Cyborgs are among us. Cyborgs as a full-fledged human existence Hybrid Auxiliary Limbs

Valery Spiridonov, for RIA Novosti

Valery Spiridonov, the first candidate for a head transplant, talks about why people have always sought to give themselves “extra” limbs and how the development of augmentation technologies can revolutionize not only the economy, but also a person’s entire life.

From Ancient Egypt to modern Japan

Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has strived to improve the standard of living and expand the capabilities of the human body. People tried to compensate for their limited physical abilities with special devices.

The history of prosthetics dates back to the times Ancient Egypt. A mummy preserved from those times was found to have a prosthetic big toe. Made about three thousand years ago, the artificial toe was attached to the foot with a leather muff and helped maintain stability when walking.

© Photo: University of Basel/LHTT, Matjaž Kačičnik

© Photo: University of Basel/LHTT, Matjaž Kačičnik

And in 2001, during excavations in Saqqara, a prosthetic arm with leather straps for attachment to the body was discovered. The device was manufactured at the end of the 27th century BC and was used as a functional prosthesis. When the left knee was bent, the elbow bent, and when the body was turned in different directions, the hand was compressed and unclenched.

Ancient Egyptian bas-reliefs also often feature images of dentists with forceps. And the classic image of a pirate is a man with a wooden leg and often with an iron hook instead of a hand. The hook had advantages in close combat and was one of the first examples of bionic enhancement.

However, the first prosthetic legs and arms, as well as dental implants, were largely fake. They did not allow us to fully restore the volume of a person’s physical capabilities.

Human augmentation creates supermen

Today, limb prosthetics, installation of pacemakers, hearing aids and dental implants have become part of widespread medical practice.

With the development of technology, a new type of prosthetics has emerged - augmentation. Augmentation means not just the replacement of a lost organ, but also the acquisition of superpowers that were previously not characteristic of humans.

Carlson, Superman, Spider-Man, Terminator, The Magnificent Four - fantastic comics, films and fairy tales about people endowed with unusual abilities are becoming reality today.

And many don’t even think that the time of terminators has already come and cyborg people have become a part of our society.

A separate direction of development has also been formed high technology, combining medicine and robotics - biomechatronics.

Cybernetic hands

Prosthetics human hands It is still far from a complete replacement in terms of functionality.

Modern bionic prostheses are driven by reading the electrical potential of the stump muscles as they contract using electrical voltage sensors. In this way, the hand is compressed and unclenched. But it is almost impossible to perform movements that require special precision, for example, picking up coins.

The main companies producing such bionic prostheses in Russia are Maxbionic and Motorica.

The most advanced prosthetic arm, Luca Arm, was developed by Mibius Bionic for DARPA, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The prosthesis reads and recognizes signals from electromyographic electrodes adjacent to the muscles to carry out specific commands. Equipped with various settings, the device allows you to work with fragile and heavy objects, as well as perform complex actions, such as brushing your teeth.

However, existing prosthetic hands are designed to partially replace lost functions and are not yet equipped with cyber options.

Cyborg legs

Bionic leg prostheses, in addition to motor function, must provide effective shock absorption. These engineering problems were solved at the American Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The created prosthesis consists of sensors that determine the position of the leg in space and motors that carry out movement. On a battery charge, the artificial leg can work for up to three days.

It allows you to sit down and stand up, as well as walk up the stairs.

MIT professor Hugh Herr invented the Power Foot, an alternative prosthetic device. He has lost both legs and is testing prosthetics on himself. Their peculiarity is their ability to imitate the pressure of a human leg and cushion walking. Cyberlegs are much lighter than your own, but can withstand a load of up to 130 kilograms, allowing you to dance, run, climb to the top, picking up brain signals. In addition, these limbs are equipped with sensors that analyze the road surface.

Exoskeletons

A functionally expanded version of lower limb prostheses are exoskeletons. The largest manufacturers of exoskeletons are Indego in the USA, ReWalk in Israel, Hybrid Assistive Limb and Ekso Bionic in Japan. The approximate cost of the exoskeleton ranges from 75 to 120 thousand euros. Projects to develop exoskeletons are being carried out in parallel in other countries.

