The average American will have 9.2 surgeries over their lifetime, so any technological innovation that can aid surgeons can be the difference between life and death.  There are substantial risks of any surgery so ways to improve safety and successful outcomes would have a major impact on public health. 3D Printing allows surgeons to create medical models so that they are able to precisely and accurately plan the steps of their surgery for each specific patient rather than relying only on unclear 2D X-rays, ultrasound, CT, or MRI.  Being able to do this allows the surgeon to practice complex surgeries in advance to decrease the number of surprises that could occur, decreases potential error, and reduces the time and costs.

Stratasys PolyJet-based 3D printing is able to use patient scans to create smooth parts with accuracy to .1 mm in full color helpful in various surgical procedures.  There are so many benefits to using 3D physical models to increase preparedness and help save lives by avoiding mistakes.  The capabilities of using 3D patient specific anatomical models could even allow surgeons to operate on cases they would have previously deemed inoperable.  One example of this can be seen through a patient named Anthony, who had 5 tumors on each of his Kidneys.  Anthony’s first surgery lead to a very painful and difficult recovery, but for his second he decided to have robotic surgery that was practiced multiple times using a 3D model of his Kidney.  Being able to rehearse this surgery allowed surgeons to determine which tumors to remove first before cutting of the blood supply to minimize blood loss.  The surgery went perfectly and the patient was able to walk after just one week when after his first surgery it took him over a month to walk again.

Being able to have a physical model to go practice with can help surgeons to find ways to get around the major risks of operating and reduce complications.  The potential affects that the use of this can have on the medical world are incredible for both improving patient recovery and decreasing money spent by hospitals.  It will be interesting to see what other seemingly impossible operations will be able to be done through the use of this.

Sources: https://www.manufacturingtomorrow.com/article/2018/03/3d-printing-for-surgical-procedures/11119/

Concert going is known by many as a fun experience shared between friends and family listening and singing along to their favorite bands or artists live show.  However, this is not the case for deaf people who until recently have been unable to experience the excitement of enjoying a live show with friends and family.  Now thanks to the collaboration of Avnet and Not Impossible Labs, the deaf community can experience concerts and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Avnet and Not Impossible Labs have been collaborating to create wearable Vibrotextile technology including a light weight vest with wrist and ankle bands.  This technology creates musical vibrations on the skin to create an inclusive and enhanced live concert experience for both deaf and hearing people.  This technology is so incredible as it allows the deaf community to experience something they never have before.  For example, the vest was tested for the first time at a Last Vegas concert where both deaf and hearing people wore the technology and enjoyed the concert together.  The innovation of these two companies can only grow from here as they work together to extend Vibrotextile Technology to therapy, safety, and communication.  The collaboration of these two companies goes to show what amazing things can be achieved through working together and sharing technology.

https://tucson.com/business/avnet-and-not-impossible-labs-enable-the-deaf-to-experience/article_14d00db7-4a96-573c-9590-07c60bdb62ea.html

Imagine a world where you could easily commute over 400 miles to work each day in 30 minutes, travel from New York to Florida in just a few hours, or commute from Philadelphia to Penn State for class in just 15 minutes all while never having to sit in traffic.  This will all be made possible with the new Hyperloop hopefully to be ready for use in the next 5 years.  The Hyperloop is a highspeed, tube based transportation system that will change the face of ground transportation.  Many different companies are competing to be the first to complete this innovation and put it into use with one of the most prominent being backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk.

The creation of the Hyperloop would be allow for public transportation that is “faster than trains, cheaper than cars, and cleaner than planes.”  Putting this into use throughout the whole country would greatly lessen pollution.  Creating a way for people to get places more quickly would also lessen crowding in city centers and encourage people to spread out more despite being further from work.  While there are many benefits to the Hyperloop if it is able to reach completion, there are a lot of concerns about it.  When traveling at such high speeds safety is always a concern especially when considering what would happen if the technology malfunctioned and the pod crashed.  Another concern is that it will only be available to the upper class and not be useful to all of society.  Only time will tell how successful this innovation will be and how it will change the way society functions.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/04/08/elon-musk-plans-hyperloop-high-speed-acceleration-and-braking-test/497163002/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-30/uber-clampdown-in-spain-hurts-refuge-for-long-term-unemployed

Uber, Lyft, and other car-hailing apps have been growing tremendously since their start in 2009 threatening to wipe out the need for their main competitor- taxi companies.  The Socialist government of Spain has historically tried to help “middle-aged workers out of work for a long time”.  However, the government seems to be doing the complete opposite when it comes to dealing with the dispute between taxi companies and hailing-apps by instituting rules and regulations that are taking away jobs.

Government officials have been trying to ease tensions between hailing-app drivers and taxi drivers by creating operating rules that put them on the same playing field in metropolitan areas.  The main issue here is that taxi companies feel threatened by the growth of individual drivers using these apps.  However, the government giving into the demands made by taxi companies is in return hurting individual drivers who are struggling to reenter the workforce.

Car hailing-apps provide a “unique” and crucial opportunity for long-term unemployed people to make a living.  However, both services provide jobs and a livelihood to people in the lower class.  There is a huge issue to be faced with this new innovation due to the fact that putting regulations on them causes unemployment for individual drivers, while not doing anything could put taxi companies out of business.  Only time will tell if both types of transportation services can survive in harmony with one another.