Is This Cyborg the First of Many?

In an age where technology continues to shrink, we constantly search for new ways to better fit devices into our purses and pockets, around our wrists and strapped to our heads. It wasn't until recently we began exploring the possibilities of implantable technology, and with that came what might be the world's very first cyborg. 

In a recent interview with CNN, readers were introduced to Neil Harbisson, the world's first legally recognized cyborg. Harbisson, 32, has an antenna implanted into his skull that provides him with the ability to perceive color, something he was born without.  He even has a photo of his UK passport with the device, effectively sanctioning it as part of body.

When he was a young boy, Harbisson was diagnosed with achromatopsia, a syndrome resulting in complete color blindness. In 2004, he decided to leave his black and white world behind, and began work on a technology that could provide him with a sensory replacement, one that would allow him to perceive color unlike anyone else.

While studying at Darlington College of Arts in Devon, England, Harbisson worked alongside computer scientist Adam Montandon to develop what they called the "eyeborg." The original design was simply an apparatus with an antenna attached to a five-kilogram computer, along with a pair of headphones. The antenna had a webcam attached at the end that could translate color into 360 different sound waves that Harbisson would hear through his headphones.

After months of training his brain to accurately correlate each unique soundwave to its corresponding color, Harbisson slowly illuminated the world around him. The eyeborg soon gave him the ability to decipher a wide array of colors, and even detect colors outside the spectrum of human vision such as infrared and ultraviolet.

This eventually led Harbisson to work toward developing a smaller, more portable antenna. He began by reducing the size and weight of the computer, before eventually downsizing the computer's software into a chip that he could install underneath his skin. It wasn't until this past December that Harbisson took the biggest leap, when he chose to install the antenna directly into his own skull.

Of course, this wasn't the world's first venture in to cyborg technology. There's been a growing interest in implantable devices that can enhance our senses, allowing us to perceive the world around us in exciting new ways. Recently, a Canadian filmmaker designed and implanted his own prosthetic eye embedded with a video camera.

Despite the growing interest in cyborg technology, the movement has still been met with some strong aversion. There's even an organization known as "Stop the Cyborgs" whose sole purpose is target and eradicate wearable technology like Google Glass and other devices in an effort to protect privacy.

"People are very afraid of the unknown," Harbisson told CNN. "They tend to exaggerate or be very negative about the possible consequences of what is new to them."

While there still remains many unknowns about the potential of cyborg technology, one thing remains clear. We've entered an age where technological advancements continue to push the boundaries of the world around us. An age where technology begins to leap beyond just being an integral part of society, and into the realm of functioning as an integral part of our bodies. 

Kristopher Sturgis is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.

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