🤖 How Long Before We Are Cyborgs?
"Star Trek" brought you a civilization of cyborgs as science fiction, but how long before we earthlings get stuffed with cyborg components?
They say that the timeline for humans becoming cyborgs is difficult to predict precisely. It largely depends on technological advancements, societal acceptance, and ethical considerations. We're already seeing the integration of technology into our bodies through devices like pacemakers, cochlear implants, and prosthetic limbs.
I myself have a knee implant, I wear glasses, hearing aids and dentures and have a few stents in my heart. I have pierced the cyborg border. Only slightly, but still…
Just to review. A cyborg, short for "cybernetic organism," is a being that is part biological and part artificial. Typically, this term refers to a human who has enhanced their abilities and or functions by integrating technological components into their body.
They can be simple implants like pacemakers or prosthetic limbs or more advanced such as neural implants or brain-computer interfaces. The goal of cyborg technology is often to improve human performance, compensate for disabilities, or even extend capabilities beyond natural human limits.
As technology continues to advance, we are going to see more sophisticated enhancements, such as neural implants for enhanced cognitive abilities. You too will be able to join MENSA. You could implant Google and know everything. Everyone would win at Jeopardy.
Augmented reality interfaces will link directly to our brains. How about taking a vacation to Mars without leaving? (It’s true. Sharon Stone was totally hot in Total Recall) And let’s not even mention what it would do for the porno industry. (Oops, I mentioned it.)
Scientists estimate it will only take a decade or two. Our kids and grandkids will see it.
Right now, Elon Musk's company, Neuralink, announced that the first human has received a brain implant from his company. The goal of Neuralink is to create devices that can interface directly with the human brain as mentioned above, which could restore sensory functions, treat neurological disorders and even make us smarter.
Neuralink has created prototypes of their bran implant technology in animals, including pigs. Now humans are on the menu. The company has made ambitious claims about the potential capabilities of their technology, including the ability to stream music directly to the brain and facilitate communication between individuals without the need for spoken or written language. No more annoying high pitch voices in your ears.
That would also be the end of marriages breaking up due to lack of communication or miscommunication. Or would it? Maybe there are things we shouldn’t know about each other.
Of course, everybody focuses on the development, but what are the ramifications of such advanced brain-computer interface technologies ethically? We humans have a history of taking the good and creating the bad. Splitting the atom come to mind?
Star Trek has undoubtedly influenced popular culture and inspired technological advancements, especially in human augmentation and cyborg technology. Science fiction has always led to introduction of new technologies.
Star Trek is great at exploring the implications of merging humans with technology, as seen in different episodes featuring characters like Data, the Borg, or Seven of Nine.
Moreover, the show has inspired scientists, engineers, and inventors to explore concepts and technologies portrayed in science fiction, potentially leading to real-world advancements in fields such as prosthetics, wearable technology, and human-computer interfaces.
Star Trek may not have directly promoted human-to-cyborg transformation, but its influence on technology and cultural perceptions of human augmentation cannot be denied.
That’s the good part, and as every good Taoist knows, you can’t have good without evil, and using cyborgs for war is the first thing that comes to mind. When you deal with a gang of political psychopaths who promote warfare, you’re definitely going to get evil.
The potential for enhanced capabilities to be used for harm, as well as questions about the freedom of usage and the effect of imposing limits on individuals who are enhanced with technology have to be considered. How far will they be able to use their new powers against regular, old humans without breaking the law?
There are also concerns about the potential for inequality, as access to advanced cyborg technologies that could create disparities between those who have access to them and those who do not…and you know that’s going to happen.
Let’s shift to the military. From a practical standpoint, while cyborg technologies may offer certain advantages in terms of enhanced capabilities and resilience, there are also risks and challenges associated with integrating complex technological systems into military operations. Human soldiers intentionally or accidentally kill civilians. Half-humans would do the same, so I guess that’s a wash. Cyborgs will just do it more efficiently.
Right now, the U.S. military is spending millions on an advanced implant that would allow a human brain to communicate directly with computers.
If it succeeds, cyborgs will be a reality.
The Pentagon’s research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), hopes the implant will allow humans to directly interface with computers, which could benefit people with disabilities, such as veterans injured in combat.
The goal of the proposed implant is to “open the channel between the human brain and modern electronics” according to DARPA’s program manager, Phillip Alvelda.
In January, DARPA announced it plans to spend up to $62 million on the project, which is part of its Neural Engineering System Design program.
The implant would be small – no larger than one cubic centimeter, or roughly the size of two stacked nickels – according to DARPA.
Conor Walsh, a professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Harvard University, told CNN that the implant would “change the game,” adding that “in the future, wearable robotic devices will be controlled by implants.”
Walsh sees the potential for wearable robotic devices or exoskeletons in everything from helping a medical patient recover from a stroke to enhancing soldiers’ capabilities in combat.
The U.S. military is currently developing a battery-powered exoskeleton, the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, to provide superior protection from enemy fire and in-helmet technologies that boost the user’s communications ability and vision.
The suits’ development is being overseen by U.S. Special Operations Command.
In theory, the proposed neural implant would allow the military member operating the suit to more effectively control the armored exoskeleton while deployed in combat.
According to CNN.com, the U.S. military is spending millions on an advanced implant that would allow a human brain to communicate directly with computers.
They want brain-computer interfaces for improved communication and control systems—you think about a target and your artillery will blow it up. Advanced prosthetics would be fantastic for injured soldiers, especially if you can put them back into battle.
The U.S. Army believes that a range of technologies could be available by 2050 that would effectively turn the average soldier into a cybernetically enhanced super soldier. A recent Department of Defense study predicted that enhanced vision, enhanced hearing, musculature control, and what amounts to telepathy would all become possible within 30 years, given the current pace of technological development. - Popular mechanics
So there you have it. There are great things that can be had with cyborg enhancements, but that also means the Terminator is on the way. And there is nothing that can be done about it. Once you put weapons in the hands of killers, you’re gonna get killing…a lot of it.
