Medtronic is using microelectronics to create the world’s smallest pacemaker, which, when implanted (via catheter as opposed to invasive surgery) could keep the old ticker going without fear of the kinds of complications common with regular, silver-dollar sized pacemakers. “You can almost shoot these things in like bullets,” quoth Medtronic’s vice president.
"Now, as the pace of technological change continues to accelerate, it has become increasingly possible to design computing systems that enhance the human experience, or now — in a growing number of cases — completely dispense with it."
John Markoff for The New York Times, “Progress in Artificial Intelligence Brings Wonders and Fears”
