Germans open to the idea of 3D printed organs

Final results from BR, ARTE and Fraunhofer IAO’s “Homo Digitalis” study

Many Germans are open to the idea of 3D printed organs, permanent body scans and cell repairing nanorobots as part of healthcare in the future, says an international survey conducted by BR, ARTE and Fraunhofer IAO as part of the “Homo Digitalis” project. In all, more than 22,000 respondents from Germany and France took part in the online quiz, which tested their acceptance levels for new technologies.
In one future scenario, waiting for donor organs would become a thing of the past, with the necessary organs simply printed out using a 3D printer - something which the vast majority of Germans surveyed (70%) would have no problem with. Over half would also be content to undergo permanent body scanning, which would measure an individual’s blood pressure, pulse and hormone balance to keep tabs on their health status. The same went for nanorobots - tiny robots inserted into a person’s veins to perform cell repair. On the other hand, there was more noticeably more hesitation amongst respondents when they were consulted on DNA hacking or brain chips; here, only a third would use the opportunity to artificially alter their genes or get a brain “upgrade” to boost concentration, creativity or intelligence. The study did reveal that female participants as a group were more hesitant about any technological optimizations to the body. Respondents were also increasingly less likely to agree with the idea of 3D printed organs with increasing age and, for the over 60 age group, acceptance levels for this technology dropped to barely 50 percent.

Growing acceptance for robots as colleagues

For the “Homo Digitalis” project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO has joined forces with Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) and ARTE to investigate the change that digitalization might bring in various aspects of our lives. During this time, Fraunhofer IAO worked in close consultation with BR to develop an accompanying online quiz that tests people’s attitude to and acceptance for a range of potential technologies in an interactive format. Now, the recently published “Homo Digitalis” study presents the results of that online quiz and discusses their significance for tomorrow’s digitalized world.

Questions addressed by the study include digital self enhancements in the health arena as well as the interaction between humans and machines in other domains, for instance the way we interact with technological aids or in a digital workplace. As an example, most Germans could imagine a robot in the workplace, but the majority of them would prefer to work together with the robots in a constructive way. In the future, then, there will be more of a need to develop collaborative robots that do not simply execute a given task, but robots capable of building a working relationship with their human counterparts. This means developing interaction strategies that define robot behaviour in a way that fosters transparency and trust.

Homo Digitalis TV documentary now available online

The “Homo Digitalis” future study was part of an international web project that also features a seven-part web series. Drawing on contributions from experts in the U.S., the UK and Japan, viewers join presenter Helen Fares on a journey to investigate how developments such as artificial intelligence, brain chips or virtual friends could transform our lives. The web series and future quiz presented in “Homo Digitalis” aim to encourage users to reflect on their own relationship to the technology of the future. The Homo Digitalis TV documentary series, which combines the web series with the study findings, is now available on the BR Mediathek (www.br.de/mediathek) as a “Web-First” program. The series will be broadcast on TV on the BR channel in the early morning of May 25, at just after midnight (12:05 a.m.), and on ARTE on May 26 at 9:45 p.m.

Human and technology in the digital world of work
Digital technologies are transforming our working world with profound effects on business and society. Digitalization modernizes and revolutionizes long-established practices and processesIn the blink of an eye. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO works together with companies and public-sector bodies and institutions to develop strategies, business models and solutions for digital transformation.

Kathrin Pollmann
User Experience
Fraunhofer IAO
Nobelstraße 12
70569 Stuttgart
Phone: +49 711 970-2347
E-Mail: kathrin.pollmann@iao.fraunhofer.de

This release was published on openPR.