Implanting A Chip In
Human Body
Being CYBORG
Being Cyborg
Name of the Author: D. Shailen Kumar
Qualification: B.Tech II year,
Electronics & Instrumentation
Engineering
College: Aurora’s Engineering College
Email Id: shailenindian@indiatimes.com
Contact Address:
H. No: EWSH-56, 1st Floor,
A.P.H.B. Colony,
Moula Ali,
Hyderabad-500040
Phone No: 27142014
To increase the capability of human brain, to see things beyond 3D,to communicate without speech, to have a memory with endless space, to compute things faster than the usual we may incorporate technology into our body. This necessity gives birth to 'CYBORG'. Cyborg is a person with a chip implanted in his body, which can record the sensations from nerves and send it to computer and can send particular sensations to our nerves from computer and can show our position and intention.
This had been already done. Mr. Kevin Warwick became the first cyborg in the world by getting a chip implanted in his body on 24th August 1998.It was implanted for several days. Later on 14th March 2002 he got another chip implanted into his body. The first one was just to identify his position and the second one was to record and send sensations from nerves to computer.
This chip implantation and its usefulness can be applied for welfare of humankind. People with particular disorder (e.g. blinds) can get a extra sensation. There can be communication through our thought. We can communicate with a computer or may communicate directly through Internet. Anyhow it will completely change the way we communicate with technology.
There can be some social evils generated by misuse of this technological upgradation of human beings. Still by proper use such happenings can be avoided. One way is to make everyone learn the ethics of it. Then we will have technology serving the humankind to its best.
This is a letter from Mr. Kevin Warwick in which he gave me the permission to use the photographs of the implants.
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Shailen,
Thank you for your email. Of course I
am happy for you to use the photos.
Good luck with your presentation.
I know that my book "I, Cyborg" is available in India, Even if it is
difficult for you to purchase, it might be worth seeing if you could get a
look at a copy through your college,
Best wishes,
Kevin
Necessity:-
In
the years ahead we will witness machines with an intelligence more powerful
than that of humans. This will mean that robots, not humans, make all the
important decisions. It will be a robot-dominated world with dire consequences
for humankind. We can see the advancement of the robots from some examples such
as Asimo playing soccer and a grand master defeating a chess computer. Now if
we can include technology in us we can outsmart the robots any time otherwise
the time of terminator3 (t3) will not be far.
Humans
have limited capabilities. Humans sense the world in a restricted way, vision
being the best of the senses. Humans understand the world in only 3 dimensions
and communicate in a very slow, serial fashion called speech. But can this be
improved on? Can we use technology to upgrade humans?
Introduction:-
One ready at hand solution is
Cyborg.
Pronounciation:'sI-"borg
Etymology: cybernetic
+ organism
Date: 1960
: a bionic human
As defined in
Webster's Dictionary
CYBORG
(1) An
organism with a machine built into it with consequent modification of function;
(2) An
organism, which is, part animal and part machine.
By being a Cyborg we can have our
own natural brain and along with that a computer brain. Being a Cyborg if we
can have a chip implanted in us which can make us communicate with computer
then we can have a lot of application of it.
The First Implant:-
Mr.
Kevin Warwick, a professor of Cybernetics at University of Reading, UK, became
the first Cyborg in the world on 24th August 1998 by getting a chip implanted
in his forearm. The implant was a silicon chip transponder. The transponder
that was implanted in the forearm of Professor Kevin Warwick, on 24th August
1998 consists of a glass capsule containing an electromagnetic coil and a
number of silicon chips. It was approximately 23mm long and 3mm in diameter.
(The
First Implant)
It
was held in place by three stitches - partly so that the wound is held
together, but also so that the capsule doesn't float around anywhere. They
chose glass because it's fairly inert and won't become toxic or block radio
signals. There is an outside chance that the glass will break, which could
cause serious internal injuries or prove fatal, but their previous experiment
showed glass to be pretty rugged, even when it's frequently jolted or struck.
One end of the glass tube contains
the power supply -When a radio frequency signal is transmitted to the
transponder, the copper coil generates an electric current (an effect
discovered by Michael Faraday many years ago). This electric current is used to
drive the silicon chip circuitry, which transmits a unique, 64-bit signal. A
receiver picking up this signal can be connected in an Intelligent Building
network. By means of a computer, it is able to recognize the unique code and,
in the case of an implant, the individual human in question.
His
first implant was inserted by Dr. George Boulos at Tilehurst Surgery in Reading
into the upper inside of his left arm, beneath the inner layer of skin and on
top of the muscle.
This
experiment allowed a computer to monitor Kevin Warwick as he moved through
halls and offices of the Department of Cybernetics at the University of
Reading, using a unique identifying signal emitted by the implanted chip. He
could operate doors, lights, heaters and other computers without lifting a
finger.
