The Singularity Is Coming

And sports will be the stage for its entrance. Great ESPN article on how prosthetics and physical enhancements will, and already are changing the face of sports.

South African sprinter, Oscar Pistorius was banned from the Olympics because tests found his prosthetic limbs (called Cheetah Flex-Foot legs) are too effective. They're actually more efficient than human legs, and since running on these prosthetics requires less oxygen than regular legs, it provides him with an unfair advantage. I guess I didn't see this coming in my lifetime - amputee athletes banned from sports because they're too good.

The debate about how to handle the evolving bionic abilities of athletes is pretty mind-blowing and will be hard to regulate going forward as advances in biological enhancements continue to explode. It seems for pro sports, they will likely need to create a standard for strength, speed, flexibility, etc and adjust the prosthetics accordingly ensuring a level playing field.

As I watch him run, it reminds me a bit of what it's like to swim with flippers on. You work equally hard, but you go twice as fast. Not sure where I come down on this one yet, hard not to root for this guy...