The Russian robotics team "Exoatlet" has been creating its own analogues of exoskeletons since 2011. Designed for use in clinical settings, ExoAtlet I is equipped with a wide range of capabilities thanks to a computer control system, sensors and the option of muscle stimulation through electrical impulses.

The company is testing in medical centers in Russia free programs rehabilitation of patients with impaired function of the lower extremities after injuries and various diseases using ExoAtlet I.

The device for home use is designed for automatic walking and will serve as a partial replacement for a wheelchair.

The Rex Bionics exoskeleton, presented by a company from New Zealand, allows people with paraplegics to walk independently, while leaving their hands free.

The device is activated using a joystick, has a light weight for such a design, about 38 kilograms, and can support a user weighing up to 100 kilograms.

Superman or Carlson? It's all in the suit

An example of an exoskeleton that gives a person superpowers is XOS 2 from the American company Raytheon. This is a robotic suit that allows you to lift two to three times more weight than a normal person can lift.

Such inventions are most often used in military and intelligence structures, but they can also be used in construction, as well as during heavy physical work to reduce the load on the spine and muscles.

Another company, Trek Aerospace, has given the exoskeleton flight functions. The built-in jet engine will allow the device to gain flight speeds of up to 112 kilometers per hour and hover motionless in the air. Flying, overtaking traffic jams and not stopping at traffic lights, is probably what many would like to do right now. And at this speed, of course, it’s better to have cyber vision.

Cyber ​​eyes

There are many projects to create eye implants that provide full compensation for lost vision.

The bionic eyes of the German company Alpha IMS are perhaps the most interesting of those devices that have already undergone clinical trials. The prosthesis includes 1,500 electrodes placed under the retina. Currently, technology makes it possible to distinguish people's faces and read fairly large inscriptions.

The developers of Ocumetics Technology, who created bionic lenses, managed to get closest to the function of eye cyberprostheses. Bionic Lenses replace natural lenses through cataract surgery.

Lenses have dynamic properties: connecting with the muscles of the eye, they self-focus at different distances. Thanks to the lenses, visual acuity will increase to 30 meters, and at short distances a person will be able to see more than through a microscope.

One of the unique advantages of these cyberlenses is that a person using bionic lenses spends one hundred times less energy than using his own eye. And accordingly, he does not feel tired after hard work. The company plans to launch mass production of lenses in the next couple of years.

A subsequent upgrade of the device is also planned. In the future, a smartphone interface will be displayed on the retina of the eye and drugs will be delivered directly. Due to the improvement of prosthetic technologies, such operations have become widespread among people without disabilities.

Experimental augmentations

Should a person without physical limitations get a cyber implant to acquire new abilities?

Adherents of cyber technologies are unlikely to think seriously about this, but there are brave souls who voluntarily install implants that have no particular value or are of questionable usefulness.

Sleight of hand or chip hacking

The emerging smart cyber tattoos with Tech Tats electrodes have aroused interest. They are capable of measuring pressure and body temperature. It is planned to expand the functions of the device until it partially replaces the smartphone. When applied to the throat, the tattoo can be used as a microphone. But why implant a cyber implant into the body if a phone and a fitness bracelet can handle such functions?

A whole culture of biohackers has emerged, experimenting with interest in augmenting their own bodies.

Thus, radio frequency recognition chips - RFID chips - have received a new application. They are involved in many areas Everyday life and are present on all subway tickets and on stickers on goods in the store.

A daredevil named Amal Graafstra decided to expand their use by inserting one chip into each hand. With their help, he can easily open the doors of a house or car and enter his Accounts on the global network.

Another example: a resourceful Finnish programmer who lost his finger in an accident replaced it with a two-gigabyte flash drive. Externally, the implant looks like a prosthetic finger, and when you remove the cover, a convenient flash device appears that will not get lost and is always at hand.

