A Human's Guide to the Future

by Jordan Nguyen

Overview

Technology is evolving at the fastest rate we've ever seen.But what does this mean for the future of the human race? Do we resist these changes or embrace them? Biomedical engineer, inventor and visionary Dr Jordan Nguyen has lived a life of curiosity and wonder. He believes that technology is a tool, and only we - as humans - have the power to use this tool to create a positive tomorrow.In A Human's Guide to the Future, Dr Jordan takes us on a journey to explore the exciting innovations being developed around the world and through his own endeavours, including inspiring advancements in:- Robotics- Artificial Intelligence- Bionics and Biomedical Technology- Extended Reality - Virtual, Mixed, and Augmented Reality- Cloud Computing and AvatarsOpen your mind to endless possibilities because your future is in your hands!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781760780029
Publisher:	Pan Macmillan Australia
Publication date:	02/01/2021
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.06(w) x 9.17(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Dr Jordan Nguyen is a biomedical engineer, inventor, TV documentary creator and presenter, and founder CEO of Psykinetic - an innovative social business that harnesses cutting-edge advancements including biomedical, robotics, cloud, and AI, to create life-changing technologies aimed at improving quality of life for people with disability and the elderly. He has also featured at TEDx, spoken for hundreds of thousands of audience members across countless domestic and international events, and is an award-winning creator and presenter of several documentaries including 'Becoming Superhuman' and 'Meet the Avatars' for ABC's Catalyst and 'Smart China' for the Discovery Channel. A Human's Guide to the Future is Dr Jordan's first book.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Life May Be Closer to Fantasy Than We Think 1

Part I Befriend a Robot

1 A Robot was one of my first friends: A Lifelong Fascination Begins 15

2 The four laws of Robotics: What Was Asimov on About Anyway? 28

3 A spark of inspiration: My Life-Changing Close Shave 55

4 Anthropomorphism: A Big Word for an Everyday Human Habit 66

5 But will we have coffee together? Can Robots Ever Really Be Our Friends? 84

Part II Imagine Artificial Intelligence

6 Rise and fall: The Rollercoaster of AI Advancements 95

7 If AI is a Monkey, Big data is a cupcake: From Digit Recognition to Human-Level Intuition 111

8 Does AI Now Want your job? It Found Your Cat in a Photo so Now It's Time to Adapt 123

9 To humanity or not to humanity? That Is the Question 131

Part III Become Cyborg and Bionic

10 We run on batteries and electricity: Our Extraordinary Human Body and Brain 151

11 Built by nature: Applying Natural Biology to Human Technology 159

12 Is technological telekinesis really possible? I Wanted to Build a Mind-Controlled Wheelchair 173

13 Hacking our senses: Seeing Is No Longer Believing 185

14 Immortal Jellyfish and the Bionic Revolution: Bionics Without Metal, Gears or Electronics 197

15 Becoming superhuman: How Riley Drove a Car With His Eyes 204

Part IV Envisage extended Realities

16 Like parallel dimensions: Virtuality and Reality Are Intertwining 221

17 Creating the portal: Making the Unreal Real 229

18 Virtually facing your fears: VR in Phobia Therapy 239

19 Building our virtual worlds: Life-Improving Possibilities of Extended Reality 250

20 So pack your virtual bags for the matrix? Choosing the Virtual World Over Real Life 262

Part V Dream of Humans in the Cloud

21 The dream and the great convergence: Can We Preserve the Memory of Loved Ones? 273

22 The legacy of you: Creating Virtual Jordan 284

23 The uncanny valley: Yes, Virtual You May Be Even Creepier Than the Real You 300

24 Humans in the cloud: Making Interactive Avatars of Real People 309

Conclusion: Our Lucky Speck of Stardust and Moment in Time 321

Acknowledgements 328

Index 331