This real-life cyborg has an antenna implanted into his skull
Summary
TLDRNeil Harbison, a co-founder of the Cyborg Foundation and a cyborg himself, shares his unique experience of integrating technology into his body to overcome color blindness. With the Eyeborg, a device that translates color frequencies into sound, Harbison has been perceiving color audibly since 2004. The technology has not only enhanced his sensory capabilities but also expanded his perception to include infrared and ultraviolet colors. The narrative explores the evolution of societal reactions to his cybernetic enhancements, reflecting the growing acceptance of wearable and implantable tech. Harbison envisions a future where human augmentation is commonplace, with individuals possessing enhanced senses and additional body parts, marking a significant shift towards a cybernetic society.
Takeaways
- đŒ Neil Harbison, a founder of the Cyborg Foundation, identifies as a cyborg and has a device called the Eyeborg that allows him to hear colors.
- đ The Eyeborg translates the frequency of light into sound, giving Neil the ability to perceive colors through a specific note related to the light frequency.
- đ Neil underwent surgery in 2004 to have an antenna integrated into his skull, which he feels as part of his body and enhances his sense of being a cyborg.
- đ The Eyeborg has expanded Neil's sensory capabilities beyond normal human range, including the perception of infrared and ultraviolet colors.
- đĄ Neil also has Bluetooth capabilities with the Eyeborg, enabling him to receive colors from different places on the planet.
- đ€ Professor Kevin Warwick and entrepreneur A. McGraw Stroh are examples of other individuals who have integrated technology into their bodies.
- đ ïž Dangerous Things, a company founded by A. McGraw Stroh, sells DIY body hacking kits, indicating a growing interest in personal bionic enhancements.
- đ§ Some gamers use brain stimulators to achieve superhuman focus, showing the crossover of technology into different aspects of life.
- đź Bionics researcher Michael McAlpine predicts that technology will advance to give normal humans advanced capabilities beyond biological limitations.
- đ± Neil Harbison's experience with the Eyeborg reflects how quickly technology is changing societal perceptions and interactions.
- đ Over the years, public perception of Neil's antenna has evolved from a light to a microphone, a hands-free phone, and now is associated with Google Glass.
- â±ïž As we progress into the future, it is anticipated that wearable technology will become normalized, followed by an increase in implanted technology and the merging of humans with technology.
Q & A
What is the Cyborg Foundation and who is one of its founders?
-The Cyborg Foundation is an organization that advocates for the rights and integration of cyborgs into society. Neil Harbison is one of its founders.
What is Neil Harbison's condition and how does the Eyeborg device help him?
-Neil Harbison was born completely colorblind. The Eyeborg device allows him to hear and sense colors by transposing the frequency of light into the frequency of sound, thus giving him a form of color perception.
How has the Eyeborg expanded Neil Harbison's sensory capabilities beyond normal human capability?
-The Eyeborg has expanded Neil's sensory capabilities by enabling him to perceive not just visible colors but also infrared and ultraviolet colors, which are beyond the range of normal human vision.
What kind of surgery did Neil Harbison undergo to integrate the Eyeborg?
-Neil Harbison underwent a surgery where his head was drilled and an antenna was integrated into his skull, making him feel like a cyborg and giving him a new body part.
How does the Eyeborg's technology relate to the frequency of light?
-The Eyeborg's technology is related to the frequency of light as it translates the specific frequency of light into a corresponding note in the audio range, which Neil hears.
What additional feature did Neil decide to include in the Eyeborg?
-Neil decided to include Bluetooth in the Eyeborg, which allows him to receive colors from other places on the planet.
Who is Professor Kevin Warwick and what did he do in 1998?
-Professor Kevin Warwick is a researcher in the field of bionics. In 1998, he implanted a chip in his arm, which was a radio frequency identification device.
What is the name of the company that sells do-it-yourself body hacking kits?
-The company that sells do-it-yourself body hacking kits is called Dangerous Things.
What is the future of bionics according to Michael McAlpine?
-According to Michael McAlpine, the future of bionics involves not only repairing impaired capabilities but also enhancing normal human capabilities, potentially giving humans abilities that biology never provided.
How has the social reaction to Neil Harbison's antenna changed over the years?
-The social reaction has evolved from thinking it was a light, to a microphone, to a hands-free phone, and currently, people think it's related to Google Glass or that Neil is filming them.
What does Neil Harbison predict for the future regarding technology and human integration?
-Neil Harbison predicts that by the 2040s, it will be normal to have technology implanted and to merge humans with technology, uniting cybernetics and organisms.
What is Neil Harbison's current strategy to avoid confrontation with people who think he is filming them?
-Neil Harbison is considering moving the sensor of his Eyeborg down to create less confrontation with people who might think he is filming them.
