“I, Robot”, Newsweek, 25/5. An interview with Ray Kurzweil, who wants to utilize nanotechnology to enhance his body, should this technology ever become viable. The article portrays him in a very negative light, though (there’s an entry on the article at the “Accelerating Future” blog). I want that technology too! I want nanotechnology (especially medical!), artificial intelligence, nuclear fusion and all the rest of it (I guess that makes me a Transhumanist?), but it remains tantalizingly in the future, and there is uncertainty over whether any of it can be made viable. H+ magazine has an article, “How Close Are We to Real Nanotechnology?” – which gives a timeline of 20-30 years away. Not close enough!
Watching my parents get old (they’re in their 70s), with all the accompanying ailments, is depressing, and I fear getting old. My body is not the one I had 10 years ago, and it is showing signs of wear-and-tear (as my two surgeries in the last 7 months testify), despite exercising regularly, not smoking, drinking, doing drugs, being overweight, or eating lots of junk food. (I am prone to stress and depression, though.) I am not so enamored of the idea of uploading one’s consciousness to a computer or robot body (I am dubious if that will ever be possible, as our consciousness is inextricably interwoven with our physical brain). I simply want to be able to repair my body so it is as new.
Modern surgery is still relatively crude compared to the possibility of nanotechnology (programming nanobots to repair one’s body at the molecular level, without the unpleasantness of being cut open). I envision a patient being given a capsule filled with nanobots; after swallowing it, these would circulate through the body and do programmed repairs, before exiting through the digestive system in the normal manner. The nanobots might utilize the body’s resources (e.g. stored fat) to power their activities, so the patient would need to eat more before and after to replenish themselves.
If I were a multi-billionaire, I would be putting my money into supporting such research, not buying useless trinkets like jewelry or yachts! In fact, I would buy my own island, set up a secret hi-tech lab complex, hire a lot of scientists and let them loose (like in those “mad scientist” movies).
