The Power Of Human Augmentation

The Power of Human Augmentation

Have you ever felt too exhausted to function or complete even the simplest task at work? Have you overlooked some critical errands simply because you were too exhausted to think clearly? If you answered yes, you have encountered work fatigue.

Fatigue, according to the Campbell Institute, is defined as "feelings of tiredness, sleepiness, decreased energy, and increased effort required to perform tasks at a desired level." Fatigue impairs our ability to concentrate, motivate, and be productive. Additionally, it impairs judgment and resistance to stressful situations.

However, workplace fatigue can have far more serious consequences than occasional yawns or even a quick nap on the desk. It can jeopardize employees' health, and even their lives.

Employees with impaired concentration and decision-making abilities are more likely to make stupid errors. Additionally, even a brief lapse in judgment can result in serious accidents. Not least because many of the exhausted employees work in industries that require high levels of safety, such as transportation, construction, manufacturing, and utilities.

Scientists, on the other hand, are working around the clock to develop solutions for employee fatigue. Human augmentation is one of the ground-breaking ideas for overcoming our limitations.

Is Human Augmentation the Future?

Human augmentation is frequently cited as one of the most exciting technological trends for the year 2020. It garnered media attention for its potential revolutionary influence as well as its contentious nature.

However, what is human augmentation exactly? According to Gartner, the field of human augmentation (occasionally referred to as "Human 2.0") is concerned with the integration of cognitive and physical enhancements into the human body.

Human augmentation technology encompasses a diverse range of solutions. They are designed to increase productivity and act as a supplement to human capabilities. Additionally, it can relieve people of exhausting and physically strenuous activities, or at the very least make them more manageable. This technology can assist with human limitations and alleviate people's physical and mental burdens, thereby reducing fatigue and ensuring safety.

Human augmentation is frequently portrayed as a futuristic technology, which raises many eyebrows. However, the reality is that numerous forms of human enhancement already assist us at work and in our daily lives.

Microchips worn by employees at TUI's Swedish subsidiary are one example of human augmentation being used in everyday life. Microchips enable them to open doors and activate office devices seamlessly. While this may appear insignificant, it relieves them of the burden of thinking about mundane tasks and reduces the number of distractions.

Life Application of Human Augmentation

Human enhancement technology is classified into three categories: replicating, supplementing, and exceeding human capability.

• Replicating Human Ability: This type of human augmentation refers to technology that duplicates the capabilities of an average person. It replicates pre-existing functions and makes them available to someone who is unable to perform them independently. MotionSavvy is an example of this type of technology; it translates sign language into speech and vice versa, effectively acting as a translator, significantly improving the lives of deaf people and facilitating communication between employees.
• Supplementing Human Ability: It is the next stage of human enhancement. It enables us to perform activities that are already possible for humans but improves our performance: we become more productive, stronger, and more durable. The first example comes to mind: exoskeletons, which are currently being manufactured by Sarcos Robotics and enable people to lift up to 90 kg, perform precise operations, and repeat motions without strain. Another intriguing example is Microsoft's HoloLens 2, which are mixed reality glasses that enable users to view objects in holographic form.
• Exceeding Human Ability: As the name implies, this type of human augmentation provides solutions that go beyond human capabilities. They're the most exciting, but they're also the most elusive. That is why the majority of technologies that surpass human capability are still in development. One of the most intriguing, albeit conceptual, ideas from this area is a solution proposed by neuroscientist Theodore Berger: the synthetic memory chip. When implanted in the human brain, it may provide us with perfect memory.

Human Augmentation Can Support Your Employees

Until recently, human augmentation solutions appeared to be a far-fetched science fiction scenario. Not only are they being developed, but they are also being used on a daily basis.

Enhancing your employees' performance, productivity, and physical endurance through human augmentation is a significant improvement. Additionally, it can assist in combating our society's scourge: work fatigue.

Without a doubt, human augmentation will revolutionize our professional and personal lives.