Man machine

An example of how artificial ideas can impact upon the natural world using cybernetics, is implant technology. The last quarter of a century has seen significant progress in prosthetic limb technology. New innovations have incorporated the use of computer technology and biomedical engineering to provide intelligent devices that interact with the human genetic make-up.

Since the 1980s, scientists have been using motors and simple microprocessors to control electronic limbs with electromyographic signals. These signals are recorded and can be used to evaluate and record physiological properties of muscles. More recently, research has been conducted using neural control, which involves physically connecting small electrodes to the surface of the brain. A term known as ‘biofeedback’ has been coined to describe the information that can be gleened, via a computer system, from the electrodes in the brain. Consequently, these messages can be translated and used to control mechanical equipment, such as a prosthetic leg.

According to Paul Prusakowski, Secretary of the Florida Association of Orthotists and Prosthetists, further advances in thought-controlled prosthetic limb technology will make wireless ‘personal area networks’ a reality. In medicine, for example, the patient would be able to control a limb using thought alone. Taking this idea further, humans would be able to interact with man-made devices, such as the garden mower, by using only a simple thought process. Chip implant technology could impact on everyday life in a multitude of different ways. A simple chip carried under the skin could contain information documenting a person’s address, blood type, even their bank details. The possibilities are literally endless.

The science behind the advances in cybernetics may seem like something from a popular sci-fi movie, like James Cameron’s classic The Terminator, or Alex Proyas’ wonder, I Robot. However, the reality is much closer than many of us think. As technology is continually tried and tested, the gap between natural and artificial existence will become smaller and smaller.

The department of Cybernetics at Reading University carries out research in artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering, robotics and control. Professor of Cybernetics at the university, Kevin Warwick, became the world’s first cyborg back in 1998 when an operation was carried out to surgically implant a small, 3mm wide, silicon square transponder in his forearm. Previous to this, similar experiments had only ever been carried out on animals such as cats or monkeys in the United States.

The operation was a success, and the silicon chip emitted a unique identifying signal via 100 electrodes, each as thin as a human hair. The connecting wires were linked to a transmitter/receiver device that was able to relay the messages to a computer via radio waves. Warwick was able to perform simple tasks such as opening doors, turning on a computer and switching on a light, without having to lift a finger.

Based on the successes in ’98, Warwick and his team at the department of Cybernetics, moved on to the second phase of the experiment, named ‘Project Cyborg 2.0’. This time, Warwick received a new implant that had the ability to send signals back and fourth between his nervous system and a mainframe computer system.

In March, 2002, a one hundred electrode array was implanted into the median nerve fibres of the professor’s arm. A complex two hour operation was required, that had never been attempted before. The procedure involved inserting a guiding tube into the arm to position the microelectrode array safely in the median nerve fibres below the elbow joint.

Since the operation, again deemed a resounding success, Warwick has been able to perform a number of everyday tasks using nothing but the implanted chip. Most incredibly, Professor Warwick was able to control the movements of an electronic wheelchair and an artificial hand.

Warwick has developed this technology in an attempt to better assess the latest techniques used to aid people with disabilities. It is hoped that these developments will lead to further medical breakthroughs, particularly for patients with spinal cord damage.

Originally, Warwick was forced to counter some suggestions that his experiments were merely media stunts. He told the BBC that ‘to go through a two-hour operation…is a little bit extreme for a publicity stunt’. Since the experiments proved to be a success, however, his work has been widely acclaimed and discussed by organisations such as the US White House Presidential Council on BioEthics. His studies are also widely referenced, and feature in many university courses globally, including Harvard and Stanford.

Warwick’s current work centres on the main ethical, social and philosophical issues concerned with his research into cybernetics. His studies in this area are aided by anthropologist Dr Daniela Cerpui.

Whatever the future holds for cybernetics, it will always remain a topic of fascination for scientists the world over.

The US army have been developing special technologies to equip the modern day soldier with all the capabilities of a ‘movie-like’ cyborg. The technology will allow soldiers to communicate, move, and implement tasks with more speed and efficiency.

The design, known as the Land Warrior, incorporates video camera surveillance to scan the terrain ahead without revealing a location, it has the ability to call for medical help with the aid of a message system, and even uses chemically treated surfaces to repel insects from the soldier’s body.

A personal computer is integrated in the suit which provides computer overlay maps that are projected through the eyepiece to recognise thermal bodies moving through fog. Using the personal computer, a soldier is also able to receive detailed images of the battlefield ahead from other soldiers, in order to prepare for any situation.

The developments are expected to cost around $10,000 and $20,000 per soldier, and the current system is being tested by the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment in the US.

Computer gaming giant, Sony Corporation, is reported to be developing a device that provides gamers with ‘direct brain stimulation’. It is claimed the product will provide the consumer with the ultimate virtual reality experience, providing a sense of smell, taste, and even feel to the consumer, all without the need to attach any wires to the head.

Whatever technology Sony is developing is being kept a secret, but the future of the virtual reality game market seems destined to evolve dramatically. Until now, gaming companies have developed products that enable the consumer to interact with the event on the screen only via some form of receiver. Take, for example, the Nintendo Weee, which allows the player to physically partake in a game of virtual golf, or draw on the screen. Sony have not been left behind, however, developing devices such as a specially designed ‘air guitar’ to give consumers the opportunity to act out their favourite songs on screen. The next step for Sony would complete the move to make the computer games of the future entirely interactive, with the customer being able to fully experience the sensations of any given video game.