Why is Google making human skin?

Google X’s previous work has included research for example into glucose-measuring contact lenses for patients with diabetes and a spoon to counteract the tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease. Other projects and innovations from the Google X labs are Google Glass, self-driving cars, delivery drones and the well known internet balloons in the stratosphere to deliver internet access to everybody.

But why on earth is Google developing human skin? Google claims to do this because of a project to create the ultimate wearable which is able to detect diseases in a very early stage. A wristband that can detect for example cancer, impending heart attacks or other diseases.To test the new wearables the scientist had to create arm which are realistic enough. So that’s the reason why Google is also developing human skin. Dr Andrew Conrad from Google X said the system, which is still in the early stages of it’s development, will be able to detect cancer cells when they first appear by using nano particles that search the body for diseases. 

The research is preparing for a world where we talk about predictive technologies. Or in other words a pre time world.  A world where technology knows things much sooner then we know it ourselves. When we use these future technologies for healthcare we see a world where theoretically a diagnose is allowed long before any physical symptoms have appeared. This could enable intervention much sooner which can result in a lower fatality rate.

The future of healthcare is in prediction. It is in a healthcare system where technology is used to analyse humans much sooner and better. The future of healthcare is a shift from people serving structures and listening to ego of doctors to a world where we have equal access to medical information and we ourselves become in control of our data and medical procedures. The biggest shift we are now seeing is within healthcare.