The Cyborg Market, Medical is the First Step

[Arthur Hanson]

The next step from wearables is to become cyborgs, not out of medical necessity like many devices (pace makers, implantable hearing devices, etc.) that are already being implanted, but out of choice. This is the next step we will be seeing shortly. Medical will be the first step in this direction, if we can make the deaf hear and repair vision now, it will just be a matter of time before people want and get enhanced senses and other attributes that will become new frontiers for the semi/mems market. This is why tech companies will want to build the organizations and IP that will enable them to make science fiction, science fact. Only a fool would believe the first steps in this direction haven't already been taken. Any company involved with medical has creative people and to not think some have not given this serious thought would be naïve. Any company involved with medical would be wasting resources not to incorporate this thinking into the very DNA of the organizational structure. This future will belong to the foundry model which will either internal or external foundries. The foundry model is the superior model for the foundry has to effectively give state of the are technology in an economic manner or perish under the weight of those that do. The medical/cyborg market will only get larger and with robotics become the dominant market for the semi/mems industry since they will share much of the same technology.

If you don't think people want to augment themselves, just look at the plastic surgery market, gym memberships, exercise equipment, diets, health food, cosmetics, Rogaine, hearing aids, glasses (sun and regular). In short, people will pay up seriously to augment themselves and the augmentation capability of the combination of processing power, mems, semis, software and other devices is only limited by the imagination and money.

Any comments, thoughts or ideas are welcome and solicited.