I’ve always been terrified by diabetes. Not that I’m at any risk or anything, it’s just the thought of living your life on this weird insulin countdown death clock thing freaks me out. But today, I’m totally stoked about it.
Hold up, don’t get all twisted. I mean that in the best of possible terms – internet startup folk legend Jeffrey Brewer is looking to turn diabetes sufferers into verified cyborgs by means of a goddamn robotic pancreas. Without even going into detail, that sounds freaking wicked, right? There was this time after an accident, I was told I’d need a robotic ankle. Seriously, true story. And I was pleased as punch about it. It never ended up happening, but such is life.
Anyway, this thing works exactly like you’d expect, delivering exactly the correct dose of insulin at exactly the right time, effectively freeing diabetics from their injection schedules and giving them time to brag to their friends about how they have awesome robot parts inside them. Basically, it’s the natural evolution of the insulin pump.
Only it replaces an organ.
Which is awesome.
Unfortunately, there’s a bunch of red tape keeping this thing from revolutionizing the science for the time being – after all, putting a robot in charge of a life-and-death situation isn’t exactly something the government is going to allow to happen flippantly. But until then, Brewer’s got an awesome concept waiting in the wings, and humanity is one step closer to roboticizing itself.
[Via Wired]
Awesome, frightening in its implications on the future but awesome none-the-less… o brave new world