IMPACT COMMUNICATION
AND INNOVATION
AND INNOVATION
Cyborgism has many facets and different interpretations. Some authors argue that we are cyborgs simply because we wear glasses, have a constant habit of listening to music through headphones, or even because we extend ourselves through media like cell phones or computers.
On the other hand, authors like Donna Haraway prioritize the issue of body modification and gender emancipation, understanding that we are cyborgs both because we use diet and exercise to shape our bodies and because we seek technology as a way to express our identity through, for example, plastic surgery.
Furthermore, there is the biohacker movement, which explores the limits and possibilities of inserting new equipment and substances that can modify or amplify our human capabilities, while, last but not least, we can also mention the use of prosthetic limbs by those with physical disabilities.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, we witnessed not only the competition of athletes with prosthetics but also the performance of athlete and model Amy Purdy with a robot. However, we also know that athletes are constantly exposed to accidents and the possibility of causing damage to their bodies due to the constant exposure and effort exerted in training and competitions.
Because of this, even before considering the possibility of completely replacing limbs with prosthetics that prove to be even more efficient than their organic counterparts, biotechnology scientists have been exploring (and successfully so) the 3D printing of tissues that could one day be used by doctors as implants for patients who have injured their knees, wrists, or elbows, for example. It is this type of injury that can be responsible for ending an athlete's career, as these joints and body parts are responsible for movements essential to sports.
For Sean Bittner, a researcher at Rice University, “this will be a powerful tool to help people with common sports injuries,” but the impact of this innovation may go even further, as the scientist argued in a study paper published in Acta Biomaterialia. The idea is to make it possible to replicate osteochondral tissue, which is found at the ends of long bones. The challenge faced by scientists, however, lies in the inconsistency of this material, as it can transition from cartilage to bone, making it more difficult to replicate in the laboratory. However, a polymer that combines cartilage and ceramic has shown promise in this endeavor.
To make the material better accepted by the body, scientists have included pores so that the patient's cells and blood vessels can infiltrate it. This strategy aims to make it easier for the patient's natural biology to merge with the implant, thus making recovery more effective, though it is still just a first step before finally achieving an implant created to fit the patient's specific needs perfectly.
Although these types of injuries are common among athletes, Bittner states that they are not limited to people who engage in high-frequency and high-intensity sports: anyone can suffer an injury to the knee, elbow, or wrist, and these individuals will also be considered when crafting customized implants for each patient. The difference lies in the disproportionate way athletes end up exposed to this type of injury, hence the greater focus from scientists. “In this context, what we have done here is impactful and could lead to a new era of regenerative medicine solutions,” says Antonio Mikos, the bioscientist responsible for leading Sean Bittner's experiment.
What we observe, therefore, is a focus on the public that is primarily exposed to and/or has already been a victim of an incident that caused bodily injury, so that it can be treated as a regenerative solution rather than an enhancement. Even as we observe advances in the creation of medical technologies and solutions, it is from an ethical standpoint that we need to move forward by asking ourselves whether these same techniques could be used not as a way to restore a damaged body, but to enhance it, and to what extent this would be considered acceptable by society and governments.
While the Vatican is already discussing the possibilities of transhumanism in conferences bringing together roboticists, engineers, and religious leaders, other countries have been considering strategies on how to deal with this future of hybrid people, cyborgs, and transhumans who could live up to a thousand years and what that would imply, from issues related to social security to healthcare systems and the possibility of overpopulation.
However, in the world of sports, the discussion centers on doping and the imbalance of having a para-athlete compete against a regular athlete: while we might have once thought that para-athletes could be at a disadvantage due to their physical limitations, the future suggests that the opposite is actually becoming true with the development of more efficient prosthetics. For now, though, we are seeing discussions about transgender athletes (as was the case with volleyball player Tifany) or even competitors in sports like Muay Thai who end up finding loopholes by, for example, using titanium plates for bone recovery, which end up significantly affecting their final performance. The same applies to everyday life: to what extent will coexistence with these post-humans be characterized by equity for those who have not undergone these new procedures?
