Integrating Embedded Systems with the Human Body

This week, the topic of discussion revolved around the integration of technological systems with the human body. The core of this topic relates to the ability of such systems to augment human functioning, providing the user of the embedded system "additional senses" that are not biologically innate.

One possible application of this augmentation could be to reintegrate originally lost senses back into patients who have lost some form of original sense. As discussed, such an application would clearly have a dramatic effect on the patient's ability to get back to living a normal life.

However, when this process of sensory augmentation (though the integration of embedded systems with the human body) is performed in a manner to "upgrade" / enhance the sensory input of the body, the results are much more dramatic. For instance, a belt with locational vibrating inputs was discussed that gave the wearer incredibly acute directional ability.

According to the article and discussion, the brain eventually adapted to the sensory input and made the system "part of its own". Because of this, the removal of the device was shown to cause fairly acute side effects in some users. Some were unable to go back to normal functioning, and one subject even had to obsessively carry around a GPS unit in order to function normally.

Clearly, this would not be optimal if the integration of increasingly advanced embedded systems results in increasingly acute side effects should they be removed. Apparently the brain is able to rapidly adapt to their presence and integrate the new sensory inputs, but the converse is not true when the device is removed. It seems that -- at least in some cases -- the brain is unable to "unadapt" and revert to its original ability to function.

Such research definitely carries important implications for the possibility of integrating futuristic sensory systems to the human body.