In the name of the law

Currently, the implantation of chips or other devices into the human body is not regulated by law in Russia and most other countries. At the moment, such procedures are still equated to piercing.

But even minimal augmentation can cause a number of side effects. For example, when a magnetic chip comes into contact with another magnet, the implant begins to rotate under the skin, causing quite painful sensations. And when using technology, a finger with a chip may begin to vibrate. And of course, allergic reactions and implant rejection are possible. In addition, any augmentation makes it difficult to diagnose the body, since it excludes the possibility of tomography.

Despite this, the enormous advantages of cyborgization are obvious. Many cyber prosthetics technologies are unique in matters of domestic and international security. And their practical application is becoming more accessible to the general public every year.

A variety of cyber prosthetics allow you to compensate for physical limitations and also experience a completely different level of capabilities. The ability to perceive one’s own body as a functional organism used to solve a number of problems creates a generation of cyborg people with new values ​​and ideas about life.

Thanks to science fiction films and books, humanity seems to have become accustomed to the idea that cyborgs will live among us in the future. However, it's hard to believe that the future is already here, and real cyborgs have been around for many decades already live next to us. This ordinary people- but with pacemakers, prosthetic limbs, biosensors or hearing implants. So what are “cybernetic fabrics”, who competes in Cybathlon and what ethical questions arise in this regard?

Technically modified and improved creatures without emotions and feelings - such associations with the word “cyborg” usually pop up in the head thanks to modern mass culture. In fact, “cybernetic organism” - and this is exactly what the unabridged version of the term sounds like - means only a union biological organism and some kind of mechanism. The cyborgs living among us do not always look like robots patched up in iron: these are people with pacemakers, insulin pumps, and biosensors in tumors. Many of them cannot even be detected “by eye” - except perhaps by the signal of a metal detector in a public place.

Now the implantation of medical devices is one of the most profitable types of business in the United States. Such devices are used to restore body functions, to improve life, and to conduct invasive tests.

Implanted technology: from traditional devices to the latest developments

It's hard to believe, but a tandem of scientists and doctors has been successfully creating cyborgs for several decades. It all started with the cardiovascular system. More than 50 years ago, the first completely subcutaneous pacemaker- a device that maintains and/or regulates the patient's heart rate. Today, more than 500,000 such devices are implanted annually. New technologies have also emerged: for example, there is an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for the treatment of life-threatening tachycardia and fibrillation.

But what is most striking is that in a couple of years it is planned to conduct testing artificial heart BiVACOR in humans (Fig. 1) - experiments on sheep have already been successful. It does not pump blood like a pump, but simply “moves” it - therefore, future patients with such a cardiac prosthesis will not have a pulse. The device can completely replace the patient's own heart and last up to 10 years, according to the developers. In addition, it is small (to fit both a child and a woman), but powerful (to work successfully in the body of an adult man). IN modern world, where there is a constant catastrophic shortage of donor organs, this device would be simply irreplaceable. The device is powered externally using transcutaneous transmission. The design, using magnetic levitation and rotating discs, prevents wear and tear - one of the problems with other designs that mimic the structure of a real heart. “Smart” sensors help adjust the BiVACOR’s blood flow speed to the user’s physical and emotional activity.

In addition to the heart, devices are traditionally integrated into the body for drug delivery for chronic diseases - as, for example, an insulin pump does for diabetes mellitus (Fig. 2). Now the same devices are used to deliver drugs during chemotherapy or the treatment of chronic pain.

Implantables are becoming more and more popular neurostimulators- deivas that stimulate certain nerves in the human body. They are being developed for use in epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, chronic pain (video 1), urinary incontinence, obesity, arthritis, hypertension and many other disorders.

Video 1: How spinal cord stimulation changes pain signals before they reach the brain

Implantables have reached a completely new level. devices for improving vision and hearing , .

Measure everything: biosensors

All of the developments mentioned are designed to restore lost or absent body function. But another direction in technology development has emerged - miniature implantable biosensors, recording changes in the physiological parameters of the body. The implantation of such a device also turns the patient into a cyborg - although in a slightly unusual sense of the word, because the body does not acquire any superpowers.

