NEWS FROM THE FUTURE: ‘Dancing’ back to the cockpit

Dateline: August 28 2033

Alberto Rialto burst onto the Formula Three racing scene in 2024, winning his inaugural season at the age of 16, dethroning Lando Norris as the youngest ever European Championship winner. He quickly moved into Formula One and was the breakout driver to be watched, until disaster struck in June 2031. In the fading light as practice was drawing to a close, 23-year-old Rialto mistimed a corner and sent his Red Bull Powertrains IV into the barrier. Rialto suffered catastrophic damage to his spinal cord at the L4 joint and would never race again.

Or so we thought. Flash forward two years, Rialto is up and about, building strength and co-ordination and training hard to get back into the cockpit of an Formula One racer. Six months after his accident, with his physical therapy stalling, Rialto began looking for experimental treatments, and his case file landed on the desk of Samuel Stupp, a supramolecular researcher at Northwestern Universityin Illinois. In 2021 Stupp wowed the medical fraternity when he used “dancing” molecules to repair spinal cord injuries in mice. Since then Stupp’s focus has been on progressing this research through Food and Drug Administration clinical trials and approvals.

Now in its final phases of clinical testing, Stupp’s research has had incredible success. The secret behind that success is in tuning the motion of the molecules, so that they find and properly engage with constantly moving cellular receptors. The liquid is injected into the injured area and the complex network of nanofibres immediately begin to mimic the extracellular matrix of the spinal cord, matching its structure. Through this process, the synthetic materials communicate with cells, prompting regeneration of damaged axons, diminishing scar tissue, reforming myelin, and forming new blood vessels to deliver nutrients to the injured area.

Just 18 months after his first treatment, Rialto is making steady progress in his dream to once again race as a Formula One driver.

The success of Stupp’s research will affect millions, with an estimated one in 50 people worldwide living with paralysis, and anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000 new spinal cord injuries every year. This technology could significantly reduce the lifetime cost of treatment, reduce mortality rates associated with such injuries, and improve the quality of life for millions of people globally.

• First published on Mindbullets September 1 2022

Wait a sec, I’ve only got three hands

Third arms are a blessing and a curse

Dateline: September 1 2023

Since scientists and doctors collaborated almost a decade ago to fit amputees with robotic arms controlled by their brains, bionic limbs have come a long way. Now it’s possible to strap on a wearable robotic appendage, even if both your arms are fully functional.

Connected wirelessly to your brain by a “thinking cap”, you can move your third arm and manipulate your extra limb by thought alone. With practice, you become quite dexterous. What’s really interesting is that you can operate all three hands independently, at the same time! It’s a bit like typing on a phone while walking; simple multitasking, as long as you look where you’re going.

This skill is opening up new avenues for sport and recreation; three-handed jugglers are so adept, it’s astonishing. A special category of contest has been invented for three-armed martial arts (TAMMA), and three-handed racquet ball needs to be seen to be appreciated.

It’s also great to have a third hand to hold your mic if you’re a stand-up comic, or a speaker who likes to use his hands a lot. Domestic chores are so much easier too; think unpacking groceries or cooking, for example.

And that’s where the curse comes in. Even if your job doesn’t involve much manual labour, your boss will expect you to work much faster than before. Augmented people must be more productive. It’s no good complaining: “I’ve only got three hands!”

• First published on Mindbullets 24 August 2017

• Despite appearances to the contrary, Futureworld cannot and does not predict the future. The Mindbullets scenarios are fictitious and designed purely to explore possible futures, and challenge and stimulate strategic thinking.