Synthetic life. The very notion of life that is born from the efforts of humanity is daunting. Images are provoked of Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. This is far from the true efforts in modern times however.
Today's adventures in synthetic life may be categorized as mundane experiments in chemical robotics. The search for artificial muscles to increase the abilities of limited robotic kindred has opened doors that are unimaginable in materials research. Plastics have been altered to the point where they are interacting with first electrical components, heat, light, but also with DNA. Research at John Hopkins University has opened up a frontier in soft robotics.
Hydrogels. The secret word that unlocks plastics into the fields of medicine, robotics, and more. Hydrogels are a plastic built around encapsulated water. The conductivity and behavior of hydrogel materials is chemically alterable, or thermally, by light, or by electricity. The nature of hydrogels has branded them as a smart material.
Behaviorally, hydrogels are similar to biology. Some are even based around protein materials, blurring the lines between body and machine. Soon, every component of the robot can be based in hydrogel: actuators, conductors, sensors, transistors, or even electrical source voltage (similar to battery or capacitor). Many hydrogels are biologically compatible. I believe the next frontier in regenerative medicine will be hydrogels that will be robotic analogies to many organs, and could even be implanted with your own cells.
One day we will be altogether too happy for a second chance at life that was borrowed from synthetic analogies of life. Hydrogels will be there to bridge the gap between chemicals, robots, and human medicine in the coming decades of medicine. Given enough time, the treatments that we receive as medical patients will become more and more like cybernetic implants. Time will tell where this will take us as a species, but I don't think that we will be looking back woefully. We will benefit immensely from the material improvement in medicine.
I believe that i may have stumbled upon form of hydrogel research which has been tested and used in many other forms from one source point there are agencies involved and a back wash of I'll people i am no conspiracy theorist but have proof of a system of branded product that publicly is used on many formats electrolyte h20 is part of the stimulant but a nucleuse additive and many other forms are still being tested in multiple locations around the North West of England please contact me adharbottle@gmail i have indefinite proof of these products
ReplyDeleteI believe that H2O is already a standard additive in all formulations of hydrogel. Definitely indefinite. It may be hard to believe, but ordinary gelatin, and even cornstarch are unstable varieties of hydrogel. Add a crosslinking agent, and viola!, you inexplicably have one of the most advanced plastics in biomaterial research. As for hydrogel products, there are many in foodstuffs, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals worldwide. There is no need to explore far to find them. The potential they hold is much more interesting than their current use, however.
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