Technology is starting to give us superpowers once reserved only for comic book heroes like Spider-Man and Superman. We now live in an age of human enhancement and related technology has captured the attention of the media and investors.
Some of these new technologies achieve their effects by means of electronic devices that connect our brains to external sources of knowledge, sensory data or physical power. We may not get chips implanted in our brains any time soon, but think about Google Glass—who needs an inserted chip when you can wear a computer on your head?
Wearable technology doesn't only come in the form of a pair of glasses. A Japanese laboratory is working on a more practical prototype(雏形) of a muscle suit than lron Man's shiny armor(盔甲). The muscle suit, called an exoskeleton, enables the sick and elderly to move around more easily, New Scientist magazine reported. Coveting(觊觎)the powers of Spider-Man, the US military is working on a "Spider-Man suit" that not only lets wearers climb vertical walls, but also allows them to sense approaching objects without looking at or hearing them, according to an American military technology website.
But perhaps you favor more subtle powers like mind control or mind reading. This may one day come true as well. The most amazing human enhancement technologies that have come into reality are devices that interact directly with the human brain.
Q Sensor, created by scientists at MIT, is a wireless sensor that measures electricity conducted through the skin. It can detect whether people are bored, stressed or excited, and therefore has wide applications in research and therapy, the BBC reported.
Scientists envision neural implants that could allow humans to manipulate real-world objects with their mind—a power not unlike mind control. Slate magazine reported this might already be happening.
