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Open Bionics is
revolutionizing prosthetics for children.
But technology, like
electricity, is largely neutral -- it's what you do with it that matters. And
plenty of good has been done.
In fact, tech hasn't
just enriched our lives in obvious, everyday ways. Many innovators and
entrepreneurs are trying to develop methods to help it solve some of the
world's biggest problems. In some cases, they're even succeeding.
Here are a few areas in
which tech has actively helped make the lives of people around the world
better.
Bionic men, women and
children
In 2011, Time magazine
listed Hugh Herr, head of the Biomechatronics group at the MIT Media Lab, as
the "Leader of the Bionic Age."
A brilliant rock climber and double amputee, Herr's work in the field of bionic
prosthetics has allowed him and many others who've lost limbs to excel in
athletic pursuits.
But Herr's work isn't an
anomaly, prosthetics have progressed in leaps and bounds this decade. Thanks to
robotics technology, they've become more affordable and easier to wear and use
than ever before, and new technologies such as 3D printing have allowed for
cheaper prototyping.
Earlier prosthetics,
made of metal, were too heavy for children to wear and largely unaffordable
(because children are always growing, the limbs need regular replacing). But
Open Bionics, a British company founded in 2014, wanted to change all
that.
It builds inexpensive
prosthetic arms for children, and it partners with Disney to
give the custom, robotic devices superhero themes. The company has won multiple
awards and has worked with the UK's National Health Service, as well as helping
many children live their best lives along the way.
The next step in
prosthetics involves improving feedback to give people a sense of touch --
and it's already happening, with more to come in the
next 10 years.
Keeping people safe
The sad truth is that 10
million Americans per year are physically abused by partners, according to
the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In
some ways, technology hasn't helped. Spyware installed on phones and
other devices can be used to track people and their activity.
On the other hand, tech
has given people new tools for fighting abusers. Discreet apps such as SmartSafe direct people to resources and
have tips about how to stay safe online and on a phone. They also let users
record photos and videos, write notes and even capture voice and audio
recordings, all of which are time-stamped and securely stored in the cloud.
App-based services are
increasingly helping people stay safe in a number of different scenarios. In
2017 a group of teenage girls in Kenya developed an app called i-Cut that would
allow girls to alert police and medical authorities via a panic button if they
felt they were at risk of female genital mutilation, which is illegal but not
uncommon in the country.
These are just some
examples of how connectivity is being used to provide people with a way to
reach out and find help when they're at risk.
A lifeline for refugees
Another group of people
for whom connectivity has proved increasingly essential over the past decade
are the refugees forced to flee their homes the world over because of conflict
and other dangers.
Further afield, the
foundation used its Instant Classroom technology to provide education resources
in the form of connected tablets, laptops and
projectors to help more than 60,000 young refugees in the Dadaab region of
Kenya.
Disaster response
Beyond deploying its
emergency response technology to help in the refugee crisis, the Vodafone
Foundation has brought the tech to the scenes of natural disasters across the
US, Asia, Africa and beyond. The foundation's Instant Network and Instant Network
Mini are portable GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications)
networks that can bring much needed connectivity to the scene quickly and
efficiently in times of crisis.
In some disasters,
regions not only become disconnected, they also become inaccessible. This is
where search and rescue robots come in, going places humans can't
to assess damage, and even to identify and recover victims.
In Fukushima, Japan,
which suffered one of the world's biggest nuclear disasters following an
earthquake in 2011, increasingly robust robots have been sent in over the years to
try to determine the true extent of the damage and whether there's any hope for
recovery in the future. CNET visited last year to witness the robots in action.
For disasters closer to
home, a whole range of apps have sprung up to help you navigate your way
through almost any scenario. Prepare your digital first aid kit with our
full list of recommended digital services to help you weather the next
wildfire, hurricane, flood or earthquake.
Anti-poaching
When it comes to
protecting the vulnerable, it's not just humans who are at risk. Animals are a
precious part of our ecosystem, but many species are increasingly threatened by
human poachers.
From anti-poaching drones equipped with night
vision to cameras built into rhino horns, tech has been
used in a number of ingenious ways over the past decade to protect animals. In
Central America, where almost 90% of sea turtle eggs are stolen by poachers,
scientists have come up with a particularly wily solution to crack down on
illegal egg trafficking.
The InvestEGGator is a GPS-GSM tracking
device that's 3D-printed to look and feel like a real turtle
egg. Planted in nests to be stolen by poachers, the eggs can provide real-time
mapping of egg trafficking routes to help authorities track and catch the
perpetrators.
In 2018, Facebook, Google, Microsoft,
Pinterest, Alibaba, Baidu and 15 other tech companies from around the globe
joined with the World Wildlife Fund, the International Fund for Animal Welfare,
and Traffic, a nonprofit that monitors trade in wildlife products, to create the Global Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking
Online. Together they pledged to close the open web to the illegal
wildlife trade in the hope of protecting species for generations to come.
Making the world more
accessible for all
Unfortunately, in 2019
many people with a whole array of disabilities and chronic illnesses are still
excluded from society. One of the most significant contributions tech has made
to the world over the past 10 years is that it's proving to be a great
equalizer when thoughtfully developed.
It's helping people
better navigate physical environments more effectively in smart homes built for wounded veterans and aging populations. An app called Wayfindr is
helping guide visually impaired people through the maze that is the London
Underground, thanks to audio and beacon technology.
Watch this: Step inside this fully automated smart house
built for...
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