A biosensor is a device consisting of sensitive element- a bioreceptor that recognizes the desired substance, - signal converter, which translates this information into a signal for transmission, and signal processor. There are a lot of such biosensors: immunobiosensors, enzymatic biosensors, genobiosensors... With the help of new technologies, ultrasensitive bioreceptors are able to “detect” glucose, cholesterol, E. coli, influenza and human papilloma viruses, cell components, certain DNA sequences, acetylcholine, dopamine, cortisol, glutamic, ascorbic and uric acids, immunoglobulins (IgG and IgE) and many other molecules.

One of the most promising areas is the use of biosensors in oncology. By monitoring changes in specific parameters directly in the tumor, it is possible to make a verdict on the effectiveness of treatment and attack the cancer precisely at the moment when it is most sensitive to a particular effect. Such targeted, planned therapy can, for example, reduce the side effects of radiation or suggest whether it is worth changing the main medication. In addition, by measuring the concentrations of various cancer biomarkers, it is sometimes possible to diagnose the neoplasm itself and determine its malignancy, but the main thing is to detect a relapse in time.

Some people have a question: how do the patients themselves react to the fact that devices have been implanted into their bodies and thereby turned into some kind of cyborgs? There is still little research on this topic. However, it has already been shown that at least men with prostate cancer have a positive attitude towards the implantation of biosensors: the idea of ​​​​becoming a cyborg scares them much less than the possibility of losing their masculinity due to prostate cancer.

Progress in technology

The widespread use of implantable devices is closely related to technical improvements. For example, the first implantable pacemakers were the size of a hockey puck and could be used for less than three years. Now such devices have become much more compact and operate from 6 to 10 years. In addition, batteries are being actively developed that could use the user’s own body energy - thermal, kinetic, electrical or chemical.

Another direction of engineering is the development of a special coating for devices that would facilitate the integration of the device into the body and would not cause an inflammatory response. Similar developments already exist.

There is another way to combine a sensor and living tissue. Researchers from Harvard University have developed so-called cybernetic fabrics, which are not rejected by the body, but at the same time read the necessary characteristics by sensors. Their base is a flexible polymer network with attached nanoelectrodes or transistors. Due to its large number of pores, it imitates the natural supporting structures of tissue. It can be populated with cells: neurons, cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells. In addition, the soft frame reads the physiological parameters of its environment in volume and in real time.

Now, a Harvard team has successfully implanted such a grid into the brain of a rat to study the activity and stimulation of individual neurons (Figure 3). The scaffold integrated into the tissue and did not elicit an immune response during the five-week follow-up period. Charles Lieber, the head of the laboratory and the main author of the publications, believes that the “mesh” can even help in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Figure 3. The folded “mesh” is inserted into the brain with a syringe, then unfolded and monitors the activity of individual neurons using built-in sensors.

In the future, the development can be used in regenerative medicine, transplantology, and cellular biophysics. It will also be useful in the development of new drugs: the reaction of cells to a substance can be observed in volume.

Scientists have proposed another fascinating way out of the catastrophic situation with the transplantation of scarce organs. So-called cardiac cybernetic patch is a combination of organics and technology: living cardiomyocytes, polymers and a complex nanoelectronic 3D system. The created tissue with embedded electronics is capable of stretching, recording the state of the microenvironment and heartbeats, and even conducting electrical stimulation. The “plaster” can be applied to a damaged area of ​​the heart - for example, to the area of ​​necrosis after a heart attack. In addition, it releases growth factors and drugs such as dexamethasone to recruit stem cells into repair processes and reduce inflammation, for example after transplantation (Figure 4). The device is still in the very early stages of development, but it is planned that the doctor will be able to monitor the patient's condition from his computer in real time. To regenerate tissue in emergency conditions, the patch could trigger the release of therapeutic molecules that are encased in electroactive polymers, with different polymers releasing positively and negatively charged molecules.

