Augmentation of Our Natural Abilities Using Technology - Case Study Example

? Paper Augmentation of our natural abilities using technology is the question we seek to answer in this experiment. Human beings have always wanted to do various things which sometimes are not possible due to our physical limitations, imposed by nature. Technology as we know it can enhance our physical abilities to possibilities we never believed possible. A good example of at technology that can greatly enhance human performance is the jumping stilt. This device is known by several names including powerizers, velocity stilts among many other names; however the most popular name is powebockers named after the inventor. Jumping stilts were invented and patented by a German aerospace engineer known as Alexander Boeck, who came up with the invention after studying the movement and structure of the kangaroo. The question that we seek to answer is whether jumping stilts are the ideal bionics that will enhance the historical wish of man to lift him from the ground, to some it can be said to be a craze but the possibilities that this bionic holds, is deemed to be phenomenon . It should be noted that stilts have been in existence in various human societies for a couple of centuries including African, Aboriginal and Chinese societies. The good thing is that using technology current generation can use jumping stilts in a way their ancestors never deemed possible. The feats that can be achieved using jumping stilts are taunted to be unimaginable in various aspects of human life. The device uses the concept of enhancing mans Achilles tendons by reducing friction at the knee joint and promoting balance on the feet. Jumping stilts open possibilities of what augmented human beings can be able to do including jumping and running. The many uses at the moment of jumping stilts are not limited to the following artistic expression, form of exercise which tones the whole body unlike conventional exercise routines and also is a sport to enthusiasts. The fields that will greatly benefit from stilts are athletics and exercise; this is because it takes training of performers to the next level. It is deemed to be the next big thing in the fitness industry because it provides full body workout once, something not possible with traditional exercise regimes. Robotics which is a craze in the science community will benefit from this device because they can enhance human legs to make them look like robotic animals. The phenomenal recognition of this wearable human enhancement has lead to increased recognition in the international arena such that it was used during the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic in China. Man is essentially using the feat which can be achieved by the fastest animals on the planet such as ostriches and kangaroos. The main obstacle facing its distribution is perception and also coming up with a common name. This laboratory report will work on the above considerations to prove the hypothesis and assumptions which are stated below. The adrenalin of putting the stilts on, and running or jumping with them is reported by users to be like no other, which enhances locomotion greatly. The hypothesis and assumptions will rely on the observations and experiment to persuade the scientific community that they are true. 1) Hypothesis. This is the main wearable enhancement that enables people to jump very high and run very fast, compared to when they do that on foot. Theses should however not be confused with the prosthetics worn by disabled people who participate in the Paralympics. The questions which we seek to answer is whether these bionic enhancement can enable man to get off the ground and be the fastest mammal on the earth and whether this would open possibilities for man in various fields which otherwise not be possible if we only used our natural limbs without augmentation. Already such possibilities are being tested to be used by the military, an aspect who knows which could change warfare. The ultimate aim is for this argument to be proved to be a theory by other experimenters. This is an assumption made from the observation made on this bionic extension. The hardest part will be to convince the scientific community on the viability of this claim. Whether the results of the experiment prove this to dubious or not will not mean that it is entirely true or false. The hypothesis will be; Jumping stilts can augment human abilities on the ground and in the air, but the viability will depend on research and safety levels. 2) Designing the experiment. The hypothesis will remain that, a claim unless it is proved otherwise using evidence. The main source of data to be analyzed will be secondary sources relevant to the study subject. This will include books and publications on the study area, experiments and statistics done before and internet sources including blogs by users, because this is sport and activity with young enthusiast. The materials used will be cited correctly to acknowledge the original copyright owners. Data will be collected from experienced researchers in order to prove the hypothesis right or wrong. The main aim of collecting data will be to test the hypothesis but not to force it to be a scientific theory. Primary collection of data using control groups and experimental groups will be difficult due to the fact that although the popularity of jumping stilts is on the rise, experiments are still ongoing and the users are scattered around the country in limited locations. 3) Data presentation for analysis. Data obtained from the review of secondary literature will have to be analyzed to come up with conclusions, in order to present the results. Due to the fact that this experiment will be carried out using secondary data, references from figures will be used. To enhance understanding photographs will be very essential for this experiment, to show the magnitude of this jumping stilts and how they will argument our natural abilities. Data will be presented for analysis using graphs and charts. From the data the hypothesis will be analyzed to show whether the above claims are true or false. It should be noted that the data may prove the hypothesis right when in the actual sense it is not. Information may be presented which may not be useful at the moment, but this will be used for future reference, for purposes for or other than this experiment. 4) Reproducibility. Scientific knowledge is not true and either is it false. This is very true to this experiment considering the fact that this is a new concept, which may hold numerous possibilities to us, or could just be passing excitement. Other claims, using evidence can come up to prove this assumption to be false or enhance this, which is welcome. All this will make this experiment relevant to the community. 5) New questions and possible new experiments. From the data collection and analysis we can be able to encounter new questions and evidence relevant to the research question. Relevant evidence will make the hypothesis irrelevant; therefore another assumption will be in order together with new models of experimentation. The aim of this experiment is not by all means to prove that jumping stilts enhance our natural locomotion abilities but rather to use evidence to show that it is true which inductive reasoning is all about. References 1. Ed Sobey and Wody Sobey. (2000).The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch a sketch, Boomerang and more. 2. Massimo, P. (2004).Nonsense of Stilts: How To Tell Science from Bunk. University Of Chicago Press. 3. Terry, O (2006).Cooperative Games and Sports: Joyful Activities for Everyone. Human Kinets. 4. Http//www.powerizers.com. 5. Hugh ,C.(2005)Encyclopedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Science, Literature and General Information, vol 4 Read More