Will the Integration of Robotics and People Create More Social Inequality? From: Product Design & Development - 11/06/2015 By: Amal Graafstra I am a cyborg. Many people are afraid of what that means - to me, to them, and to humanity in general. In 2005, I implanted two RFID transponders, one into each hand. They are similar to the implants dogs and cats get at the vet office, only mine were different in two simple ways. First, the chips I used were not animal chips, they had different capabilities. Second, they were implanted into a human being, not a pet or animal. For some reason, these two minor differences caused quite an uproar back then. On a very practical level, all technology enhances us as humans. [All technology is assistive technology - DJ] You wear shoes so you can walk or run for long periods without hurting your feet. You drive a car so you can travel huge distances without even thinking twice. You pick up a smartphone and suddenly you have the power of the entire world's communications networks and data repositories at your thumb-tips. You are a God among mere mortals, and some people believe that's a problem - that a coming "technology gap" will divide humanity in more fundamental ways than simply who does or doesn’t have a smartphone. Now consider a future where most of humanity has been upgraded - the new “normal” is a human with several augmentations that are considered just as essential to living a normal life in their society as electricity and telephones are to us today. Social programs, insurance companies, charities, and other types of social safety nets will still be there to offer these augmentations to people without them, and at a greatly reduced price - or maybe even free. Read the entire article at: http://www.pddnet.com/blog/2015/11/will-integration-robotics-people-create-more-social-inequality