Definition of Bionic Engineering

Bionic engineering is the discipline that seeks to replace an organ in a living being with an electronic or mechanical component. In this sense, a hearing aid or a heart artificial are devices typical of bionics, but so are a whole series of more recent devices: chips that replace the human eye, artificial prostheses for arms and legs, exoskeletons, cartilage and nerves in 3D, etc. They all have something in common: they supply a deficient organic function in order to provide a solution mechanics to the individual.

Bionic engineering as a discipline is based on three fundamental axes: communication man-machine, mechanical and energy issues and, finally, the cost of these devices.

A discipline in contact with multiple areas

Bionic engineering is an area of ​​transversal knowledge, as it is related to other areas: artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, communication systems, process automation, production of new materials or robotics. In terms of their applications, they are equally very diverse: people with

disability physical or sensory, the service sector and the industry or the race space.

From science fiction to everyday life

A few decades ago the bionic man was discussed in the context of science fiction. Over time, those stories have become a reality. In fact, today some blind people have recovered their vision thanks to a chip and individuals who moved in a wheelchair can walk standing with an exoskeleton. These revolutionary advances allow us to imagine an even more hopeful future. In this sense, it is possible that disability as we understand it will disappear in the not too distant future.

Today some bionic limbs function through mind control, a clear example of human-machine interaction.

Interestingly, many of the technological advances in bionic engineering have come about as a result of war-related accidents.

According to the bionics engineers, in the future it will be possible to have artificial skin with a sense of touch And this will be done through built-in sensors, an example of nanotechnology applied to humans. Despite the advances, there is a question that still does not offer a clear answer: will it be possible to implant an artificial brain to replace the human brain?

Regardless of the future of bionic engineering, there is already talk of a new man, the man-machine or cyborg.

Photos: iStock - Christopher Futcher / andresr

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