1 / 10

Is Sammy Alive?

Is Sammy Alive?. 1. Is Sammy Alive?. Sammy was a normal healthy boy. There was nothing to indicate that he was anything different from anyone else. When he completed high school, he obtained a job in a factory, operating a machine press. On this job he had an accident and lost his hand.

nuncio
Download Presentation

Is Sammy Alive?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Is Sammy Alive?

  2. 1. Is Sammy Alive? • Sammy was a normal healthy boy. • There was nothing to indicate that he was anything different from anyone else. • When he completed high school, he obtained a job in a factory, operating a machine press. On this job he had an accident and lost his hand. • It was replaced with an artificial hand that looked and operated almost like a real one.

  3. 2. Is Sammy Alive? • Soon afterward, Sammy developed a severe intestinal difficulty, and a portion of his large intestine had to be removed. • It was replaced with a plastic colostomy bag.

  4. 3. Is Sammy Alive? • Everything looked good for Sammy until he was involved in a serious car accident. • Both of his legs and his good arm were crushed and had to be amputated. He also lost an ear. • Prosthetic legs enabled Sammy to walk again, and an artificial arm replaced the real arm. Doctors were able to replace the ear with a life-like silicon version.

  5. 4. Is Sammy Alive? • Over the next several years, Sammy was plagued with internal disorders. First he had to have an operation to remove his aorta and replace it with a synthetic vessel. • Next, he developed a kidney malfunction, and the only way he could survive was to use a kidney dialysis machine (no donor was found for a kidney transplant). • Later, his digestive system became cancerous and was removed. He received nourishment intravenously. • Finally, his heart failed. Luckily for Sammy, a donor heart was available and he had a heart transplant.

  6. 5. Is Sammy Alive? • It was now obvious that Sammy had become a medical phenomenon. He had artificial limbs, nourishment was supplied to him through his veins; therefore, he had no solid wastes. The kidney dialysis machine removed all waste material. The heart that pumped his blood to carry oxygen and food to his cells was not his original heart. • But Sammy's transplanted heart began to fail. • He was immediately placed on a heart-lung machine. This supplied oxygen and removed carbon dioxide from his blood and circulated blood though his body.

  7. 6. Is Sammy Alive? • The doctors consulted bioengineers about Sammy. Because almost all of his life-sustaining functions were being carried on by machine, it might be possible to compress all of these machines into one mobile unit, which would be controlled by electrical impulses from Sammy's brain. • This unit would be equipped with mechanical arms to enable him to perform manipulative tasks. A mechanism to create a flow of air over his vocal cords might enable him to speak. • To do all this, they would have to amputate at the neck and attach his head to the machine, which would then supply all nutrients to his brain. • Sammy consented, and the operation was successfully performed.

  8. If Sammy is not alive at this story's end, exactly when did Sammy stop being alive? Explain your answer! • Sammy functioned well for a few years. However, a slow deterioration of his brain cells was observed and was diagnosed as terminal. • So, the medical team that had developed around Sammy began to program his brain. A miniature computer was developed that could be housed in a machine that was human-like in appearance, movement, and mannerisms. • As the computer was installed, Sammy's brain cells completely deteriorated. Sammy was once again able to leave the hospital with complete assurance that he would not return with biological illness. • The End.

  9. He now prefers to be called “Jules” (short for Julian—his middle name) Meet the real Sammy...

  10. References • Original Lesson adapted from Evelyn Laster (thank you!) • Slide 2: Prosthetic hand http://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/12/21/the-worlds-most-advanced-bionic-hand/ • Slide 3: Large Intestine replacement www.nytimes.com/.../19220Largeintestine.html http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/73577/Pictures%20Library/Forms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=%2F73577%2FPictures%20Library%2FCancer&View=%7B74172C8D-D3A0-444E-A7CF-548A2DE6D4DF%7D • Slide 4: Prosthetic legs, arm, ear http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/04/new_hightech_prosthetic_legs_g.html news.cnet.com/2300-11393_3-6179966-1.html www.addenbrookes.org.uk/.../surg/maxfaclab1.html • Slide 5: Aorta, dialysis, heart transplant http://www.massgeneral.org/vascularcenter/services/procedure.aspx?id=2170 www.ahs.health.wa.gov.au/services_renal.htm http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default_printer_friend.asp?page=10446 http://cmbi.bjmu.edu.cn/news/0201/10.htm • Slide 6: Heart-Lung Machine http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/H/heart_surgery.html • Slide 7: Body machine http://www.nydailynews.com/news/galleries/welcome_to_the_machines_meet_the_latest_generation_of_robots/welcome_to_the_machines_meet_the_latest_generation_of_robots.html • Slide 8: Android Sammy video http://www.maniacworld.com/Humanoid-Robot.html

More Related