If there’s one thing everyone can be grateful for in this world, it’s technology and how it can help us cope with disability or illness. There aren’t many things left that we cannot do thanks to technology. From state-of-the-art 3D printers that can print human organs for transplants to artificial intelligence that can mimic a person’s level of consciousness, the sky’s the limit when it comes to technology. Experts in every industry have used technology to push the boundaries of their capabilities. Thanks to healthcare professionals and researchers coming together to lighten the burden of people who cope with a disability, multiple devices now exist that can aid with coping with a disability. Millions of people now have the chance to lead a balanced life thanks to these bright minds. That said, here are three devices that make living with a disability or an illness much more bearable.
Smart Insulin Patch
People who have diabetes have had to deal with painful insulin injections for as long as they’ve had the illness. This is a thing of the past now. With the combined efforts of doctors and medical engineers, they have now designed a patch to help. This patch not only monitors your blood sugar levels but injects insulin into your bloodstream when your levels get too high. Almost painless, the penny-sized patch has nearly a hundred tiny microscopic needles underneath that are no bigger than an eyelash. Now, people who are affected by diabetes can lead a normal life with this life-saving patch on their arms. This totally eradicates the need for painful insulin injections. More than three hundred and eighty-seven million people worldwide have diabetes. It is safe to say that this invention is nothing short of revolutionary.
Hearing Aids
Older hearing aids may have done the job but were very bulky. They could only perform basic feats like increasing overall sounds or boosting treble and bass. Nowadays, digital hearing aids can do much more. These modern hearing aids shape the incoming sounds to fit your ear and hearing loss more precisely. These hearing aids can even filter out background noise in order for you to distinguish sounds better. Digital hearing aids nowadays are so much smaller; one can barely notice them, which adds to the discreteness people who struggle with hearing loss are looking for. Hearing aids like the ones mentioned above help people who are dealing with hearing loss tremendously. Since hearing is one of our primary senses, people who need to go through everyday life without it can sometimes find it hard to adapt.
AI-enabled Prosthetics to Help Cope with Disability
Prosthetics are not a new invention; people have been utilizing prosthetics for decades to have a more natural appearance and be able to function a bit more like they used to. But, where these prosthetics might have helped a bit, they didn’t come close to the real thing. But now, technology has once again swooped in and turned the entire world of prosthetics upside down with AI-enabled prosthetics. These prosthetics work with neurotransmitters that allow the wearer to control movement with brain signals, just as you would with a real limb.
Even though these devices are mind-boggling, odds are it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what technology can do for humanity. If scientists and engineers keep on pioneering and blazing the trail forward with innovative ideas and the help of technology, who knows where we’ll be within ten more years?