Onkon and Navpreet Bionics Pres A bird is an instrument working according to mathematical law, which instrument is within the

capacity of man to reproduce with all its movements - Leonardo Da Vinci What is bionics? *click* Bionics is a branch of engineering which focuses upon the mimicry and application of existing natural mechanisms found in nature into developing practical solutions to specific engineering problems. *4 slow clicks* The study often emphasises on implementing a said biological function found in nature rather than merely imitating biological structures. An example of this fundamental can be found in computer sciences, where cybernetics attempts to model feedback and control mechanisms that are inherent in intelligent behaviour whereas artificial intelligence attempts to simply model intelligent function regardless of particulars through how it may be achieved. The range of work done in bionics extends from the creative engineering of chemical compounds such as macromolecules, to neurobionics and even bionic body parts such as bionic skin. Bionic skin may sound a little creepy, however after being stuck on top of human skin it cannot be felt at all by the wearer. The skin will contain wi-fi capabilities, multi touch interfaces, heart rate and blood pressure monitors and other useful features. Biomimetics is a sub-branch of bionics which aims at the replication of existing natural functions. The most famous example of biomimetics is Velcro, developed in 1948 by the Swiss engineer George de Mestral. Following a walk with his dog, George was cleaning the burrs off of his dog when he noticed how the tiny hooks at the end of them clung to its fur. Bionics refers to the flow of concepts from biology to engineering and vice versa. In medicine, bionics is the replacement or enhancement of organs or other body parts by mechanical, man-made versions. It differs from prosthetics as it doesnt simply attempt to replace pre-existing biological function through minimalistic systems, but instead very closely mimics the original function, and sometimes, even surpasses it. Examples of such implants include fully functional artificial hearts and the cochlear implant, a device for deaf people. *Click* Health and safety issues Nanotechnology branches off bionics. As the technology deals with nano-particles and nanomaterials which may contain nano-particles, there is reason for concern. The particles themselves arent necessarily a threat; however there are aspects about them that may label them as risky, such as their mobility and increased reactivity. Bionics as a whole may focus at the greater good and human development, however with the introduction of nano-technologies, the potential for failure or abuse of technology cannot be ignored. Health and safety issues are definitely evident or predicted due to the introduction of bionics. That said, the potential for aid and helping people is far too great for the negatives and risks to out-weigh the good. *Click* Ethics There are considerable ethical issues surrounding the prospects of introducing bionics and naturalprocess-enhancing mechanics into body systems of the select few who will be able to afford them, or wish to implement them. What if your partner used memory enhancing technologies and could remember every conversation that you ever had with them, and as you never enhanced that part of your brain, you couldnt. Hypothetical problems such as these give rise to multiple social problems.

Year 11 Engineering

Onkon and Navpreet Bionics Pres Would it be okay to get to a point where our phones suggest medication according to the symptoms we display, and in the next room a 3D printer prints out the medication? Such moral dilemmas thankfully arent yet of concern, however these technologies will certainly arise within the not-toodistant future. The effects of bionics will be seen in all facets of life, and its effects will transmute society, immersing humanity into its next phase of technology and science. If bionics fully develops as expected, we or our children will be living in a world in which machine and man become one think about this and how it would affect your lives. *Click* Training and Career Prospects Institutions are available for training for a career in bionics. An example of such a training facility is The Bionics Institute, a non-for-profit research organisation that offers postgraduate students who have received an honours, masters or PhD opportunities to conduct research in the field of bionics. After such training, you may remain in the institution professionally. Mostly, careers in bionics are those of researchers developing new and improved bio-medical machines and engineering feats. Companies such as Advanced Bionics offer such job opportunities. *Click* Technologies unique to profession The seamless bonding of machine and human is an extremely technical and tedious task, which must be performed with great precision and this process involves very new technologies in order to work effectively. The materials used to build the bionic products are very diverse but must be suitable for both a biological and electronic environment. Materials range from steel-polyethylene, cobalt chromium alloy polyethylene, porous stainless steel, metal-pyrolytic carbon coating to ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene used in bionic knees. The cutting edge technology involved in the extensive applications of bionics is the latest engineered microchips which have embedded electrodes allowing electrical impulses, mimicking the nervous system. These impulses are able to transfer information which allows the user to control their bionic eye, arm, leg etc. The microchips instruct the motors and receive information from various sensors in order to interact with stimulation from the environment, ultimately allowing a person to complete task they otherwise would not be able to do. Bionics requires the machine to have a similar intelligence level of the human brain, the latest microchips display similar levels of intelligence as our brain, when navigating around problems and responding to a dynamic environment, however technology is not quite at the level of the brain yet in order for humans to fully rely on bionics as yet. *Click* projects & innovations On screen you can see the current projects in bionics and well as predicted future innovations as technology advances. /POINT AND IDENTIFY/ *Click* Video automatically plays.
Reference List http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_engineering http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionics http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/02/29/2176665.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_of_nanotechnology http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/16/observer-editorial-biotechnology-ethics http://www.bionicsinstitute.org/careers/Pages/careers-overview.aspx http://www.bionicsinstitute.org/careers/Pages/student-information.aspx http://www.advancedbionics.com/com/en/system/footer/about_us/careers.html http://bionicvision.org.au/news http://hsc.csu.edu.au/senior_science/core/bionics/9_3_1/931net.html

Year 11 Engineering