The rise of the ‘real’ cyborgs

The rise of the ‘real’ cyborgs
Developing technology is changing how humans interface with the world, but is it a sign of things to come?  

The relationship between the human, technology, and the machine has always been fascinating. We can see from all the developments brought on by digital transformation that as technology changes it opens new opportunities for us humans to improve processes and operate more efficiently than ever before. But what about the actual processes of humans themselves? How will technology shape the experience of humanity when the lines between man and machine become blurred?  

There is a term for the melding of a person with technology to improve their abilities and that is cyborg. Often associated with sci-fi movies and fictional characters, the term refers to the grafting of technology to a person to move beyond normal human limitations. You don’t have look further than the latest movie or videogame to see a character who can perform impossible feats because of technology deployments, and while most of these are purely fictional, there are real-life cyborgs living among us today highlighting what could be the new ‘normal human’ in the not too distant future.  

Brian Stanley “The Terminator”
After losing one eye to cancer, US-based engineer and machinist Brian Stanley devised a flashlight called the “Titanium Skull Lamp”. Sitting inside his now vacant eye socket, the flashlight has the power to illuminate an entire room and enables Brian to read in the dark without any drawbacks. The battery has an estimated life of 20 years and the torch itself doesn’t get hot, meaning Brian has unlocked a new human capability and certifying himself as a living cyborg. See it in action with Brian’s full demonstration video. 

Neil Harbisson
Described as a ‘cyborg artist’, Neil Harbisson was the first person in the world to have an antenna implanted in his skull and therefore the first legally recognised cyborg. The antenna itself sends audible vibrations through Neil’s skull to report information to him, including measurements of electromagnetic radiation, phone calls and music. Neil is even able to review videos or images translated into audible vibrations, using Wi-Fi to receive signals and data from satellites. Although he had some trouble back in 2004 getting the device recognised as an organ instead of a device for a UK passport, Neil has been at the forefront of cyborg rights ever since and gives voices to people with non-human identities and supports people who want to become cyborgs.  

Mohsen Minaei 
Unlike the previous two examples, you wouldn’t be able to spot Mohsen’s cyborg enhancements at first glance, but he is actually the most advanced cyborg on this list! Mohsen’s human cyborg experiments start with a magnet in his left hand to easily pick up paper clips and a chip in his right arm that gives a constant reading of body temperature. The device you can see in the picture in Mohsen’s chest is attached with piercings and vibrates whenever he faces north. Now some less cyborg-enthusiasts people may ask why, but Mohsen isn’t alone, around 300 people across the globe are fitted with a North Sense chip.  

It might seem that these cyborg additions aren’t solving actual problems that humans need to overcome, but while the benefits seem minimal there is a method to this madness. Liviu Babitz, the inventor of the chip explains that the vibration wearers experience helps to create new neural pathways in their brains. “So instead of my reality being built from ‘x’ number of elements, now it’s ‘x plus one’ number of elements that I understand reality by,” he says.  

While the actual results of this technology are un-proven, the theory states that wearers will become aware of how they navigate without external help, acting as a form of brain training that potentially can generate a greater volume of nerve cells in the brain’s hippocampus.  

While as a species we may be far away from a Robocop-level cyborg, everyday innovators are exploring how technology can work with our out-dated, squishy, soft-hardware human suits and improve our everyday lives. And as technology improves to meet these requirements, one day humanity may be able to fuse entirely with the beautiful machine.