week 4: medicine + technology + art

    After learning about these incredible and intriguing projects surrounding medicine and technology, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the scandal that occurred following the exposure of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. I learned about this by watching the Hulu docu-series titled The Dropout. The series stars Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes and Naveen Andrews as Sunny Balwani. Theranos was once a company that aimed to transform blood-testing using technology that only required a small amount of blood to test for multiple health-concerns (Tun 2022). However, this company was revealed to be a fraud; the technology did not exist, despite countless investment and labor towards the product.    

“The Dropout | Trailer | Hulu.” YouTube, YouTube, 7 Feb. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7rlZLw9m10.

    Though Theranos was exposed as a fraud, there are countless other examples in which medicine and technology have created some revolutionizing tools. Matter of fact, the imbrication of medicine and technology has allowed for the advancement of healthcare–contributing to an array of methods and approaches in combating contemporary issues. For example, the creation of microbots have allowed for doctors to target specific areas of the body in need of drugs, or any area that may require treatment (Jeffrey 2015). Microbots are extremely small; they are about 800 micrometers (Jeffrey 2015). Microbots operate and move through the bloodstream of the body using propulsion (Jeffrey 2015). This non-invasive proceduce makes areas of the body that were previously inaccessible available for remedy. 

“Swimming Robotic Micro-Scallop.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 June 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ05z6ebKDQ.

    Moreover, with the rise of 3-D printing, researchers have created ways to print skin grafts that mimic the ways in which our skin naturally works (Wells 2019). The process of this involves the development of two types of human skin cells, and effectively using them as “‘bio-inks,’ and [printing] them into a skin-like structure” (Wells 2019). This, along with the additional integration of critical biological components, allows for the graft to sustain itself (Wells 2019). This technology is especially revolutionary in its possible uses for many individuals that have experienced trauma to the skin, such as burn victims. 

“3D Printing Skin: The Most Promising Projects.” All3DP, 19 Sept. 2022, https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printing-skin-the-most-promising-projects/.

    Additionally, there are even everyday apps that are geared to addressing and recording both mental and physical health. For example, the iPhone contains a health app that monitors one’s average steps, sleep, menstrual cycle, and more (Apple). This app, like many others, allows for one’s medical history to be easily accessible and digestable. It centers the user, acting as an aid in monitoring and ensuring their health. 

AppleInsider. “Apple Health: Heart Rate, Medications, Sleep.” AppleInsider, AppleInsider, 26 July 2022, https://appleinsider.com/inside/apple-health.

    All in all, technology has transformed previous boundaries of medicine–creating new realms of support and procedure. 


Works Cited 

“Ios - Health.” Apple, https://www.apple.com/ios/health/.

Jeffrey, Colin. “Scallop Microbots Designed to Swim through Your Bodily Fluids.” New Atlas, 2 May 2015, https://newatlas.com/scallop-microbots-swim-body-max-planck/34589/.

“The Dropout.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 3 Mar. 2022, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10166622/.

Tun, Zaw Thiha. “A Timeline of Theranos's Troubles.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 18 July 2022, https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/020116/theranos-fallen-unicorn.asp.

Wells, Torie. “Living Skin Can Now Be 3D-Printed with Blood Vessels Included.” Living Skin Can Now Be 3D-Printed With Blood Vessels Included | News & Events, 9 November 2019 https://news.rpi.edu/content/2019/11/01/living-skin-can-now-be-3d-printed-blood-vessels-included.


Media Citations


“3D Printing Skin: The Most Promising Projects.” All3DP, 19 Sept. 2022, https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printing-skin-the-most-promising-projects/.


AppleInsider. “Apple Health: Heart Rate, Medications, Sleep.” AppleInsider, AppleInsider, 26 July 2022, https://appleinsider.com/inside/apple-health.


“Swimming Robotic Micro-Scallop.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 June 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ05z6ebKDQ.


“The Dropout | Trailer | Hulu.” YouTube, YouTube, 7 Feb. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7rlZLw9m10.



Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 30, 2023 at 1:30 AM

    I enjoyed learning about the fascinating projects at the intersection of medicine and technology. It's impressive to see how advancements like microbots, 3-D printed skin grafts, and health monitoring apps are transforming healthcare and expanding possibilities. Your blog effectively highlights the positive impact of these innovations while acknowledging the challenges faced by certain companies in the past. It's exciting to witness the ongoing revolution in medicine brought about by technology.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KimmiHanceDESMA9April 30, 2023 at 9:55 PM

    Hey Kylie,
    I really enjoyed learning about these revolutionary innovations in medicine you talking about in your blog. It is so crazy to think about how far we have come with technology in medicine. To think that a micro-bot can perform procedures that even doctors cant is truly amazing! When you mentioned 3-d printing being used in medicine, it was fascinating to me because I couldn't even imagine that technology being used in that way. Really interesting blog!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

week 7: neuroscience & art

Image
    Learning about the convergence of the mind and art was enthralling. Professor Vesna’s lectures surrounding the unconscious mind and dreaming as well as the role of cocaine and LSD especially piqued my interest. In fact, I couldn't help but fixate on Professor Vesna’s question: is mind control inevitable?      The theme of the mind–specifically, mind control–manifests itself in various art mediums. However, the theme is especially prominent in cinema and television. Movies like Inception (2010), Lucy (2014), Requiem for a Dream (2000) and many more explore the complex threadings of consciousness–highlighting the seemingly unexisting limitations of the human mind. “Inception.” IMDb, 16 July 2010, www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/.      Though the notion of mind-control seems unfathomable, it is actually already in the works. In fact, with the progression of technology, scientists are able to use machines to access and analyze the patterns of one’s brain activity in an effort to gain
Read more

week 1: two cultures

Image
  The notion of Two Cultures has been especially prominent throughout my time in education. I have always loved writing and I have always loved science; however, these practices have consistently been connoted as opposites. Because of this, I have always felt a tug-of-war between choosing the arts and choosing the sciences. This has led me to Anthropology, for its four disciples act as bridges between the two. Nonetheless, sometimes I still feel as though it is impossible to connect the two worlds considering the ways in which curriculums here always seem to favor one or the other–which, more often than not, happens to be the sciences. Consequently, I feel as though I have been forced to sideline my pursuit in art.  Image depicting split brain, dividing Science and Art (Beadle 2020) .  That being said, I enjoyed learning about C.P. Snow’s work regarding the notion of Two Cultures. This notion is based on the polarity between the arts and sciences—which is manifested in the overarchi
Read more