Bio-Tech Pioneers and their tech

Technology and modern medicine have been advancing at a rapid rate but there are people who are pushing the limits of what’s possible. People who are surgically implanting RFID tags, six axis sensors, and cameras among other things. 

Let’s meet some pioneers
Whether or not some think they are crossing a line, they are some of the first to interact with technology in a whole new way. We are going to meet some of the brave or maybe crazy few pioneers that are real life cyborgs.  

Amal Graafstra     

Amal is a self-proclaimed technologist with RFID tags embedded in one of each his hands that can be programmed for different things. So far he has used them for keyless entry into his car and to unlock his computer and home. 

He runs a website called Dangerous Things that actually sells the items you need to perform the same body mods he has. Amal and his team call it body hacking and along with the RFID tags you can purchase scalpels, and NFC antennae. For more info on Amal or what he finds interesting, check out his blog for some interesting snippets on bio-tech.

Neil Harbisson    

Mr. Harbisson, the world’s first cyborg, was born color blind. Neil suffers from a rare kind of colorblindness called Achromatopsia that only lets him see in greyscale. Becoming tired of national flags looking the same and color coded subway signs not having the same meaning, he decided to have an antenna implanted into the back of his skull. This Bluetooth connected “body part” allows Neil the ability to connect with people in different ways. He can take phone calls, connect to the web, and devices nearby.

Most importantly he hears colors. Yes, you read that right. Neil hears color as different sounds so green sounds like a phone ringing, and Amy Winehouse sound like red and pink. His implant has extended his senses in a way that allows him to even “see” ultraviolet. For another look this fascinating individual check out his TED talk.    

Tim Cannon    

Tim Cannon is a Bio-hacker that had a wirelessly charged implant called Circadia 1.0 inserted into his forearm. Circadia 1.0 can transmit and record Tim’s biometric data and because its open sourced, he can modify what he does with his data. For example, if Tim has a stressful day, Circadia can communicate with his smart home to dim the lights.

Circadia 1.0 has already been developed further to improve on some shortcomings however. Tim and his team from Grind House Wet Ware have managed to shrink the footprint of Circadia and develop a pulse monitoring device. Tim’s goal was to make Circadia available to everyone and not just the wealthy. The production series should be available for $500 and all you left to do is find a piercer or body modifier to insert the device.

Kevin Warwick         

Professor Kevin Warwick is an expert in the field of Cybernetics and professor at the University of Reading in England. Mr. Warwick wasn’t satisfied just writing and teaching about this field, he decided to become a test subject. In 1998 he had a transponder surgically implanted into his forearm for an experiment called Cyborg 1.0.    

His experiment was to answer the question “What happens when a man is merged with a computer?” His implant allowed a computer at the university to monitor is every movement all while allowing him to open doors, lights, etc.   

Following the success of this experiment he decided to embark on Cyborg 2.0 where another chip was implanted in part of his nervous system and another in his wife Irena. The point of this experiment was to see if data could be exchanged between two people. In this case it was a success as she can stimulate electrodes in his arm with her implant. 

Nigel Ackland     
Nigel worked as a metal smelter in a plant until a terrible accident with an industrial blender left him unable to work. Electing to amputate his badly damaged made it difficult to perform certain tasks.  

He was fitted for a hook and even an early robotic arm but disliked it because it didn’t even look like a normal forearm and hand. Nigel now enjoys a Bebionic prosthetic that allows him some of the fine dexterity he lost long ago. Nigel can pour a glass of water and even type on a keyboard normally thanks to his bionic appendage. 

We are just now really testing the limits of what modern technology combined with the human body can really do. I think there are really interesting things to come.