Beyond bionics: how the future of prosthetics is redefining humanity
Bionics is the application of biological solutions to disciplines such as architecture, design, engineering and modern technology. We could say that bionics is that branch of cybernetics that tries to simulate the behavior of living beings by making them better in almost all branches through mechanical instruments. This term is closely linked to cyborgs (cybernetic organisms) which defines a creature composed of organic elements and cybernetic devices, generally with the intention of improving the capacities of the organic part through the use of technology.
The question of whether we should evolve ourselves is right now on the table. This is where the biohackers come in, a movement that promotes human improvement by adding technology to the body. One of the best known faces in this field is Neil Harbisson, who was born seeing the world in a gray scale and although he can’t see the colors right now, he can feel them thanks to a device connected directly to his brain. Why can’t a person who doesn’t have an arm can have a bionic one and one who does but wants to improve himself can’t? Obviously the key is in “wanting and being able to improve it”. Currently there are many bionic devices but they are still behind from what we come by default.
Obviously this is changing really fast and The Guardian has published a really interesting mini-documentary about it. It shows different cases of robotic hands, explaining the evolution they’ve had and how they are becoming very similar (through the use of other technologies such as ultrasound) or even better (for example producing sounds in a drum set that are impossible for a human) than human hands or arms.
A bionic arm can work because, in the amputation of a limb, doctors don’t remove all the nerves that carried signals from the brain to the limb and of course, because the brain continues to send theses signals. Using targeted muscle reinnervation, surgeons dissect the shoulder to access nerve endings that control the movements of the arm joints and redirect the endings to a group of functioning muscles (for example, chest muscles). It takes several months for the nerves to grow into these muscles and become fully integrated. The end result is a total redirection of the control signals: the motor cortex sends signals to the arm and hand through the nerve passages as it always did; but instead of those signals ending in the shoulder, they end in the chest.
To go a deeper into the psychology behind the evolution of bionics applied to human enhancement, and to know stories told by authentic cyborgs, I recommend you to look at some of these TED talks:
- New bionics let us run, climb and dance | Hugh Herr
- Bionic Symbiotics | Nigel Ackland
- The aesthetics of prosthetics: Kevin Connolly
#365daysof #futurism #transhumanism #cyborg #bionic #day204
