a red cell from 28 to 24 days.
That's a pretty significant reduction.
I mean, it's still a lot better than being dead, but it sounds like it would have a significant negative effect on your general health.
>>7979822
Not as much of a negative effect as not having a functioning heart.
>>7979753
You need more than just oxygen and food too, you think your body is producing all those hormones just for kicks?
>>7979776
>reduce average life of a red cell from 28 to 24 days
It's 120 days on average.
>>7979749
>Imagine how awesome an athlete could perform with one of these.
I hope stuff like this gets banned ASAP for athletes.
