Randall Alley: The first prosthetic limbs were amazingly heavy and cumbersome. Some were even marvels of engineering in their day. This was in large part due to the materials available to the artisans of the day. What characterized them then and to a great extent even now was and is the lack of attention to biomechanics of the interface that attaches to the limb or body. So what we’ve seen up until recently are tremendous advances in components, but then we stick this advanced hardware on a primitive socket design and wonder why the individual rejects it, or doesn’t get what he or she expected out of the prosthesis. A revolution has finally begun in this area of interface design which I am proud to say is currently led by biodesigns and our patent-pending “High-Fidelity Interface.” I have dedicated my career to exploring the limits of what we can accomplish in this area and I feel I have finally reached a point where I can say a “sea-change” will occur. I think the engineers of tomorrow that are capable of creating surrogates will have a good laugh at what we’ve accomplished today, but hopefully there will be those nuggets of timeless information that only experience can pass along that these engineers will find useful.

Q: Dr. Canton, would you want a surrogate of your own if they become available? Would you want it to look like you do now or did at a younger age or would it be completely different looking?

Dr. James Canton: I am good with myself as I look, but I would like to have the agility without the danger to surf 50 foot waves and climb Mt. Everest while I sit warmly and experience it from afar via my Surrogates.

Q: What happens to a surrogate when the real person dies? Could a surrogate be hacked? How would you imagine guarding against someone else taking control of your surrogate?

Dr. James Canton: I fully expect that one scenario that will emerge in the future where Surrogates will exist will be Surrogate crime. Theft and hacking, the use of Surrogates to commit crimes and terrorism will be just the obvious double-edge sword of technology. As I have written about in my book the Extreme Future, criminal hacks and theft of strategic tech for fun, profit and ideology by rogue players in the future will be common. This misuse of Surrogates will lead to more innovation, security and tech to defeat the bad guys. But there is a dark side to the Surrogates as even the movie shows; there is always someone or a faction that attempts to hijack or exploit technology to seize power. We must guard against those that would exploit tech like the Surrogates and use it control thought, ideas and repress freedoms and democracy or lest we shall become victims of our creations.

Q: Randall, are there bionic parts for pets or is the realm of prosthetics limited to humans so far?

Randall Alley: There have been several “bionic” parts made for pets, though most are simply structural replacements and not electronic or overly sophisticated in terms of composition. My first one was for a deer who had lost her foot due to trauma. Dogs and horses are common recipients, and a dolphin was recently fitted with a prosthetic tail.

Q: Randall, can you tell us about your company Biodesigns and how it came about?

Randall Alley: Biodesigns specializes in advanced upper limb and high-performance lower limb prosthetics. We are not a manufacturer but rather a clinical company that works with patients. However, we have partnered with manufacturers to develop prosthetic products and have several on the market today. How Biodesigns came about was through my work with a large prosthetic and orthotic company in the United States. I co founded and directed the world’s largest upper limb prosthetic program but became disenchanted due to the corporation’s financial targets, which often superseded clinical results in my opinion. I formed my own company so that I could work with individuals the way I wanted to: in small numbers, with my complete and total focus on maximizing their performance. I used my background in kinesiology and biomechanics to offer a more innovative approach to how we work with our patients/clients.

Q: Dr. Canton, what is the Institute for Global Futures?

Dr. James Canton: The Institute for Global Futures is a San Francisco based think tank that conducts trends research and provides advice to companies and governments on future trends such as leading edge technologies. See www.FutureGuru.com

Q: Dr. Canton, what specific different types of uses do you for see for this remote robotic technology shown in SURROGATES, are there more practical applications like you discus in this bonus feature, i.e. rescuing fire victims, policing etc…or will it be entertainment mostly that these get used for when they come around?

Dr. James Canton: I forecast that Surrogates will be without a sense of humor but have great surgical skills which will be the practical side of what brings Surrogates to life sooner then later. Health care is precious service that most of the developing world has little access to. I think Surrogates, representing not just human doctors but AI, synthetic intelligence doctors, virtual doctors will provide medical care by this platform. Human needs for health care, security and companionship will be in demand for Surrogate technology. Saving lives and protecting humans will be a huge practical driver of Surrogate tech. Also, care giving, taking care of the aging baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y population will require Surrogates who have special skills, better then humans.

Q: Randall, you make what seem like the ‘pieces’ of a surrogate…if you had to build one today what would be the missing ‘piece’ that has not yet been invented to make an android or remote surrogate work?

Randall Alley: That’s right, I make pieces aimed at making a person feel whole again. I think the missing piece would be the system or technology that allows for real-time control of the millions of bits of code that would be necessary to remotely control a surrogate and to instantly respond to external influences around the surrogate. We just don’t have the capability to have real-time fluidic remote control of such complex machinery at great distances without tremendous lag.

Q: Randall, if you had to put a timeframe on when surrogate robots, like those in the movie, would be an affordable option for Joe Citizen, what year would you guess it might be?

Randall Alley: This is going to be one of those answers that have three possibilities: 1) it never comes to pass and therefore my prediction disappears into the shadows of history; 2) I am so far off and have made such a great name for myself and my company that somebody bothers to dig up this answer and parades it around for all the world to be amused and 3) I am close enough to look like a sage and the world comes knocking at my door. I’m sure there are other possibilities but you get the point. It’s a long way of saying I’m about to give you a wild guess. I am going to offer up the year 2025, as there are surely higher priorities than surrogate creation on the to-do list of most scientists. Then to bring this tech down to the affordable level, well, that’s the tough part.

Q: I’d like my surrogate to explore deep outer space. Could this be a realistic proposition?

Dr. James Canton: Your Surrogate will be the only being to explore deep space in the future. Deep space explorations especially beyond our solar system will demand Surrogates who can withstand the trip, the elements and survive. We carbon life forms will not survive the journey even with enhancement. I would start saving now to pay for the chance to experience deep space trips via your surrogate. I am planning on “going” to Venus and terra-forming Mars via my Surrogate.

Q: James, this bonus we are seeing is on a blu-ray disc, as it is new to many people, what do you think the benefits of the blu-ray itself is in the technological world?