You've played Deus Ex. You've seen Robocop. You've read Neuromancer. You've maybe even wondered just what dark mix of technology and black magic keeps the withered heart of Richard "Dick" Cheney pumping coronary after coronary. Now it's time to get off the couch and put down the controller. Human augmentation is no longer constrained to the world of speculative fiction and vice-presidential medicine; biomechanical interfaces are an exploding area of active research, development, and implementation. And they're here to stay.
Join medical student/hacker enthusiasts quaddi and r3plicant for a fun-filled tour through the brave new world of the latest and greatest in this exciting new melding of medicine and technology. From the simplest insulin pump to the latest gyroscopic prosthesis for wounded veterans, from the full body DARPA developed exoskeleton of the future to the changes currently being implemented in our most fundamental building blocks, this talk explores what was, what is and what will be in the future of human augmentation, and more importantly, what you need to know to get started down the path to Robocop glory.
Christian "quaddi" Dameff is a third year medical student and former OCTF champion (Sudoers). Former research and interests include: therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest (brrr!), novel drug targets for post Myocardial Infarction patients, and the future of medicine in enhancing the human condition. This is his eighth DEF CON.
Jeff "r3plicant" Tully is a third year medical student who is fascinated by the intersections of healthcare and informatics and the promise such relationships have to revolutionize the practice of medicine. A microbiologist with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, Jeff's thesis project at the Biodesign Institute at ASU involved "hacking" the genome of Salmonella bacteria to produce novel strains for anti-cancer treatments. This is his second DEF CON and he looks forward to many more.