Category Archives: wearable technology

artificial intelligence, dystopia, ethics, forecasting, society, surveillance, technology, wearable technology, work

Your brain may not be private much longer

Neurotechnology is upon us. Your brain urgently needs new rights.

The risks are profound. And the gaps in our existing rights are deeply problematic. So, where do I come out on the balance? I’m a little bit of a tech inevitabilist. I think the idea that you can somehow stop the train and say, “On balance, maybe this isn’t better for humanity and therefore we shouldn’t introduce it” — I just don’t see it working.

Maybe people will say, “My brain is too sacred and the risks are so profound that I’m not willing to do it myself,” but with the ways that people unwittingly give up information all the time and the benefits that are promised to them, I think that’s unlikely. I think we’ve got to carve out a different approach.

Nita Farahany
dystopia, ethics, forecasting, technology, wearable technology

Their Bionic Eyes Are Now Obsolete and Unsupported

Neural implants—devices that interact with the human nervous system, either on its periphery or in the brain—are part of a rapidly growing category of medicine that’s sometimes called electroceuticals. Some technologies are well established, like deep-brain stimulators that reduce tremors in people with Parkinson’s disease. But recent advances in neuroscience and digital technology have sparked a gold rush in brain tech, with the outsized investments epitomized by Elon Musk’s buzzy brain-implant company, Neuralink. Some companies talk of reversing depression, treating Alzheimer’s disease, restoring mobility, or even dangle the promise of superhuman cognition.

https://spectrum-ieee-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/spectrum.ieee.org/amp/bionic-eye-obsolete-2656624624
artificial intelligence, dystopia, ethics, forecasting, health, politics, privacy, surveillance, technology, virtual reality, wearable technology, work

Ready for Brain Transparency? (Davos AM23)

The promise of neurotechnology to improve lives and to gain insight into the human brain is growing. How can we uphold data privacy and personal freedom as we make strides toward a world of brain transparency?

This session is moderated by Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson, while Nita A. Farahany from Duke University School of Law, who is also a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies, throws light on what the world of brain transparency would look like.

https://www.weforum.org/videos/davos-am23-ready-for-brain-transparency-english
artificial intelligence, fitness, health, wearable technology

Starkey’s AI Transforms Hearing Aids Into Smart Wearables

The Livio AI hearing aid has a fitness tracker with inertial sensors that can count steps and track daily physical activity. But it also comes up with daily wellness scores for both physical and mental health and reports the scores on an associated smartphone app. The mental health “brain score” is based on hearing aid usage time, the degree of social engagement derived from the acoustic environment, and the extent of active listening.

https://spectrum-ieee-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/spectrum.ieee.org/amp/starkeys-ai-transforms-hearing-aid-into-smart-wearables-2650277407
fitness, health, innovation, technology, wearable technology

From the wrist into the ear – the potential of hearables

A subset of wearables are the so-called hearables – in-ear devices that are well suited for long-term monitoring as they are non-invasive, inconspicuous and easy to fasten. Hearables offer two major benefits: their proximity to the torso and vascular system of the brain and ear is a physiological advantage and motion artefacts often seen with wrist wearables are no longer an issue for in-ear devices.

https://healthcare-in-europe.com/en/news/from-the-wrist-into-the-ear-the-potential-of-hearables.html
artificial intelligence, health, language, technology, wearable technology

Google Shows Early Preview of Augmented Reality Glasses

Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which failed to find a consumer audience for its internet-connected glasses about a decade ago, on Wednesday presented a prototype of augmented reality glasses aimed at the general public. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-11/google-shows-early-preview-of-augmented-reality-glasses
artificial intelligence, dystopia, ethics, facial recognition, genetics, health, internet of things, society, surveillance, technology, the home, wearable technology

What Nietzsche can teach us about embracing risk and failure in an age of technological comforts

Safety through technology is certainly not a bad thing. But the need for safety can become pathological. Friedrich Nietzsche’s basic premise is that failure is an option. It is woven tightly into a life worth living. It is time for a personal inventory: Which of our devices and practices enable a life that experiences the world in ways and places not always engineered for our comfort?

https://bigthink.com/thinking/nietzsche-failure-comfort/