The impending arrival of filmmaker Avi Zev Weider’s triplets as a result of IVF inspired him to explore the nature of technology and what it means to be human in a new film, Welcome to the Machine.
Welcome to the Machine weaves interviews and profiles of people who get up close and personal with technology. The conversation ultimately reveals that technology is not just about the latest gadgets or business deals, but what it means to be human.
The film will receive a special screening, which will be followed by a panel discussion, at the Light House Cinema in Smithfield, Dublin, at 7pm on 14 May. It comes as part of eHealth Week, a joint initiative of the Irish Presidency, the EU Commission and HIMSS Europe.
The panel members will discuss and debate the human relationship with technology, how it dominates now and will in the future, and its impact on healthcare.
Broadcaster Aine Lawlor will serve as moderator of the panel that includes Weider; UCD’s Dr Brian Caulfield; Dr Dermot Power, consultant in geriatric medicine at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin; Avril Daly of Fighting Blindness; and Ann O’Dea, CEO and co-founder of Silicon Republic.
Also at the Light House Cinema on the night will be a team from EKSO Bionics showcasing Ekso.
Ekso is a wearable, battery-operated bionic exoskeleton that enables patients with lower extremity weakness or paralysis to stand and walk on level surfaces.
The special screening of Welcome to the Machine is free, but tickets are required.
