MedTech+Art

The advancements of medical technologies brought upon a huge impact on art. As Professor Vesna brought up, X-rays, MRI, and CT scans – common instruments in medicine – can be seen as a form of art. These tools have allowed us to noninvasively and painlessly visualize and understand what is inside the human body and how everything works. The fascination with X-rays can be found in several artistic expressions, such as the photography of Nick Veasey. In his X-ray photographs, he highlights the inner beauty of humans and of objects that are often overlooked. 

The image above is of passengers sitting on a bus. It shows that everyone functions the same way inside and it’s not the person’s outer image that makes them who they are. 

Many artists have also transformed MRI scans into works of arts. These detailed black and white images that assist physicians in detecting tumors and infections an now be colorized to enhance the information the images provide. For example, one can have a normal cell in blue and a cancer cell in red, and then one can track the cells to see how they behave. 

This image shows the front view of a two-day old zebrafish heart. The green cells represent heart muscle cells, while the red and blue represents the components that make up the muscle.

What interested me the most in this week’s lecture was Professor Warwick and how he surgically implanted a microchip in his own arm. It was amazing to learn that his little silicon chip allowed his movements to tracked throughout his building and thus automatically opened doorways, turned on lights, and other actions that required electrical signals. This is a huge advancement in the field of medicine as it can treat patients with nervous system damages, as well as a possibility to enhance human capabilities.

Works Cited

Kamarudin, Yohani. “Man and Machine Captured in Incredible X-Ray Art.” Tech Graffiti. N.p.,n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013 <http://www.techgraffiti.com/man-and-machine-as-seen-in-incredible-x-ray-art>

Reilly, Rachel. “From MRI scans to microphotography: The beautiful medical images that transform the beating heart into an award-winning work of art.” Mail Online. The Daily Mail, 26 July 2013. Web. 25 Oct 2013 <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2378893/From-MRI-scans-microphotography-Winning-images-British-Heart-Foundation-competition.html>

Steenhuysen, Julie. “Scientists discover way to color MRI scans” Reuters. Reuters, 18 Jun 2008. Web. 25 Oct 2013 <http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/06/18/us-mri-color-idUSN1844912020080618>

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine pt1-3.” YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2013

Warwick, Kevin. “TEDxWarwick – Kevin Warwick – Implants & Technology – The Future of Healthcare?” Youtube. YouTube, 22 Mar 2012. Web. 25 Oct 2013 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8HeFNJjuj0>

Witt, Sam. “Is human chip implant wave of the future?” CNN. CNN, 14 Jan 1999. Web. 25 Oct 2013 <http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9901/14/chipman.idg/>