The Second Implant:-
(The
Second Implant)
The second device was connected to the nerve fibers in his left
arm, positioned about halfway between his elbow and shoulder. Most of the
nerves in this part of the body are connected to the hand, and send and receive
the electronic impulses that control dexterity, feeling, even emotions. A lot
of these signals are traveling here at any given time: This nerve center
carries more information than any other part of the anatomy, aside from the
spine and the head (in the optic and auditory nerves), and so is large and
quite strong. Moreover, very few of the nerves branch off to muscles and other
parts of the upper arm - it's like a freeway with only a few on- and off-ramps,
providing a cleaner pathway to the nervous system.
The interface to Professor Warwick's
nervous system was a micro electrode array consisting of 100 individual
electrodes implanted in the median nerve of the left arm. A 25-channel neural
signal amplifier amplifies the signals from each electrode by a factor of 5000
and filters signals with corner frequencies of 250Hz and 7.5KHz. The amplified
and filtered electrode signals are then delivered to the neural signal
processor where they are digitized at 30,000 samples/second/electrode and
scanned online for neural spike events. This means that only 25 of the total
100 channels can be viewed at any one time.
Neural
spike events are detected by comparing the instantaneous electrode signal to
level thresholds set for each data channel. When a supra-threshold event
occurs, the signal window surrounding the event is time stamped and stored for
later, offline analysis. The neural stimulator allows for any of the 25
monitored channels to be electrically stimulated with a chosen repetition
frequency at any one time.
A
number of experiments have been carried out using the signals detected by the
array, most notably Professor Warwick was able to control an electric
wheelchair and an intelligent artificial hand, developed by Dr Peter Kyberd,
using this neural interface. In addition to being able to measure the nerve
signals transmitted down Professor Wariwck's left arm, the implant was also
able to create artificial sensation by stimulating individual electrodes within
the array. This was demonstrated with the aid of Kevin's wife Irena and a
second, less complex implant connecting to her nervous system.
Applications:-
It is most likely that emotion of
one kind or another can be recorded. When played down onto the nervous system
the signals could recreate feelings. With signals such as pain this is
particularly relevant. Whilst there exist potential negatives there also
potential positives, such as removing the effects of pain - this could
revolutionize medicine. Emotions such as anger, shock and excitement can be investigated
because distinct signals are apparent. For more obtuse emotions such as
"Love" it will not be tackled directly.
Contribution to movement in limbs
for those with a break in the nervous system or MS. Potential alternate sense
(ultrasonic) for blind people giving them a sense of distance. Possible
electronic medicine - electronic signals to remove headache, as a tranquilizer,
to bring about pleasure etc.
There can be possible application
for communicating through thought or telepathy, where a person need not talk
but what ever he will think will be transmitted to the person with whom he
would have been talking. This could mean (electronic) thoughts to one person's
brain to another, possibly across the Internet.
Alternative senses can be provided
for people with special abilities (or disabilities). For example a blind can be
provided with an sense of distance, such that he will be able to know about
things near by him.
A super knowledge base can be
created where all the information can be stored (may be in a computer) and one
can get any information or can learn any thing at any moment just by
downloading that.
Ethics:-
Every technology has
advantages and disadvantages. If a technology is used properly it serves
humankind, whereas its misuse can threaten the whole human race. Recently while
a neural implant computer virus got transmitted to a human body. This shows the
level of danger we can face. Whereas it can be a blessing for us as each one of
us can get freedom in his defined terms and we can have a painless life where
blinds and deaf will be equal to us. Thus life will be peaceful. But if misused
by sending viruses, controlling one’s senses can lead serious disasters.
Therefore, everyone will have to learn the ethics of Cyborg. Then only we should
enter the world of Cyborgs. Then this technology will serve us to its
best.
Conclusion:-
Whenever
a technology is introduced it is implemented in this world and this technology
is not different. Whatever may be its adversaries it is tried once atleast. Now
Cyborg has already been tried and no critical adversaries had been found so
far. Therefore we should go ahead with this technology.
Future cyborgs could therefore have new ways of observing and analyzing their environment, and will likely have altered and heightened states of consciousness and self-awareness. It is also conceivable that through cybernetic technologies we will be able to augment our existing senses and develop entirely new ones, such as perceiving ultrasonic and infrared wavelengths. Future cyborgs could therefore have new ways of observing and analyzing their environment, and will likely have altered and heightened states of consciousness and self-awareness.
In
the Cyborg future, humanity's very perception and assessment of reality could
therefore be radically changed. This is very exciting and would completely
change the way we communicate both between humans and humans and technology.