[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":155},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-11-things-star-wars-could-learn-from-medical-technology-today":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":153,"relatedBooks":154},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":20,"template":26,"format":27,"meta":28,"categories":29,"tags":31,"project_category":38,"contact_email_category":39,"yst_prominent_words":40,"class_list":45,"better_featured_image":59,"acf":96,"yoast_meta":97,"_links":99},11749,"2017-01-19T10:00:05","2017-01-19T08:00:05",{"rendered":9},"http:\u002F\u002Fscienceroll.com\u002F?p=11749","2022-05-18T18:24:25","2022-05-18T16:24:25","11-things-star-wars-could-learn-from-medical-technology-today","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F11-things-star-wars-could-learn-from-medical-technology-today",{"rendered":17},"11 Things Star Wars Could Learn From Medical Technology Today",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2017. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>No one can doubt I’m an enthusiastic Star Wars fan. I have a LEGO-Millennium Falcon and the Death Star at home. However, as The Medical Futurist I cannot help but see what medical technologies the episodes featured. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The digital health innovations we have today are so amazing that they could even improve the futuristic Star Wars universe with lightsabers and ubiquitous space travel. I binge-watched all 7 episodes to find the 11 most interesting technologies we already possess, but Star Wars not. Here they are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"9f35\">1) Why is there no instant wound healing?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"a6fc\">The most obvious discovery was that laser guns are common weapons in Star Wars, but there is no instant wound healing, although we have it today. A sponge-filled syringe that was \u003Ca class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.gizmag.com\u002Fexpandable-xstat-sponge-syringe-fda\u002F40887\u002F\" rel=\"nofollow\">announced\u003C\u002Fa> in December, 2015, was designed to close up gaping gunshot wounds in seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"b5d2\">2) Where are the plastic surgeons?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"be53\">Between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker develops a scar over his right eye. When the scar appeared in Revenge of the Sith, there was no explanation as to how it got there. If he had access to a plastic surgeon, such skin problems could be resolved easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"14d9\">3) Why are the robots not using anesthesia?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"b70c\">Still in episode 3, when Anakin is burnt and loses his legs, robot surgeons work on him while he is in great pain. I kept on wondering why. They had no painkillers and anesthesia? No cold liquid therapy for the burnt tissue? Moreover, they put the mask on him while the skin was still not intact and susceptible to infections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002Fstar-wars_robot-surgeons.jpg\" alt=\"Star Wars - Robot Surgeons\" class=\"wp-image-14829\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002Fstar-wars_robot-surgeons.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002Fstar-wars_robot-surgeons-768x327.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002Fstar-wars_robot-surgeons-512x218.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002Fstar-wars_robot-surgeons-458x195.jpg 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"7ccd\">4) How come no one knows food scanners?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"674d\">In the opening scene of Episode 1, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi drink what the droid brings them without checking exactly what the drink contained. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-future-of-food-the-food-of-the-future\u002F\">Food scanners\u003C\u002Fa> such as \u003Ca class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\u002F\u002Ftellspec.com\u002F\">Tellspec\u003C\u002Fa> or SCiO have great potential, and will be put on the market in the next years. These tools will tell us what we have on our plates: how many grams of sugar a piece of fruit contains, or what the alcohol percentage of a drink is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"7fe6\">5) How come they did not use blood biomarkers?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"fc8a\">If midi-chlorians, the microorganisms that reside within all living cells and communicate with the Force, are in blood and can be measured with hand-held devices (as seen in Episode 1), why are there no clear blood biomarkers with which people could be screened to become Jedi apprentices easily?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"551e\">6) Where are the super-fast medical devices?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"79bb\">Anakin finds his mother by using a really fast vehicle, but when he gets there and his mother is dying, there’s no way to rush for medical help, or to use a hand-held diagnostic device to discover how to treat her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"9f63\">7) Did supercomputers disappear?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"b864\">In episode 4, Han Solo says it takes a few minutes to get the coordinates from the navicomputer for faster space travel. While there are robots with artificial intelligence and free will such as R2D2, and a robotic midwife in episode 3; there are no smart artificial intelligence systems on board of starships? I believe the artificial intelligence algorithm, \u003Ca class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.ibm.com\u002Fsmarterplanet\u002Fus\u002Fen\u002Fibmwatson\u002F\">IBM Watson\u003C\u002Fa> could easily navigate the Millennium Falcon thousands of times faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"adcd\">8) Do they not like smart clothes?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"89d2\">In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke almost freezes to death on the icy planet Hoth. They use state-of-the-art spaceships but they do not use \u003Ca class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.hexoskin.com\u002F\">smart clothes\u003C\u002Fa> to keep them warm and safe? I just assume they do not like them, because I cannot even believe they were not familiar with this innovation. \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.hexoskin.com\u002F\">HexoSkin\u003C\u002Fa> already developed a shirt with sensors woven into it that measure heart rate, breathing, number of steps, pace, and calories burned. The London-based \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.d3o.com\u002F\">D30\u003C\u002Fa> introduced a smart material last year. It provides terrific shock absorption and impact protection capabilities, which are naturally an ideal fit for basically every sport.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"f4d3\">9) Did a prosthetics start-up disrupt the galaxy?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"dbce\">The fact that Luke’s arm did not bleed when Darth Vader cut it off, no matter how the lightsaber could cauterize his skin and tissues, is one thing, but Luke’s robotic arm in episode 6 looks much more life-like than Anakin’s metal one in episode 2. I guess a prosthetics start-up could have disrupted the galaxy’s industry in the meantime. A few more years and \u003Ca class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.organovo.com\u002F\" rel=\"nofollow\">Organovo\u003C\u002Fa> could print out skin tissue with their 3D bioprinters in real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"54bd\">10) Do Stormtroopers have serious cloning issues?