Human advancement: The age of cyborgs

[객원 에디터 8기 / 박준우 기자] For decades, humans have fantasized about increasing our capabilities using technology. The term cyborg was first coined in 1960 to refer to a person that was half human and half machine. While this type of cybernetic advancement may appear to be far away from being achieved, cybernetic implants are very present in society and improving at an exponential rate.

One example of a cybernetic implant is a cochlear implant. A cochlear implant is an electronic device that improves hearing and is normally used for those with severe hearing loss and cannot hear well with traditional hearing aids. It works by sending sounds past the damaged part of the ear straight to the cochlear nerve.

Another example of a cybernetic implant is the implantable brain-computer interface chips created by Elon Musk’s startup, Neuralink. It was revealed earlier this year that the company had made significant progress in the human testing phase and that the first chip recipient was able to move a computer mouse just by thinking.

There are many more examples of successful cybernetic implants, such as The Luke Arm, a highly advanced prosthetic arm that was able to give the user a sense of touch, or the Eyeborg Project, a project undertaken by filmmaker Rob Spence who replaced his missing right eye with a wirelessly transmitting video camera that was able to record up to 30 minutes of footage before running out of battery.

There are many enhancements to daily life that could be available in the future through cybernetic technology. For example, a prototype of an exosuit that was able to reduce strain on the user’s body and increase endurance and strength was created at Harvard. In addition, complete disease immunity has been theorized through injecting nanobots into our bloodstream to fight diseases and monitor our health.

Sources: Oxford Reference, Reuters, Interesting Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Futurism