Figure 4. An example of “cybernetic tissue” - a cardiac “patch” made from living heart cells with embedded nanoelectronics. It transmits information about environment

and heartbeats in real time to the attending physician, who, if necessary, can use a patch to stimulate the heart or trigger the release of active molecules.

Previously, it was believed that after injury, neurons greatly reorganize and create new connections. However, a new study has shown that the degree of reorganization of nerve cells is not so high.

Ian Burkhart broke his neck at age 19 while diving into waves on vacation. Now paralyzed from the shoulders down, he decided to volunteer for an experiment by Chad Bouton's research group. Scientists took fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) of the subject's brain while he was focusing on a video of hand movements, and identified the part of the motor cortex responsible for this. A chip was implanted into it that reads the electrical activity of this area of ​​the brain when the patient imagines the movements of his hand. The chip converts and transmits the signal through a cable to the computer, and then this information goes in the form of an electrical signal to a flexible sleeve around the subject’s right arm and stimulates the muscles (Fig. 5; Video 2).

Video 2. Ian Burkhart is the first paralyzed person to regain the ability to move his arm thanks to developing technologies

After training, Ian can move his fingers separately and perform six different movements wrists and hands. It might not seem like much yet, but this already allows you to raise a glass of water and play a video game that depicts playing music on an electric guitar. When asked what it is like to live with an implanted device, the first paralyzed person who was given back the ability to move replies that he is already used to it and does not notice it - moreover, it is like an extension of his body.

Cybersociety

People with prosthetics perhaps fit best into the standard perception of man-machine. However, it is much more difficult for such cyborgs to live in reality than for similar book and movie characters. The statistics on global disability are staggering. According to WHO, about 15% of the world's population has varying degrees of physical disability, and from 110 to 190 million people experience significant difficulties with the functioning of the body. The vast majority of people with disabilities have to use conventional bulky wheelchairs or uncomfortable and expensive prosthetics. However, now it is possible to quickly, efficiently and cheaply create the desired prosthesis using 3D printing. According to scientists, this is the way to help, first of all, children from developing countries and all those who have limited access to medical services.

Some active cyborgs do not waste time and take part in various open meetings. For example, last year's Geek Picnic festival, held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, was dedicated specifically to human machines. There you could see a giant robotic arm, communicate with people whose bodies have been improved by technology, and experience virtual reality.

In October 2016, the world's first Olympics for people with disabilities will be held in Zurich - (Cybathlon). At this competition, you can use those devices that were excluded from the Paralympic Games program. Some have already dubbed this event the “Olympiad for cyborgs,” since technical devices will make a significant contribution to the victory (Fig. 6). Participants will compete in six disciplines using powered wheelchairs, prosthetics and exoskeletons, electrical muscle stimulation devices and even a brain-computer interface.

Figure 6. Cybathlon is the first Olympics in which people with disabilities compete with each other using technical innovations.

When winning, one medal is awarded to the athlete, the second - to the developer of the mechanism. Athletes who drive cars will be dubbed “pilots.” In each discipline, two medals are awarded: one to the person operating the device, the second to the company or laboratory that developed the “champion” mechanism. According to the organizers, the main goal of the competition is not only to show new assistive technologies for everyday life, but also to remove the boundaries between people with disabilities and the general public. In addition, as Professor Robert Riener from the University of Switzerland said in an interview with the BBC, the Olympiad will be able to bring together developers and direct users of new devices, which is simply necessary to improve technology:“Some of today's designs look really cool, but they have a long way to go to be practical and easy to use.”

. We can only hope that the human component will not be lost during the competition, and Cybathlon will not turn into an advertising race for equipment from different companies.

Posthumans: cyborgs and bioethics

New implantable technologies are generally perceived positively by society. This is not surprising: after all, they maintain, restore and improve health, facilitate access to medical services, while they are safe and in the future can significantly reduce healthcare costs on a global scale. However, as soon as we talk about such patients as cyborgs, connotations from science fiction immediately emerge (Fig. 7). The main concerns are related to fear for human humanity: what if machines change people and they lose their human essence? Where is the border between artificial and natural for humans and is it worth using such a division to evaluate any phenomenon? Is it possible to divide a cyborg patient with an implanted device into two separate components - a person and a machine - or is it already a whole new organism?

