Did you know? Capsule-sized circuits that can be swallowed are being developed to monitor the level of fat in obese people and to make them feel satiated. Also being developed is a chip that, like tattoo ink, can be injected under the skin in a finger, for example, to unlock something just by pointing. Progress is also being made to link the human brain directly to a computer. That would allow a number of actions, including surfing the internet just with the power of thoughts.

Have you heard of “smart dust”? According to Oxford Dictionaries, it’s “A collection of microelectromechanical systems forming a simple computer in a container light enough to remain suspended in air, used mainly for information gathering in environments that are hostile to life.” Now that you know what it is, what about it? Scientists are working to make smart dust act within the human body, for instance to attack early cancer cells or relieve the pain of a wound.

Another innovation involves plastics and human cells to make tissues. Theoretically, it’s possible to make skin, bone or any human organ. Already, skin is being made for people with burns, and corneas and livers are in the trail stage. Before long, it is predicted that it will be possible to engineer all tissues.