Many people I talk to are not aware of this concept, but they should be because it is awesome. Quoting the Wikipedia article:

“The technological singularity is a hypothesized point in the future variously characterized by the technological creation of self-improving intelligence, unprecedentedly rapid technological progress, or some combination of the two.”

It’s a point in the future beyond which the prediction of events is difficult or impossible due to a fundamental shift in human society caused by “self-improving intelligence, unprecedentedly rapid technological progress, or some combination of the two”.

My favorite interpretation of this event is laid out in Ray Kurzwell’s The Singularity is Near. He proposes that technology, and particularly AI (artificial intelligence) will continue to improve exponentially to the point where it meets and then surpasses human capability somewhere around 2045. In his theory, we will slowly integrate with that technology along the way. It’s not that on January 1, 2045 suddenly sentient robots will appear, but rather that between now and then we will integrate more and more technology into our lives and our selves to the point that we merge into it.

It starts with relatively simple things, such as implanted RFID tags for identification, or implanted systems to monitor heart rate and breathing. Over time, these systems are improved and become more active than passive. The systems that previously just monitored your organs, now actively regulates and improves them.

Pacemakers and artificial hearts already do this. Dean Kamen (who developed the Segway) is working on this prosthetic arm:

There are robotic arms used for manufacturing which can identify and move 150 items per minute. The ones in the video below are not automated in the sense that they are not told where to move to, only to visually find and organize the items that come down the belt.

How about powered exoskeletons used to lift large amounts of weight with almost no effort.

But these systems need not be entirely artificial, there are also developments in organic “replacement parts”, such as arteries, hearts, bladders, and livers, built from your bodies own stem cells.

Of course the  military is interested in all of these developments too, however they had some issues with combat robots threatening friendlies, or actually killing them.

Obviously all of these things bring up ethical issues. Should we allow robots in combat? Should we allow cybernetic implants if they save our lives? What about implants used to improve our lives or improve our physical abilities? Should we allow biological alterations for the purposes of healing? What about biological alterations for the purposes of improving mental capacity or resistance to disease? Can we ensure equal access to this technology? Or will it just be the rich that are able to afford it?

Personally, I’m for anything that makes me stronger, faster, or smarter. Part of what makes us human is our capacity to change and improve ourselves mentally and socially. I don’t see why we should draw the line at cybernetic implants, we’ve been changing ourselves and our environments for as long as we’ve existed, why stop now.

Plus there is no way you can argue against the cuteness of this dancing robot. If they could only find a way to implant this in me, I may actually develop a sense of rhythm.