For the latest instalment in our series on the augmented human, we enter the era of the exoskeleton. A group of mountain rescuers in Seattle is already experimenting with the use of devices worn outside the body to strengthen hips and legs on punishing expeditions. Some Ikea workers wear backpack-like devices to bolster their lifting capacity during heavy warehouse work. So, could the average commuter soon be bounding up escalators with the help of battery powered knees?
Ideas for this technology actually stretch back as far as 1890. Guided by healthcare engineer Ildar Farkhatdinov, we’re looking at the next leap forward.
The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone national park in the US in 1995 is one of the world’s most celebrated rewilding projects. The absence of predators since the 1920s had meant local elk and other species were overgrazing and destroying the landscape. Once re-established as the apex predator, wolves “managed” the elk in their own special way and the fauna thrived again. Or so the story goes. But if this all sounds a bit too neat, it’s because it probably was. The question for sustainability expert Rogelio Luque-Lora is why it was so important for us to believe in this story.
In his speech to Labour conference this week, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a bold ambition to set up a national care service akin to the NHS. If he succeeds, he’ll finally address a problem that has confounded every national leader for decades. We have looked at how other nations fund social care in the hope of finding inspiration. The evidence suggests Burnham should be looking to Sweden and Norway for ideas.
Also this week, what it’s like to see Renoir in love, why The Traitors is harder for celebrities – and how Etruscan painted tombs turn out to be extremely early examples of immersive art experiences.
