TRANSHUMANISTS, BIOHACKERS AND CYBORGS
What does it mean to be a ‘natural’ human? While you wouldn’t necessarily call someone with a pacemaker or cochlear implant a cyborg, it’s irrefutable that what they have inside of them is a piece of technology that’s helping them to live a longer, healthier life.
The science of prosthetics has made significant progress. Just consider for a moment the advancements in the prosthetics used by athletes in the Paralympic Games. When artificial limbs are designed with a specific sport in mind, they sometimes outperform what a human appendage can achieve. This begs the question: Are exoskeletons and brain computers next on the human augmentation agenda?
There are already people out there who are choosing to augment their bodies. Neil Harbisson is a colour-blind artist who has received an antenna-like implant that helps him to ‘see’ in the ultra-violet (UV) spectrum. Born with achromatopsia, Harbisson had a sensor implanted into his head that translates different wavelengths of light into vibrations. He calls it an ‘eyeborg’, and it’s now officially recognised as part of his body – it even appears on his passport photo. Now that Harbisson has made bone conduction – the transmission of sound to the inner ear through the bones of the skull – a part of his everyday life, he has a new project in mind: a device that will allow him to feel the rotation of the planet. While this rather chunky metal collar is more of a wearable than an implant, it’s something Harbisson is trialling for an extended period.
This story is from the September/October 2022 edition of Popular Mechanics South Africa.
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This story is from the September/October 2022 edition of Popular Mechanics South Africa.
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