7 Awesome Bio Hacks That Can Turn Humans Into Cyborgs

By Vigneshwar

| Updated: Wednesday, March 23, 2016, 12:52 [IST]

The Cyborg reminds us of all the good & bad Hollywood Sci-Fi films we have ever seen, be it Terminator, Robocop or the Cyborg series itself. So everything that we have seen so far in the movies or have ever imagined is probably coming true very soon.

From zooming lenses to digital tattoos and from headphone implants to even neural implants, you just name it and it probably exists or is in the process of development. So here are some of the bio hacks that are turning humans into cyborgs.

Hear Colours

Neil Harbisson was born without the ability to see colour, so he developed the "Eyeborg", a device that allows him to "see" colour and turned himself into a self-identified cyborg.

7 Awesome Bio Hacks That Can Turn Humans Into Cyborgs

The Eyeborg is an artificial eye that detects colours and translates them into tonal vibrations that only Harbisson can hear. Neil has learned to interpret the different tones as different colours and can now listen to everything from a painting to the face of a loved one. This extra sense has become so entwined with his "natural" senses that he even dreams in colour.

Harbisson has added infrared and ultraviolet frequencies as well to his Eyeborg. Neil founded the Cyborg Foundation with the mission of helping humans make the transition to cyborgs.

Neural Implants

DARPA - the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency - have begun developing electronic implants that could interact directly with our nervous systems. This would allow them to treat chronic diseases such as arthritis, Crohn's disease, PTSD and depression without drugs.

It would be a closed-loop neural implant that could constantly monitor health and treat problems.
It could even replace pharmaceuticals, and treat problems before you even noticed any symptoms.
The technology is still in its early stages but if we could miniaturise it then we might be able to gain an unbelievable amount of control over our own biology.

Digital Tattoos

The technology can monitor everything from heart rate, electrical activity, sweating and more. From the data it gathers, it can assess your health and even flag up any potential problems that you should be aware of.

Motorola and Google have already filed patents for these tattoos although these are mostly for the purposes of connecting ourselves to smartphones and might be even used as a next-gen lie detector.

Headphones Implants

Utah Grinder Richard Lee had a pair of magnetic "headphones" implanted into his ear. Using a specialised necklace to create a magnetic field, the implant can vibrate and play sound into his ear that only he can hear.

Lee is gradually losing his sight, so uses this technology to augment his senses and even echolocate like a bat. However, the power supply is currently the main issue with the technology which works by electromagnetic induction.

But once all such issues are addressed this technology could be used to enhance hearing, connect to communication devices, link up to GPS and, even listen to music.

Become Magneto

Photo Credit: Giphy

With the help of this technology one can be able to tell the difference between AC and DC current.

The procedure is very much at an early stage right now, with implants sometimes getting rejected by the body. It's also probably advisable to stay away from strong magnets if you don't want your implants to get ripped out from your body.

Zooming Lenses

Wow! It almost sounds like a dream come true or what?

Developed by a Canadian optometrist this bionic lens could potentially enhance the human eyesight up to three times and would enable the wearer to actually zoom in on distant or tiny objects.

These lenses would be disposable and would be inserted into the eye through a surgical procedure lasting less than 10 minutes. And the best part is that the lenses wouldn't degrade, offering lifelong protection against cataracts and failing eyesight. There is also a possibility to integrate virtual reality and head-up displays.

Human Compass

A German University in Osnabruck conducted a research where they fitted some volunteers with a belt with 30 vibrating motors attached. These motors would vibrate and constantly indicate the direction of magnetic north, or even guide the wearer when they programmed their destination into an app.

The researchers and volunteers found that after a while they were able to intuitively navigate on a sub-cognitive and subconscious level. Such piece of technology would enable the blind to travel much more easily.