Internet of Bodies - An Overview
An interesting take on the future of bionic, embedded systems
The Internet of Bodies or IoB, the imminent development in the widespread Internet of Things(IoT) domain, is the unavoidable future of technology right now. In simple terms, IoB is IoT entering the human body. Instead of devices connected to the internet as in IoT, it’s human bodies that are now connected to a network, with the potential to be remotely controlled and monitored. In short, our bodies will become the new data discovery platform. Sounds rather creepy, right ? But wait until you listen to the possibilities this opens up. What if I told you that the cyborgs which we saw and marvelled at in sci-fi movies right from the 80s are actually going to be common anytime soon, thanks to the advent of IoB.
Internet of Bodies is referred to as the future of tech, but this future isn’t that far away. At present, IoB, a form of embodied intelligence, has found its presence in the health care domain. Pacemakers for heart patients is the most common example. Another is the ‘smart pill’, a drug with sensors embedded in it, able to send data right from our stomachs to a remote device connected to the internet for medical supervision. And much to the relief of patients suffering from the cure-less Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, a brain implant that could substitute parts of the brain is under testing. This can also be helpful for the treatment of spinal injuries where the devices will replace biological neurons, enabling locomotion of paralysed limbs. In short, drastic improvements in the medical field can be brought about by this emerging technology which undoubtedly holds a lot of potential.
IoB can generally be classified into three generations. The first generation is the body external type which includes devices like Apple Watches and Smart Bands by Fitbit and others. We have already been introduced to the idea of continuous monitoring of our bodies with “health accessories” that have come into vogue recently. Next is the body internal type which has the previously mentioned advancements like pacemakers and implants coming under it. The third generation will see the body embedded type which includes sensors buried inside your skin, an example would be the much elusive Brain Computer Interface(BCI) where the human brain merges with an external device, allowing for a real-time connection with remote computers that receive live data updates, for the purposes of controlling and monitoring.
A recent instance of body embedded systems involves Three Square Market, a Michigan based company that develops micro-market break room solutions for vending operators. A recent CNBC report says that 50 out of their 80 employees agreed to have a radio frequency identification(RFID) microchip, which is the size of a grain, implanted under their skin. The function of the chip is to make identification possible with just a wave of hand, eliminating the need for bio-metric identification methods or having to carry an identity card or even remembering a password. Your presence anywhere in the premises could be detected. Now that will be the forerunner of the cyborgs that we hope to see anytime soon. But the concept of chipped employees in fact poses the problem of consent from the side of employees and is a big intrusion into the privacy of the people involved. It’s actually quite difficult to believe that the aforementioned employees willingly let the chips to be implanted on them.
IoB is in fact only an extension of IoT and the difference between the two is merely skin deep. It is estimated that about 20 billion IoT devices will be connected to the internet by the year 2020. For our new field in question, these connected entities will be human beings that are alive and breathing. We are already aware of the threats that the IoT domain is expected to face. The significant vulnerabilities, if exploited, can result in very serious implications. The Mirai malware and the massive cyber attack of 21 October, 2016 which affected about Five Lakh IoT devices was in fact terrifying. The massive distributed denial of service (DDos) attack was carried out by exploiting the security holes in IoT devices running Linux to transform them into remotely controlled 'bots', part of a botnet that harnesses the collective power of all these devices. Now imagine actual humans in place of devices. Scary, huh?
One famous incident of concern in this direction was when the former American Vice President Dick Cheney got his implanted defibrillator replaced with a new device without WiFi capacity, upon fear of assassination by electric shock to his heart. His was an act that invited much media attention and set off discussions on the security aspect of this area.
IoB is in fact only an extension of IoT and the difference between the two is merely skin deep
More than that, who would like to be monitored all the time? It’s quite obvious that we are under constant surveillance today, as evidenced by the recent nuisances involving Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home. If that was a question of losing control of our surrounding environment, imagine losing autonomy over our own bodies. An interesting aspect about Alexa’s ghostly interferences is the fact that we couldn’t even make out if those were actually bugs or just a feature of the system itself, as it is quite difficult to fully understand the complex artificial neural networks and deep learning algorithms involved.
Building Policy
Devising consumer safety laws and proper legal actions would be the next major concern. If you make a google search on Internet of Bodies, the majority of results that pop up point towards the security threats involved and all the negativity surrounding it. Medical technology companies will have to clarify how they plan to protect the data and privacy of users from potential attacks by hackers, state sponsored or not. In short, IoB will open up a whole new dimension of cyber security issues as intentional malfunction or cracks of the devices can lead to massive repercussions.
Chipped or augmented human beings who can function at many more times our present capacity is a tantalising proposition. So instead of fearing a future where humans are outsmarted by intelligent machines, a society of individuals that are half-human, half-machine is a relieving thought. The line between human and machine will then be blurred forever. Still it is just an idea popularised by sci-fi writers. But this could actually turn into a dystopian nightmare rather than a sweet paradise of carefree living, owing to the creepiness factor already associated with it. So in conclusion, it can be said that we are still not completely prepared for the future steered by Internet of Bodies without already being strong enough to ensure security of our networks that are very much vulnerable to infiltration.
Editor’s Note: This was the winning piece of the IEEE LINK run blogging competition as part of WiES, by the wonderful @adithyasailesh116 from College of Engineering, Trivandrum. If you believe you have what it takes to write a similar piece for the IEEE LINK blog, email your write up to devdutt@ieee.org now!