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"3f62\">Stormtroopers featured in Episode 2 were cloned from bounty hunter Jango Fett and look alike. But this does not mean that they should have the exact same phenotype, an individual’s observable traits, in their adulthood. Genetics loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger — meaning even though two people might have the same genetic background, but the chance of being exactly the same physically is very small. Look at identical twins who grew up in different environments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"11ab\">11) Are symptoms after waking up from carbonite hybernation lighter in the galaxy?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"f167\">Finally, when Han Solo wakes up from the carbonite state, he should be feeling way worse than he does on screen. Symptoms would include serious vomiting, dehydration, headache and even more. He might have been lucky to “only” temporarily lose his vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Now, let’s give them some credit.\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"0912\">There are also some good ideas though. In the underwater scenes of episode 1, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi wear devices on their mouths which let them breathe in water. When Padmé gives birth to Leia and Luke in episode 3, the movie features a weirdly shaped, quite futuristic birth bed and a robotic midwife armed with artificial intelligence is overseeing the whole process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"c4b3\">If you watch the episodes again and keep your eyes open, you might catch even more ways our world could help the one of Rey, Luke and Han Solo. Until then, I will keep on being a fan, immerse into Rouge One – A Star Wars Story and pay attention argus-eyed what futuristic medical solutions the new episode is featuring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cp>[subscribe image=”false” type=”article-horizontal”]Subscribe to\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>\u003Cb>The Medical Futurist℠ Newsletter\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>News shaping the future of healthcare\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Advice on taking charge of your health\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Reviews of the latest health technology\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>[\u002Fsubscribe]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>No one can doubt I’m an enthusiastic Star Wars fan. I have a LEGO-Millennium Falcon and the Death Star at home. However, as The Medical Futurist I cannot help but see what medical technologies the episodes featured. obso\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,12354,"open","","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":26},[30],515,[32,33,34,35,36,37],246,271,275,387,416,425,[],[],[41,42,43,44],1715,1723,1729,1883,[46,14,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58],"post-11749","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-fiction","tag-future","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-scifi","tag-star-wars","tag-technology-2",{"id":24,"alt_text":26,"caption":26,"description":26,"media_type":60,"media_details":61,"post":5,"source_url":95},"image",{"width":62,"height":63,"file":64,"sizes":65,"image_meta":92},870,489,"2015\u002F12\u002F1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa.jpeg",{"medium":66,"large":72,"thumbnail":77,"medium_large":81,"large_old_512x288":82,"medium_old_444x250":87},{"file":67,"width":68,"height":69,"mime-type":70,"source_url":71},"1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-370x208.jpeg",370,208,"image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002F1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-370x208.jpeg",{"file":73,"width":74,"height":75,"mime-type":70,"source_url":76},"1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-768x432.jpeg",768,432,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002F1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-768x432.jpeg",{"file":78,"width":79,"height":79,"mime-type":70,"source_url":80},"1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-150x150.jpeg",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002F1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-150x150.jpeg",{"file":73,"width":74,"height":75,"mime-type":70,"source_url":76},{"file":83,"width":84,"height":85,"mime-type":70,"source_url":86},"1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-512x288.jpeg",512,288,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002F1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-512x288.jpeg",{"file":88,"width":89,"height":90,"mime-type":70,"source_url":91},"1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-444x250.jpeg",444,250,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002F1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa-444x250.jpeg",{"aperture":93,"credit":26,"camera":26,"caption":26,"created_timestamp":93,"copyright":26,"focal_length":93,"iso":93,"shutter_speed":93,"title":26,"orientation":93,"keywords":94},"0",[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F12\u002F1-7x5tyby68xgvxyjiom3caa.jpeg",{"cta_type":26,"cta_color":26,"subtitle":26,"related_books":20,"related_posts_footer":20,"related_posts":20},{"yoast_wpseo_title":98,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":26,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"11 Things Star Wars Could Learn From Medical Technology Today - The Medical Futurist",{"self":100,"collection":106,"about":109,"author":112,"replies":116,"version-history":119,"predecessor-version":123,"wp:featuredmedia":127,"wp:attachment":130,"wp:term":133,"curies":149},[101],{"href":102,"targetHints":103},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F11749",{"allow":104},[105],"GET",[107],{"href":108},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[110],{"href":111},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[113],{"embeddable":114,"href":115},true,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[117],{"embeddable":114,"href":118},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=11749",[120],{"count":121,"href":122},29,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F11749\u002Frevisions",[124],{"id":125,"href":126},46039,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F11749\u002Frevisions\u002F46039",[128],{"embeddable":114,"href":129},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F12354",[131],{"href":132},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=11749",[134,137,140,143,146],{"taxonomy":135,"embeddable":114,"href":136},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=11749",{"taxonomy":138,"embeddable":114,"href":139},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=11749",{"taxonomy":141,"embeddable":114,"href":142},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=11749",{"taxonomy":144,"embeddable":114,"href":145},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=11749",{"taxonomy":147,"embeddable":114,"href":148},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=11749",[150],{"name":151,"href":152,"templated":114},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[],[],1789727597390]