The New Human Bionics

Disruptive technologies, in combination with advancements in science, are altering our understanding of our own biology. We are crunching big data, tapping into social networks, leveraging health apps, relying on sophisticated medical diagnostic tools, enabling real-time mapping of outbreaks, sequencing the genetic code, mapping the brain, learning more about the interplay between senses and discovering the intricacies of the mind. New tools, materials and automation techniques promise great possibilities. We are entering a future where our biology is becoming self-defined, assembled, manufactured, and increasingly unique. For instance, advancements in new materials technology are leading to potentially game-changing health innovations. When combined with rapid improvements in 3D printing, the applications for human biology are manifold. And as design software merges with molecular biology, and the emerging nanoscale world of synthetic biology, the lines between designing for science and designing a building may be based on similar principles – each just uses different building blocks.