In addition, sometimes even in normal hospital settings it is impossible to separate patients and the equipment that supports them. Medical staff need to take care of technology as if it were not just an extension of the patient’s body, but also of themselves. The difference between therapy and improving the body is also actively discussed: therapy enhancement, . For example, how would you feel about a competition between a drummer with two arms and a drummer with one arm and a prosthetic arm? What if you found out that two drumsticks are built into the prosthesis, one of which is controlled by a sensor that reads the electromyogram from the muscles, and the second is not controlled by a person and “improvises”, adapting to the first stick? By the way, such a prosthesis is not a fiction at all, but a reality: drummer Jason Barnes lost his right arm below the elbow several years ago and now uses just such a device (video 3). “I bet a lot of metal drummers would be jealous of what I can do. Speed ​​is good. Always the faster the better", says the cyborg drummer.

Video 3. Cyborg drummer Jason Barnes, after losing part of his arm, had no need to say goodbye to his musical career: with a special prosthesis, he will give odds to most of his colleagues

Interestingly, the debate is not only about technology, but also about new drugs that improve brain function. Even appeared special term - neuroethics- to discuss various aspects of the existence of people “improved” with the help of neuroimplants. And if we use the concept of progressive technologies more broadly, then cyborgs can also include people with biotechnological “improvements”: for example, recipients of organs created from induced pluripotent cells.

The London exhibition became a unique response to such discussions. Superhuman in the Wellcome Collection. It featured exhibits reflecting a person’s ideas about improving his body: images of the flying Icarus, the first glasses, Viagra, a photo of the first “test tube baby,” cochlear implants... Maybe it’s the craving for improvements and new developments that is most important Isn’t that a natural thing for humans?

For many reasons, it has not been possible to come to a consensus on what makes a person human and fundamentally distinguishes him, on the one hand, from other living beings, and on the other, from robots.

Finally, another issue arises, which is still little thought about - the problem of security and controllability. How can such devices be made resistant to hacker attacks? After all, the insecurity of such developments can be extremely dangerous not only for the user himself, but also for those around him. Perhaps this is the question that will most concern the next generation of users (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. The rich imagination of Japanese scriptwriters has already brought the hacking theme to life: What if in the future cyborgs will have to investigate murders committed by hacked robots?..

Perhaps cyborg people controlled from the outside are the worst thing. At least for today. However, with simpler nervous systems this is actively practiced. For example, biobot insects are successfully used for search and rescue purposes - for example, Madagascar cockroaches (Fig. 9). In addition, such modernized, simply designed creatures are also excellent experimental objects for neurobiology.

Figure 9. Biobot is a creature with a simple nervous system that can be controlled by implanted technology. It is unlikely that it will be possible to repeat this for the human brain due to the complex structure of the organ.

Conclusion

Cyborgs already live among us - whether some members of the public like it or not. Technical boundaries are being pushed, and new developments are sure to improve the quality of life for many people with disabilities and help in medical practice.

“I think the future of chronic disease management is implantable devices, says Sadie Creese from the Martin School at Oxford University. - They will measure vital important characteristics and send them to the healthcare provider, whoever it is and wherever it is". In this way, Sadie says, one can imagine consultants and doctors all over the world: ideally, any local doctor could receive alerts about a patient's health through a single app. Indeed, it is possible that the entire system of patient management will change in the very near future. It’s worth taking a look at the rapidly developing field of implantable devices - and such an algorithm no longer seems unrealistic. And mobile applications and their use in healthcare will be discussed in

When we hear about cyborgs (“cybernetic organisms”), our minds invariably turn to science fiction. But in reality, cyborgs have been around for a long time: for example, look at people with pacemakers and ear implants. Their bodies are a combination of organic, electronic and biomechanical parts. In our selection you will meet people whose bodies are integrated with technology in much more extreme ways.

