The Future Is Now: Things That Will Blow Your Mind

Nightscope (William Santana Lee)

• Core Mission: Developing autonomous security robots ("Nightscope K5") designed to predict and prevent crime, with a stated goal of reducing crime by 50% in geo-fenced areas.
• Economic Impact: Crime imposes a $1 trillion annual negative economic impact on the U.S. alone; the company aims to lower costs compared to human labor ($6.25/hour per machine vs. $25–$90/hour for human guards/officers).
• Technology Capabilities:
  • Autonomous navigation with 24/7 self-recharging capabilities, similar to self-driving automotive technology.
  • Multi-sensor suite including 360-degree video, thermal imaging, audio/gesture recognition, and WMD detection (biochemical/radiation).
  • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) processes 300 license plates per minute, cross-referenced against government databases of stolen vehicles and felons every four hours.
• Data Strategy: Each machine generates approximately 90 terabytes of data annually; the system aggregates 100+ historical data points to drive real-time "yellow, orange, or red" alerts.
• Business Model: "Machine as a Service" targeting high-value locations (malls, campuses, stadiums) and law enforcement agencies.
• Deployment Targets: Currently in a waitlist phase with over 100 clients representing a few hundred million dollars in potential value; planned deployments focus on Silicon Valley for the next 12–18 months.
• Future Projections:
  • Potential to deploy tens of thousands to 100,000 units in the U.S., with interest from 2–3 dozen international countries.
  • Strategic plans to launch a global robotic team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics following evaluation by NTT DoCoMo.
  • Long-term vision (10 years) includes a "K-20" autonomous ambulance equipped with 3D printing and milling capabilities to support hospital logistics.
• Data Utilization: Plans to leverage predictive analytics for dynamic insurance rates and "safest route" navigation for individuals by superimposing crime data on mapping services.

EpiBone (Nina Tandon)

• Core Mission: Creating living, tissue-engineered bone grafts to replace current surgical standards, addressing the shortage of donor bone and the limitations of static implants.
• Process: Extracts mesenchymal stem cells from patient fat samples; engineers anatomically precise 3D-printed scaffolds using patient CT data; infuses cells via bioreactor; matures graft over three weeks.
• Biological Advantages: Living grafts are immunologically compatible (autologous), integrate better than foreign materials, remodel and grow with the patient, and vascularize post-implantation (avoiding complex free flap surgeries).
• Clinical Validation: Conducting preclinical trials on pigs; 20 implants performed to date show near-indistinguishable integration with native tissue after six months.
• Funding: Secured a $4.5 million "friends and family" round, including investment from the New York City Investment Fund; based in Harlem.
• Timeline & Strategy:
  • First human implantation targeted between 12–24 months, pending strategic decisions on "compassionate use" vs. full clinical trials.
  • Standard clinical trials for such devices typically require an 8-year timeline.
• Secondary Application: Developing "bio-assays" using living tissue to test drug efficacy and side effects (e.g., bone density impacts of statins/antidepressants) prior to human trials, potentially accelerating FDA approval and reducing late-stage drug withdrawals.
• Collaboration: Active partnerships in 3D printing biomaterials, molecular imaging, and bioassays; relies on a small team of six to amplify efforts through strategic alliances.

ORIS (Dr. Frederick Maul)

• Core Mission: Building a digital robotic platform for the next generation of minimally invasive surgery, moving from "human hand" dexterity to "robotic precision" and data-driven intervention.
• Technological Shift: Moving from large, expensive robots (like DaVinci) to lightweight, inexpensive, highly precise micro-robotic arms capable of navigating tight spaces without large incisions.
• Current Capabilities:
  • Kidney Intervention: Successful clinical trials using robotic endoscopes (controlled via Xbox controllers) to locate and laser-break kidney stones with 100% success in initial small trials, avoiding radiation exposure.
  • Lung Intervention: Achieved 91% success rate in targeting and biopsying lung lesions (vs. current 65% success), offering a non-surgical alternative for lung cancer diagnosis.
  • Automation: Fully automated cataract surgery demonstrating perfect circular cuts without human fatigue.
• Data Integration: Robots record every movement and sensor reading to build a knowledge base, functioning similarly to "smart cars" by providing real-time guidance and learning from historical data to augment surgeon judgment.
• Market & Partnership:
  • Competing in a landscape where Google and Johnson & Johnson are forming a surgical robotics partnership to combine information processing with medical tools.
  • First clinical trials focused on kidney, lung, and GI applications; planning a broader system launch next year.
• Future Outlook:
  • Targeting coverage of 85% of current operating room procedures within three years via a versatile, broad-based robotic platform.
  • Shift in surgeon role from manual technician to decision-maker guided by robotic data and automation.
• Long-term Vision: Integration of advanced imaging (CT/MRI/US) with live surgical video to enable "search and destroy" missions against cellular-level disease (e.g., cancer cells).

Cross-Disciplinary Themes & Future Outlook

• Third Industrial Revolution: Panelists converge on the thesis that the next major revolution will be based on "life" (biotechnology and tissue engineering), following the mechanical age and the information age.
• Data Synergy: Intersection of Nightscope's surveillance data and ORIS's surgical data to drive predictive analytics in insurance, public safety, and personalized medicine.
• Regulatory Challenges: Significant hurdles remain regarding FDA approval for living devices and the standardization of clinical endpoints for biological therapies.
• Talent Shortage: Rapid technological advancement in biotech and robotics creates a critical shortage of personnel trained in automated cell culture and advanced surgical robotics.
• Systemic Impact: Technology aims to reduce variation in skill levels (e.g., between novice and veteran surgeons) and lower healthcare costs through speed, precision, and reduced complications.