Medical Nanotechnology

Colloquially known as "Nanomeds", extremely small devices implanted or injected into the human body have quietly revolutionized the medical field since the 2030s. Most humans have at least some nanomeds in their bodies, mostly monitoring various health indicators. Some nanomeds are intended to be permanent, but even more are intended to slowly degrade and be absorbed into the body overtime, and to then be replaced with new nanomeds.

The average nanomed is little more than a tiny measuring device that can be scanned to quickly estimate various body chemical levels or spot any abnormalities. Consequently, disease prevention has undertaken an enormous leap, as most potential problems are spotted before they can seriously threaten the body, and treatments can be started well in time. Ailments requiring complex operations or prolonged recovery times have become rarer and rarer, simply because most people can spot any potential health issues with a simple smartphone application.

Other nanomeds are designed to affect the body in some way, generally by releasing or synthesizing chemicals. For example, diabetes has become very uncomplicated to treat thanks to insulin releasing nanomeds. Others are used to administer performance enhancing drugs, though these are generally heavily regulated or illegal. For illnesses that require regular medications to manage, nanomeds that synthesize the substance inside the body or release it throughout their lifespan are the preferred option.

Social Impact

Nanomeds are incredibly common, and are typically offered for free by local health authorities, and routinely implanted into children to monitor their health as they grow. Public health authorities across Human Space have recognized that the disease-preventing power of widescale nanomed adoption actually saves society immense amounts of resources by turning most ailments into trivial things that can be treated at home or with simply a quick visit to a clinic.

Nanomeds have increased average lifespans and made the average person much healthier. Indeed, a significant marker of poor and underdeveloped societies today on Earth is that they do not provide nanomeds to all of their citizens, and as such the poor in these places suffer from worse health outcomes as ailments can advance much farther before being caught.

Some people refuse nanomeds, believing them to be a government tracking tools or even mind control chips. Others are uncomfortable with the nanomeds being able to broadcast the user's health information to anyone with a scanning app who gets too close. For most though, the benefits massively outweigh these concerns.