1. Jerry Jalawa

Jerry Jalaw's finger is a hard drive, although the word "flash drive" seems more appropriate here. He lost part of his finger in an accident, and did what any sane person would do (pun intended): he turned his finger into a hard drive. A disk with a USB port is located inside the prosthesis, and the prosthesis is attached to what is left of the finger. Whenever Jerry needs to use the hard drive, he simply removes the prosthesis, plugs it in, and once everything is done, removes it. Which for the first time makes it possible to steal important data with a handshake - like in a movie about spies.

2. Blade Runners

Most of us have heard of Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprinter. He is a double leg amputee and competed in the 2012 Summer Paralympics before being convicted of murdering his girlfriend. Pistorius uses carbon fiber J-shaped prosthetics, which allow him to maintain mobility despite his disability. Many Paralympians use this type of carbon fiber in their prosthetics because it is lightweight and durable. And while Pistorius is hardly a role model, this type of prosthetics is becoming increasingly common.

3. Rob Spence

Rob Spence calls himself a "Glasborg." He lost his right eye due to an unsuccessful shot from a gun. Many people would get by just fine after something like this glass eye, but Spence seemed to have decided to have some fun and inserted a video camera with a battery into his empty eye socket. The camera records everything he sees for later playback. Spence, as befits a director, is constantly improving his camera eye to make it even more effective.

4. Tim Cannon

Software developer Tim Cannon has an electronic chip implanted under his skin by friends. And by the way, none of the participants in this procedure were certified surgeons. They used ice to relieve pain, since there were no certified anesthesiologists among them either. Despite the health and legal risks, the idea itself is interesting.

The chip is called Circadia 1.0, and it records Cannon's body temperature and sends that data to a smartphone. Cannon's case points to the possibility of further merging of technology and people, where data collected by chips could be used to change our environment. In the future, such technologies may be used in “smart homes” that will read data from implanted chips and then change the environment, making it more suitable for our mood and state. For example, dim the lights or turn on relaxing music.

5. Amal Graafstra

Amal Graafstra is the owner of a company called Dangerous Things, which sells self-implanting implant kits. Amal himself has RFID chips implanted in both hands, between his thumbs and forefingers. These implants allow him to unlock doors in his house, open his car, and turn on his computer with a quick scan of his hands. The chips even provide integration into social networks.

Amal's implants are not visible until he shows them himself. He uses them not to return his functionality or senses to normal levels, but to improve existing, normal functionality.

6. Cameron Clapp

Cameron Clapp has a human head, a human torso and left hand. He lost both legs and his right arm as a teenager in a train accident. All missing limbs were replaced with prosthetics, which does not prevent Clapp from being a runner, golfer and actor. Used on prosthetic legs special system stimulating muscle growth. There are also sensors that monitor the distribution of body weight and regulate the hydraulics, allowing Clapp to walk freely. He has several sets of prostheses for different purposes: a separate set for walking, for running and even for swimming.

7. Kevin Warwick

The nickname "Captain Cyborg" sounds more like the name of a cyborg pirate from some low-budget film, but in fact it is the name of cybernetics teacher Kevin Warwick. Warwick himself is a cyborg. He, like Amal Graafstra, has RFID chips implanted in his body.

Warwick also uses electrode implants that interact with his nervous system, and he implanted a set of simple electrodes into his wife. The implants record signals from the nervous system and Warwick's sensations are transmitted to his wife, as if there is sensory telepathy between them. With this, Warwick provoked a lot of controversy, and some claim that all his work is just a publicity stunt and is carried out purely for entertainment.

8. Nigel Ackland

Nigel Ackland was working in a precious metals factory and enjoying life until a work accident left his hand shattered. As a result, the part had to be amputated, and Nigel is now one of 250 people using Bebionic - one of the most advanced prosthetic arms available today. Seeing its stylish design, it's easy to see why it's called the "Terminator Hand".

