Human exoskeletons, brain computer interfaces, bluetooth-connected blood vessels. These all sound like science fiction, but they’re part of a very near future where the line is blurred between human and machine. “I think that what makes us…us is getting less clear every day”, noted David G. Armstrong, Professor of Surgery and Director of the Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA) at the University of Arizona. “What is enormously exciting, though is that many technologies that can help our patients move through the world a little better are already becoming more readily available.” Armstrong spoke of his teams work in exoskeletons, and intelligent textiles as well as novel new work on connected implantables. “We now have early data from the first-ever bluetooth connected artificial blood vessel. Imagine being able identify a future blockage at home through your phone. That imagining is no longer imagining.” The lecture Armstrong gave, which focused on his team’s efforts to stem the tide of wounds and amputations in people with diabetes, was paired with another rousing lecture by world-renowned prosthetist Kevin Carroll, most famous for being the inspiration for the character played by Morgan Freeman in the feature film “Dolphin Tale”. “I think the theme for this afternoon’s lectures is that technology and the human spirit should help us to never give up.”, noted Mr. Carroll.
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