In the last couple of years I've become bored with many of the TED talks but the *quality of this one is what TED is all about. Some amazing technology that is way overdue.

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by nanrod.

*promote science making peoples lives better

While I'm at it, some people love to doom say about loss of humanity etc as we increasingly integrate technology into our lives and ultimately bodies. Personally, I can't wait for it. I'll be the guy lining up for an arm that let's me punch through walls

Promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued Monday, April 28th, 2014 5:27pm PDT - promote requested by ChaosEngine.

The age of Deus Ex is nigh

I'm not worried about a loss of humanity or w/e - Are amputees somehow less human because they use a prosthesis? I don't think so.

I'd be more worried about a divide forming between those that can afford to enhance themselves, be it through implants or some sort of genetic modification, and those can't. One would hope that this technology would improve the lives of all humanity and not create a society with a rigid hierarchy with almost no social mobility.

That is a valid concern, and it's very difficult to address.

Certainly, bionics for injury victims should be made available through your health system. I'd agree with the speaker here when he says that is a human right.

But voluntary augmentation is a much harder sell. On one hand, the situation you describe (where we have an augmented "caste" and a baseline caste) is certainly undesirable. But equally, it's not really practicable to fund everyone for every augmentation they want.

Tricky question.

Although as Yahtzee says "if there's a conflict between people who have ocean liner pistons for forearms and people who insist that everyone be as shit as they, I know which side I'm on!"