Eklund controls the prosthesis by contracting the muscles in the rest of his arm. Muscle movements are recorded by a bionic arm sensor. With this hand he can not only point, shake people's hands and make phone calls. The technology is so advanced that Eklund can play with a deck of cards and even tie his shoelaces.

9. Neil Harbisson

Neil Harbisson hears colors. Yes, you heard it wrong. Harbisson has been color blind since birth and can only see in black and white. An antenna is implanted into his brain, the end of which protrudes from the top of his head. This antenna gives Neil the ability to sense colors by converting light wave frequencies into sound frequencies. It even has Bluetooth!

Harbisson loves listening to architecture and making sound portraits of people. A USB device in the back of his head allows him to recharge the antenna, although Neil hopes to one day be able to charge it wirelessly, using energy generated by his own body.

This device allows Harbisson not only to perceive the color spectrum as we all perceive it, it actually makes it possible to distinguish between infrared and ultraviolet colors. The integration of technology into Harbisson's body expands his senses beyond the range we consider normal and makes him a true cyborg.

10. Hybrid assistive limb

The Hybrid Assistive Limb is a powerful exoskeleton that can help anyone who sits walk again. wheelchairs. It was created by Japan's University of Tsukuba and Cyberdyne (where apparently no one had heard of the movie Terminator) to not only support people with disabilities, but also help them move beyond the normal range of human physical abilities.

The esoskeleton works by reading weak signals from the skin and moving its joints based on those signals. Using it, a person is able to lift five times his own weight. Imagine a future in which such exoskeletons are used by construction workers, firefighters, miners, and soldiers. A future where losing a limb doesn't mean losing your mobility. This future is just around the corner.

Cyborgs are an invention of humanity that is capable of combining a living organism and a machine. It’s easier to say that these are people who, in addition to their organs, have artificial mechanical and electronic additions that allow them to live and move fully. Don't think that these are robots or androids. These are ordinary people whose organs have been replaced with prosthetics for a full existence.

Where did the idea come from?

Scientists first put forward this idea in 1960. And it took place in space flights. They proposed not to change the atmosphere in spaceships, but to adapt a person to the conditions of this environment. It was planned to achieve this with the help of modifications that would allow people to transform themselves for their survival.

The field of science that allows us to combine technical elements in the human body is called bioelectronics. Nowadays, the introduction of pacemakers is widely used in medicine - for the full functioning of the heart, eye implants - to solve vision problems. Moreover, these operations have become quite familiar and do not cause surprise. But not everyone knows that such people can safely be called Cyborgs.
Currently, we are simply surrounded by modern achievements and use them to the fullest. For example, when driving a car, when wearing glasses, when using modern technology that makes our life easier. That is, we are already part of human-machine interaction. And they are dependent both technically and informationally on the modern sociosphere, using what is closer to the body (players, phones, computers, etc.). But at the same time we preserve the natural state, including basic viable functions. Therefore, scientists insist on using the term Cyborg for people who various reasons resorted to operations in which they used the interaction of the body with technology for the normal functioning of the body and a full-fledged existence.
Of course, opinions on this matter differ. But Scientific research continue, and have already gone far ahead, opening up new opportunities for humanity

We have received technologies that provide many improved ways to connect to the outside world. In reality, the line between technology and reality has become unusually thin. Looking into the future, it is not difficult to imagine that this line will disappear completely as people and technology merge and become indistinguishable. Some philosophers and scientists believe that this technological advancement can only be achieved in a few generations. In other words, we are rapidly moving towards the point where people will become cyborgs.
But for some of us, this future has already arrived. Cybernetic technology has developed to the point where it can be said that bionic people are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Don't believe me? We invite you to get acquainted with the real ones - people who partly remained a living organism, and partly voluntarily became a machine.

Neil Harbisson

Claudia Mitchell

Claudia Mitchell became the first female cyborg when she was given a bionic limb. Her robotic arm is similar to Jess Sullivan's device. The limb is connected to the nervous system, providing mental control.
The choice of movements is very wide, which allows the owner of the device to prepare food, hold a basket of laundry, fold clothes - that is, do all the daily work.