MedTech + Art

When we look into the past, the way society has society has used technology over time to improve medicines and examine the human anatomy. Anatomy and dissection are at the intersection of art and science and have influenced many of the medicines and medical technology that we have today (1). I remember dissecting a frog in high school. It was amazing seeing the entire inside of the frog while also learning about how everything worked. When X-rays and MRI's were brought about,  the world was ecstatic about the machine that now allowed us to view inside of the human body without always having to cut it open (2).

I personally have had 3 X-rays done in my life, one of which was done about a week ago on my ankle. Plastic or reconstructive surgery has been around for about 4,000 years (3). World War I made plastic surgery necessary and since then, with war came medical advancements. Diane Gromala spoke about how she used technology to create new paradigms for chronic pains (4). By using technology and meditation skills, she was able to make a virtual reality meditation program. The program features settings such as the beach, flying through the sky and rain forests which all have the option to walk or stand/sit. This technology can be used at home and has proven to relieve short-term pain. I think that this is an amazing invention because is it so advanced and easily accessible. 

"Medicine Pt1." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"Medicine Pt2." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"Medicine Pt3." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Robotics + Art

The evolution of robotics and art over time has come about mainly because of our obsession, dependency, and advancement of technology. Because society has become almost completely dependent on technology to develop and progress, we are finding new ways to create robots and display art at rapid paces. The idea of the robot came up during the industrialization period when there became a huge change in agriculture, manufacturing, and technology. Henry Ford was one of the first people to show this when he started his car company (1). Ford used machines controlled by people to put together their cars. Each machine had separate actions and people assigned to them to make a part of the car. By successfully using machines for mass production, the idea quickly became popular across the world. One issue brought up by the people working the machines in their working environment was being treated like a mechanism rather than a normal person.

As the idea of the robot continued to evolve, people began to create robots for other reasons as well. Japanese culture has always been fascinated and advanced with robotics (2). They have created many robots for entertainment and interaction. It has even gotten to the point where robots can now recognize a person and show emotion towards them (3). I think that this is creepy because they are now giving these machines human-like qualities. Rodney Brooks believes that our evolution in technology is going cause the robots we create to become too smart to where they take over the world (4). Even though I do think that the evolution of robots is fascinating, I do have that feeling in my mind that they could just become too smart for our own good one day.

Works Cited

1. "Robotics MachikoKusahara 1." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

2. "Robotics Pt2." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

3. "Robots That "show Emotion"" David Hanson:. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

4. "Robots Will Invade Our Lives." Rodney Brooks:. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.