By the definition of the word, ‘cyborgs’ already exist, and have done for a while. From prosthetics to pacemakers, many everyday people would be considered things of science fiction. Alongside the tremendous advances in prosthetic science, the field of implants also contain immense promise.

Using technological devices to correct some of the body’s malfunctions is not new though, as successes have been noted for many decades. In 1961, the first cochlear implant was implanted, yielding significant promise for those hard of hearing and deaf, which has only been fulfilled since. Up until December 2019, about 736,900 cochlear implants had been implanted worldwide.

Insulin pumps have been in consistent use since the 1990s while tracing their origin back to the 1970s. From the size of a soldier’s backpack to a pager, insulin pumps have come on leaps and bounds, and have no sign of slowing down. Perhaps a step towards a future where organs can be replaced by machines, ‘closed-loop’ insulin pumps promise to bridge the gap between infusion pumps and glucose sensors, acting like an artificial pancreas. 

Brain-Computer Interfaces

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are an increasingly notable field of research. From Ghost In The Shell (1995) to Black Mirror (2016), the idea of being able to read electrical signals from the brain or send interpretable signals into the brain is pervasive in science fiction. Ghost In The Shell’s (1995) ‘cyberbrain’ is a form of a BCI, able to coordinate other robotic prosthesis and the ability to virtually connect individuals amongst many other things.

In 2006, as part of the BrainGate project, a tetraplegic man was given control of a computer, television and robotic hand through a neuromotor prosthesis, a type of BCI. He was able to move a ‘neural cursor’ to open emails, change the television’s channel, and open and close a robotic hand, all through the device’s ability to interpret his neuronal activity.

More recently, the ability to ‘grasp, manipulate, and release objects’ is available to quadriplegic patients. This can be done by activating the muscles from intracortically recorded signals. Similar results have been found by the BrainGate team, who have reported reanimation of a participant’s paralysed arm and hand through neuromuscular electrical stimulation, all commanded by a BCI using their own cortical signals.

BCIs are also supported for becoming an assistive technology to those affected by locked-in syndrome (LiS). LiS is a disorder characterized by total paralysis of all voluntary muscles except those that control vertical eye movements, so people afflicted cannot speak, produce facial expressions, chew or swallow or move below their eyes. Though there are various forms of the syndrome, many communicate through vertical eye movements and blinking.

As you can imagine, the ability to translate brain activity to actions of external devices is incredibly promising in seeking to improve the quality of life of those with LiS. Back in 2022, a man in Germany received a BCI and asked to listen to a Tool album and a beer.

However, unlike other areas of bionics and cybernetics, significant challenges lie ahead for the BCI. Elon Musk endowed the BCI with international coverage with his company’s Neuralink, claiming “it’s kind of like a Fitbit in your skull, with tiny wires” and aiming to build off the previous work in the field.

These claims are heavily contested, and some believed that none are close to being achieved. While immediate therapeutic benefits are being seen across the board, the long-term stability of such invasive treatments are crucial if a universal rollout and adoption is to be achieved

Reuters reported that approximately 1500 animals, including pigs, sheep and monkeys, had been killed in experimentation since 2018. Although this doesn’t necessarily indicate any violation of the law or standard research practice, the number is higher than it needs to or should be.

Cyborg Artists

Besides medical advances, implanted devices with non-medical purposes have seen a rise in the last century. These bionics are what some might regard now as futuristic, extending or even creating new senses.

Moon Ribas

At the front of this new wave of cybernetic augmentation are artists, using these devices as forms of expression. Moon Ribas, a Catalonian choreographer, translates vibrations from an implant in her elbow into a dance routine. This implant senses earthquakes above 1.0 on the Richter scale, which then vibrates accordingly. Since having this removed, Ribas has reported feeling “phantom earthquakes”.

She also conceived a pair of earrings that sensed velocity of those around her, granting 360^o perception of the velocity of those around her.

Neil Harbisson

Neil Harbisson was born with achromatopsia, total colour blindness, where all 3 of the types of cones responsible for colour discrimination do not function at all. In 2012, Harbisson had a microchip osseointegrated in the back of his neck, which emits a tone he can hear via bone conduction. This comes in response to the colour detected by an antenna over his head which is also osseointegrated inside his skull. In addition to colours, Harbisson can perceive infrared and ultraviolet.

Experiments into providing rats with the ability to sense infrared via optic implants are yielding promising results. Similar to the natural phenomenon of synaesthesia, Harbisson is able to hear colour, but he describes this as a new sense: sonochromatism. He has said in the past that he is treating his body and brain “as a sculpture” and claims to be the first legally recognised cyborg, and as of 2004, his passport photo shows him and his antenna.

Transhumanism

Ribas and Harbisson founded the Cyborg Foundation in 2010 to “help humans become cyborgs, defend the rights of cyborgs and promote cyborg art”. Harbisson’s device is one of many throughout the world that the Cyborg Foundation says aims to ‘extend’ or create new senses. They believe that these extensions are not simply devices, but extensions of the body.

Their work identifies with the philosophies of transhumanism, an ideology affiliated with the field of bionics, but bordering on the realms of science fiction. A transhumanist is someone who views human nature as a work-in-progress, seeking to use technology to change the human condition. Even now, there are developments around that exceed the imagination of science fiction.

The potential of brain-computer interfaces exceeds the fields of healthcare, medicine, neuroscience, and even leisure. Although there remain many hurdles in making these devices totally safe, affordable, and convienient, these advancements, comparable in impact to the introduction of the mobile smartphone, herald a bright future, and maybe, the next step in human evolution.

Find Out More!

Brain Computer Interfaces: The Reciprocal Role of Science Fiction and Reality

Elon Musk’s Neuralink is Neuroscience Theater

Spelling Interface Using Intracortical Signals in a Completely Locked-In Patient Enabled via Auditory Neurofeedback Training

Summary of over Fifty Years with Brain-Computer Interfaces—A Review

Black Mirror – “The Entire History of You“, “Playtest“

To Be A Machine

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