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The future is bright, the future is cybernetic.
It’s often said that the latest tech-obsessed generation would probably have to be surgically removed from their smartphones. Whilst this is hopefully metaphorical (unless something has gone very wrong for you), there are people out there who are shifting humanity ever closer to a cyborg reality.
On the one hand, you have the Grinders, a group of amateur enthusiasts who use experimental implants to cybernetically enhance their bodies and their senses. Then there are also the scientists and researchers working at the cutting edge of human enhancement in both medical and military fields.
This all sounds very sci-fi (because it is) but, as we’re already living in a world of cochlear implants and wearable technology, it might not be long before your personal tech is literally under your skin.
9. Superhuman Night Vision
There are fish that live in the deep ocean, below the photic zone, that have an almost miraculous ability to see in the dark. Now, a California-based biohacking group, Science for the Masses, have managed to develop an eye drop solution that can temporarily grant the same ability in humans.
The main ingredient in the drops is a chemical called Chlorin e6, which is found in the eyes of the aforementioned deep sea fish, it works by creating a chemical reaction that amplifies the light reaching the retina. By mixing this with saline and insulin and dropping it into the eyes of a willing volunteer, the group were able to impart excellent night vision that lasted for several hours.
Gabriel Licina, the brave volunteer, was able to identify people up to 50 metres away in total darkness 100% of the time. There were apparently no notable side effects, apart from the need to wear sunglasses in normal light and some badass shark eyes.
8. Become A Compass
If you’re one of those people with zero sense of direction, then this could be the biohack for you.
However, there are some who think that we could be trained to have an innate sense of direction. Researchers at the University of Osnabrück in Germany fitted some volunteers with a belt with 30 vibrating motors attached. These motors would vibrate and constantly indicate the direction of magnetic north, or even guide the wearer when they programmed their destination into an app.
The researchers and volunteers found that, over time, they were able to intuitively navigate on a subcognitive, subconscious level, almost as though it had become just another one of their senses. Not only would this be extremely helpful for the directionally challenged amongst us, but it is thought that it would enable the blind to travel much more easily.
This could be a similar process used by animals that navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field. Perhaps if the technology were combined with the magnetic subdermal implants, we might well be on our way to developing a true sixth sense.
7. Subdermal LEDs
Okay, so these implants don’t exactly do anything, but what’s the point of being a cyborg if you can’t look like one?
Grindhouse Wetware biohackers implanted this LED device under their skin to emulate bioluminescence seen in the natural world. The device, which is about the size of a £2 coin, is activated using magnets and can be used to illuminate tattoos or just look generall badass.
Because the procedure is not endorsed by the medical profession, it is performed by tattoo artists and body modification experts without anaesthetic – that’s certainly dedication to the cause.
The company is also working on a variety of models with different capabilities, including Bluetooth that could be used to control devices with gestures. These will eventually filter down the market, but for now we can at least pretend that we’re Tony Stark.
6. Zooming Cybernetic Lenses
This is one of things that were just pure sci-fi, before quietly cropping up in reality.
The bionic lens, developed by a Canadian optometrist, could potentially enhance eyesight up to three times as much as what is currently considered perfect, or 20/20 vision, and would enable the wearer to actually zoom in on distant or tiny objects.
These lenses are like your disposable dailies. They would be inserted into the eye surgically, in a procedure lasting less than 10 minutes. As an added bonus, the lenses wouldn’t degrade, offering lifelong protection against cataracts and failing eyesight.
There is also potential to integrate virtual reality and head-up displays, producing truly bionic vision.
5. Magnetoreception
Magnets are a favourite of Grinders because they’re relatively simple, small, cheap and easy to implant, yet they can impart a pretty cool superpower: Magnetoreception.
There are plenty of animals that naturally have this ability, allowing them to navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetic implant allows its owner to detect electromagnetic fields in much the same way. Some even report being able to tell the difference between AC and DC current – the former feeling like pins and needles, the latter more like a bubble pushing against the skin.
As the procedure is very much a DIY affair at the moment – administered without anaesthetic – the results are varied, with implants sometimes getting rejected by the body. It’s also probably advisable to stay away from strong magnet, lest your implant gets ripped from your body.
The implant also allows you to pick up metal objects without grasping them, useful for winning bets in bars if nothing else.
4. Implanted Headphones
In 2013, Utah Grinder Richard Lee had a pair of magnetic “headphones” implanted into his tragus (that’s the cartilage-y bit of your ear over the opening). Using a specialised necklace to create a magnetic field, the implant can vibrate and play sound into his ear that only he can hear.
Whilst it’s handy to be able to listen to music without blocking out ambient noise such as traffic, the implant is much more than a fancy iPod. Lee, who is gradually losing his sight, uses the technology to augment his senses and even echolocate like a bat.
Although it is still in its early stages, with power supply being the main issue, the technology, which works by electromagnetic induction, could be used to enhance hearing, connect to communication devices, link up to GPS and, yes, secretly listen to music.
3. Temporary Digital Tattoos
If you don’t fancy getting a piece of tech implanted under your skin, you could always go for the more softcore option of a temporary digital tattoo.
Whilst biohackers try to steer clear of the “healthcare” label for their devices, so as to avoid stricter regulation, the technology has been modified to create a tattoo that can monitor everything from heart rate, electrical activity, sweating and more. From the data it gathers, it can assess your health and even flag up any potential problems that you should be aware of.
Away from the DIY biohacking world, big companies like Motorola and Google have already filed patents for these tattoos, although these are mostly for the purposes of connecting ourselves to smartphones and gaming and even as a next-gen lie detector.
2. Neural Implants To Cure Disease
DARPA – the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – have begun developing electronic implants that could interact directly with our nervous systems. This would allow them to treat chronic diseases such as arthritis, Crohn’s disease, PTSD and depression without drugs.
The implant would be a closed-loop neural implant that could constantly monitor health and treat problems there and then without you having to lift a finger. The idea is that these would eventually replace pharmaceuticals, and could even treat problems before you even noticed any symptoms.
The technology is still in its early stages (like, battery-pack-the-size-of-a-gameboy early), but if we could hone and miniaturise it, we might be able to gain an unbelievable amount of control over our own biology. As well as warding off disease, we could manually control things like heart rate, artificially boost metabolism or even erase and retrieve memories.
Where do we sign up?
1. The Man Who Hears Colours
Neil Harbisson was born without the ability to see colour and, for 21 years, he saw the world in grayscale.
Tired of the monochromatic world, Harbisson developed the “Eyeborg”, a device that allows him to “see” colour and turning himself into a self-identified cyborg.
The Eyeborg is essentially an artificial eye that detects colours and translates them into tonal vibrations that only Harbisson can hear. Over time, he has learnt to interpret the different tones as different colours and can now listen to everything from a Picasso to the face of a loved one. This extra sense has become so entwined with his “natural” senses, that he even dreams in colour.
Not satisfied with just the visual spectrum, Harbisson has added infrared and ultraviolet frequencies to his Eyeborg, so not only fixing what is broken, but enhancing his body beyond that of normal humans. He has since founded the Cyborg Foundation with the mission of helping humans make the transition to cyborgs and firmly believes that cybernetic enhancements will become the norm in the near future.
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