Has America developed a device that can give the nation "superhuman powers" such as those possessed by common superheroes in popular comic books? According to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), scientists have done just that. The most recent advancement in health technology is the introduction of the Electronic Prescription, or ElectRx. Of course this new technology will not give humans the ability to fly or have superhuman strength, but it will give the human body the ability to heal itself. The article from which this information is given is "Tiny Implants Could Give Humans Self-Healing Superpowers," by Elizabeth Palermo and was published on September 18, 2014 on LiveScience.com. .
The ElectRx is a small implant that would be injected into the body and it would "use electrical impulses to monitor the body's organs, healing these crucial parts when they become infected or injured." This device has the potential to revolutionize how Americans view and seek health care. According the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), this program could reduce dependence on pharmaceutical drugs and offer a new way to treat illnesses." DARPA has hopes to develop the ElectRx as a tiny implant, "akin to a tiny, intelligent pacemaker" that would be implanted into the body and use a process known as neuro-modulation to monitor a person's internal organs and conditions and regulate the body's responses to infections and diseases. Neuro-modulation, can be "thrown off" when the human body is sick or injured, causing the opposite affect of what it was meant to do: monitor and heal the body. Instead it can actually make the condition worse. DARPA claims that the ElectRx will monitor neuro-modulation through electrically charged implants. Neuro-modulation devices that are already in use today are very large and require surgery to implant, but the proposed ElectRx is so tiny, it could be implanted through a syringe and could aid in the treatment of many inflammatory diseases (Palermo).