Figure 1: Biohacking Implants
Taking supplements, genetic sequencing research in laboratories, wearable devices, and body implants are all included in Biohacking. Although you all might know a lot about wearables as they have become very common, body implants are still not known to the masses. So let's take a look at Biohacking implants and what difference they will make in the coming years.
Body Implants
There are several ways to modify a human body, most of which are done for fun, which may include tattooing or body piercing. However, there are a few more techniques that are practiced for the purpose of sharing information or allowing the body to improve its abilities.
Typically, we find the following types of implants, namely:
• Magnetic
Small magnetic chips can be inserted into hands or fingers to detect the location of a nearby object or to pick up small objects. Biohacker Rich Lee has implanted magnets in his ears that act as hidden headphones. Linking it to the headset allows him to use it like a hearing aid, while connecting it to the GPS allows him to receive instructions beamed directly to his head.
• RFID
RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. These chips can be implanted in humans to allow them to interact with electronic devices. You can unlock doors, computers and many other devices. It can also connect to your payment and security systems. Kevin Warwick, a UK-based cybernetics professor, was the first person to implant an RFID chip in his hand. He connected it to the University's systems to operate lights and doors.
• Cochlear
It is another medical procedure in which a chip is implanted in the auditory nerves of deaf people. This chip uses multiple electrodes to translate sounds (received from a microphone) into electrical signals that are sent to the brain. The audio quality is not as good as what we hear with a normal ear, but the person can hear it clearly without lip reading.
• Electronic Tattoos
Although they are not really implants, they still bring integration between the human body and technology. These types of tattoos can collect the body's biometric data through sweat and monitor the heart rate which is then sent to the desired device.
Important related terms
• Human Augmentation
The field of human augmentation refers to the focus on creating cognitive and physical improvements as an integral part of the human body. For example, prosthetic limbs can be implanted into a human being that acts like an artificial limb but can function as perfectly as a natural limb.
• Transhumanism
It is a theory or belief that Science and Technology can be worked on further to evolve the human race beyond its current physical and mental capabilities. It aims to develop sophisticated technology for the masses, in order to transform the intellectual, physical and psychological capabilities of human beings.
• Grinders
Grinders are people who hack their own bodies with do-it-yourself cybernetic devices. They constantly try to push the limits to pursue body hacking to gain access to something that is not available in the consumer market. Over the past decade, the grinder community has gained traction among hobbyists and enthusiasts who want to share enlargement techniques and designs.
• Cyborg
A cyborg, also known as a bionic human, is a person whose body contains mechanical or electrical devices that give him abilities that go beyond those of normal human beings. Neil Harbisson is the world's first cyborg activist who was born with the defect of color blindness. However, he now has an antenna mounted on top of his head that visualizes over 360 colors visible to the normal human eye (including ultraviolet and infrared spectrum).
Notable biohacking projects
1. The year 2005 marked the beginning of the scaling journey of one of the pioneers of biohacking named Amal Graafstra who initially only intended to unlock doors without keys. He attempted to replicate RFID pet ID tags, but discovered they were not programmable. He later managed to find an industrial RFID tag encased in glass with similar dimensions. So, he implanted the industrial RFID tag in his hand with the help of the same device used for pet identifications.
2. Discussing the story of Neil Harbisson , the world's first cyborg activist, an antenna known as an eyeborg has been attached to his head since 2004. This eyeborg includes 4 implants: two for antenna, one for vibration and one for Bluetooth that connects to the Internet. With the help of this device, he can listen to the spectrum light frequencies along with infrared and ultraviolet. It can receive colors from satellites and phone cameras and even receive calls directly to its head.
Figure 4: Neil Harbisson showing off the antenna implanted in his skull
3. Rico Lee , a famous biohacker has implanted a pair of tiny magnets in his earlobes, which he uses to listen to music without needing headphones and even sense nearby objects. He was able to achieve echolocation by converting data from an ultrasonic rangefinder into audio and then sending it to wireless earphone implants. He can also get directions mentally by connecting the device to the phone's GPS.
Figure 5: Rich Lee showing off his earlobe magnet
4. Kevin Warwick , professor of cybernetics at Coventry University, launched and directed the “Cyborg Project”. He underwent several surgical procedures to implant electronic devices in his body. One includes a 100-electrode sensor grid on nerves in the elbow. It captures signals flowing through your arm to control a robotic wheelchair or to operate a robotic hand controlled remotely over the Internet. Later, his wife implanted a similar electrode in his hand that allowed them to communicate via impulses over the internet.
5. Steve Mann , considered the father of wearable computing, worked on several augmented reality projects. One of their devices looks like Google Glass, but it is actually permanently attached to the skull with the help of several screws. It captures the visual input received by your eyes and then runs it on a computer where additional information is attached to it. The final result is then displayed on your small screen next to your eye.
Figure 7: Steve Mann with the device screwed to his head
6. A company called Grinding Wetware launched their product called Northstar which is a subdermal LED sensor. It lights up whenever the user approaches a magnet and therefore detects magnetic north. In other words, it works like a compass and not just an LED tattoo. Its second iteration allows users to control devices through hand gestures.
Figure 8: Circadia – an implanted device developed by Grindhouse Wetware
The company's other projects include Circadia and Bottlenose. The first is an implantable device that sends the body's biometric data to a phone or tablet via Bluetooth and is powered by inductive charging. Moving on, Bottlenose is a wearable technology device that uses haptic magnets as input to transmit information to users through nerves.
Future of Biohacking
The human body is, without a doubt, a highly complex system that has some wonderful capabilities. However, there are still many limitations beyond which our body cannot function. For example, an average human ear can only hear sounds with a frequency range of 20 to 20,000 hertz. Furthermore, our eyes can only perceive one ten trillionth of all light waves. We cannot see infrared rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet light and more.
But as Science believes in exploration and experimentation, human beings are always adamant in pushing the limits to go beyond what seems almost impossible. We have come a long way due to the innovations and discoveries that have occurred in recent decades. Machines have become an important part of our lives and are now gradually becoming an integral part of our bodies, literally.
Prosthetic surgeries, electronic tattoos, and magnetic and RFID implants are all forms of Biohacking that not only enhance existing capabilities but also offer something we would never have taken advantage of otherwise. However, there are still many limitations to the extent to which humans can perform such experiments due to safety concerns that are quite obvious.
Despite all this, the rate at which we are progressing indicates very well that it would soon be common to have an extra set of abilities and senses. In the next two decades, humans would not only carry artificial parts and organs, but they could also carry nanobots flowing through the bloodstream and killing all infectious viruses. Furthermore, it would be common to have superhuman capabilities, as we already have so many cyborgs living around us.
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