Communal Offices and Pharmacists of the Future: Futurology Digest No. 27

Pharmacists are analyzing big data, architects are designing bunkers, and artificial intelligence is learning to understand emotions

Theme of the week: the future of pharmacies

With the development of technology, information is becoming more accessible, and medicine is becoming more democratic. The doctor has ceased to be an indisputable authority, now he is more of a partner who helps people stay healthy. In the past, pharmacies were the dispensing point for medicines prescribed by a doctor, and pharmacists were perceived as sellers in a drug store. But their role is gradually changing. A recent study by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania showed that US residents are increasingly coming to the pharmacy for medical advice: pharmacists are easier to get to than doctors, and the visit is not limited.

As journalists of The Medical Futurist write, the pharmacist of the future will combine the features of a medieval medicine man and a big data specialist. He must know all his clients by sight, remember their medical history and maintain friendly relations with them. The pharmacist will become especially important in remote rural areas, where residents do not always have access to quality medicine. Soon every person will have a lot of “smart” devices that collect information about his health. Analyzing these disparate data and giving medical advice based on them is one of the tasks of the pharmacist of the future.

USB-stethoscopes will become common, as well as personal devices for ECG, ultrasound and other tests. They will connect to a smartphone and transmit all information about the patient to the attending physician. This data can also be shown to the pharmacist so that he can select the right medicine. Thanks to new gadgets and telemedicine, the line between a pharmacist and a therapist will almost disappear. In a few years, doctors will be ready to help the sick wherever they need it, because all the sophisticated diagnostic devices will fit in a small suitcase.

Finally, pharmacies will turn into centers for personal medicine. Pharmacists will be able to print tablets on 3D printers, which include several medicinal substances at once. They will also change the dose or concentration of the drug depending on the genetic characteristics of the person. Portable systems for instant genome sequencing equipped with artificial intelligence will help them in this. All medicines will then be mixed by robots according to an individual prescription right in the pharmacy, and drones will deliver them to the client’s home.

Forecast of the week: how humanity will experience new lockdowns

According to American epidemiologists, humanity has entered the era of pandemics. To protect the population from infection, governments of different countries will introduce more and more restrictions and quarantines. Here’s how, according to researchers from the Strelka Institute, this will change our cities and homes.

• Automatic isolation. In the future, artificial intelligence will monitor the health of people. If he notices symptoms of the disease, he will immediately place the person in quarantine. Depending on the budget and habits of the patient, the neural network will select and order essential goods, as well as kits with tests for various viruses, to take home. In addition, artificial intelligence will independently issue sick leave and apply for benefits.
• Robot cleaners. The pandemic has boosted demand for unmanned vehicles that can clean streets and disinfect rooms. Industrial robot vacuum cleaners and drone wipers will replace washing machines in cities.
• Openspace-communal. Due to lockdowns and permanent remoteness, living spaces will merge with office spaces, and employees will spend the night in separate cabins right at the workplace.
• Overhead terraces. During self-isolation, the townspeople appreciated the advantages of large balconies, but not all houses have them. Hanging bridges between buildings and folding terraces will help to solve the problem.
• Get out of town. The fashion for suburban life has returned and, perhaps, monovillages of writers, designers and engineers will reappear.

Futuristic architecture: a bunker in case of the apocalypse

Ukrainian architectural bureau Sergey Makhno Architects has unveiled an underground house called Plan B. The roof of the bunker can serve as a heliport, and living quarters are located at a depth of 15 m. Inside there is a living room with a library, bedrooms, a kitchen, a gym and a garden. The walls are hung with digital screens that mimic windows overlooking the city or nature. The bunker has several floors: technical rooms were built under the living rooms, which regulate the supply of water and electricity. Even lower is a hall with a well and a digital domed ceiling in the form of the sky. More projects of underground houses can be found in this selection.

Idea: Plant mosaic virus could be a potential cure for cancer

Radiologist at Dartmouth College in the United States, Jack Hoops, is developing a new way to treat cancer – viral therapy. The technology is being tested on dogs with oral metastases. Even after radiation therapy, in 85% of cases, tumors reappear in animals, but the plant mosaic virus helped them to fully recover. During the experiment, scientists injected a weakened virus directly into the tumor. The immune system of dogs “saw” a foreign body, attacked it, and, together with the virus, destroyed cancer cells. Hoops believes that the new therapy will help people too. The advantage of the mosaic virus is that it is harmless to animals, but it also causes a strong immune response. In addition, CRISPR technology allows scientists to edit it so that it enters only the right cells. Also in the future, the modified virus can be used to deliver drugs.

Technology of the week: tinnitus proposed to be treated with electronic music

The Irish company Neuromod Devices has developed a device called Lenire, which is designed to treat tinnitus – chronic noise and ringing in the ears. It consists of headphones connected to a special stimulator that is placed on the tongue. This device easily shocks a person in time with electronic music. The melody is selected individually for each patient.

The main cause of tinnitus is believed to be incorrect neural connections. Because of them, the brain cannot correctly recognize sound signals and perceives them as noise. The system, developed by Neuromod Devices, plays clear audio signals. A person focuses his attention on them, the brain forgets about false neural connections, and they are gradually destroyed themselves. During the experiment, 86% of 273 volunteers noted that the ringing significantly decreased after stimulation. The positive effect of therapy, which lasted 12 weeks, lasted about a year.

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What to listen

Release of the In Machines We Trust podcast about how robots are taught to understand feelings. Host Jennifer Strong, along with experts from technology companies Affectiva and Amazon, talked about why artificial intelligence needs empathy and how it will change the future of humanity.

What to read

A new book by American journalist Farid Zakaria “10 Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World” (Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World). In it, he reflects on how people are affected by communication, why the world is becoming more divided and how digital technologies will help make our lives better. An excerpt from the book was published by The Washington Post.

What to see

Video about how scientists from the University of Tokyo are developing a new transport for citizens. It is a hybrid of a scooter and a bicycle, which can be deflated at any time and put into a backpack.

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