Outlines
đŒ Neil Harbison: The Color-Hearing Cyborg đŒ
Neil Harbison, a co-founder of the Cyborg Foundation, was born with complete colorblindness but has since been able to perceive color through a device called the Eyeborg. This technology translates the frequency of light into sound, allowing Neil to hear colors. The Eyeborg was surgically integrated into his skull in 2004, giving him a sense of being a cyborg. Neil has expanded his sensory capabilities to include infrared and ultraviolet colors and has even incorporated Bluetooth to receive color data from around the world. His story illustrates the rapid advancement of technology and its potential to enhance human senses beyond their natural limits.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄCyborg Foundation
đĄColorblindness
đĄEyeborg
đĄBone Conduction
đĄSurgery
đĄInfrared and Ultraviolet
đĄBluetooth
đĄCybernetics
đĄBody Hacking
đĄBionics
đĄSocial Reaction
đĄTransition into Cyber
Highlights
Neil Harbison, a founder of the Cyborg Foundation, identifies as a cyborg and has been able to hear color since 2004 through a device called the Eyeborg.
The Eyeborg picks up the dominant color in front of Neil and transposes the frequency of light into a sound, allowing him to hear colors.
Neil underwent surgery to have an antenna integrated into his skull, which he describes as feeling like a natural part of his body.
The Eyeborg has expanded Neil's sensory capabilities beyond normal human range, including the ability to perceive infrared and ultraviolet colors.
Neil has also integrated Bluetooth into his system to receive colors from other places on the planet, further extending his sensory experience.
Professor Kevin Warwick, another notable figure in the field, implanted a chip in his arm in 1998, demonstrating the potential for human-technology integration.
Entrepreneur Amon Strow has RFID chips in his hands, enabling him to unlock his car or computer with a wave.
Dangerous Things, a company founded by Amon Strow, sells DIY body hacking kits, indicating a growing market for personal cyborg enhancements.
Some gamers use brain stimulators to achieve superhuman focus, showing the crossover between gaming and cyborg technology.
Bionics researcher Michael McAlpine predicts that technology will advance to give normal humans advanced capabilities beyond biological limitations.
Neil Harbison's experience illustrates the rapid transformation of technology and its impact on culture and social reactions.
Public perception of Neil's antenna has evolved over the years, reflecting changing attitudes towards technology and privacy.
Neil is considering altering the appearance of his antenna to reduce discomfort in social situations where people may feel they are being filmed.
The speaker anticipates that by the late 2020s, wearable technology will become normalized, leading to an increase in implanted technology.
In the 2040s, it is predicted that having technology implanted will be the norm, signifying a complete merger of humans and technology.
The Cyborg Foundation aims to promote the acceptance and understanding of cyborgs and the potential for new senses and body parts.
The transcript highlights the ongoing dialogue and societal adaptation to the integration of technology into the human body.
Transcripts
my name is Neil Harvison and I'm one of
the founders of the cyborg foundation
and I'm a cyborg
[Music]
- as a cyborg is a feeling it's feeling
that you're not using technology that
you're not wearing technology it's
feeling that you are technology Neil
Harbison was born completely colorblind
and while Neil's still can't see color a
device called the Eyeborg allows him to
hear in sense colors it picks up the
dominant color in front of me and then
it transposes this frequency of light
into the frequency of sound so it's
related to the frequency of light is not
an arbitrary relation this light
frequency has a specific note which is
the note that I hear but few octaves
lower so that it's in the audio range
neil has been able to hear color through
bone conduction since 2004 when he
convinced a doctor to anonymously
perform a drastic surgery my head was
drilled for time so that I could have
the antenna integrated so it goes inside
my skull so I actually feel cyborg I
feel that even if I touch the antenna I
feel it's like a part of my body it
really feels like a new body part
there's no way of removing it so it's
it's just like other animals they have
antennas I decided that I would have an
antenna as well Neil says the Eyeborg
has expanded his senses beyond normal
human capability I decide to include
infrared colors and ultraviolet which
are invisible to the human eye but that
they can be perceived through through
our third eyes and then once this will
became normal I didn't see why I should
only perceive the color that I have in
front of me so I decided to have
bluetooth so I could receive colors from
other places of the planet Neil isn't
the only cyborg on this planet Professor
Kevin Warwick implanted a chip in his
arm in 1998 a radio frequency
identification device entrepreneur a
McGraw Stroh with RFID chips in each of
his hands can unlock his car or computer
with a single wave his company dangerous
thing sells do-it-yourself body hacking
kits some gamers are in on the action
too
using brain stimulators to gain
superhuman focus bionics researcher
Michael McAlpine sees this type of
technology advancing into the mainstream
you know up till now I think most people
have thought of bionics is people who
have impaired capabilities like lost
sight giving them the ability to repair
those capabilities but going forward I
think there is the possibility if you
can do that then you can also take that
to the next step and actually give
normal human advanced capabilities that
biology never gave them and perhaps let
them do what maybe only certain animals
can do or maybe let them do what no-one
can do
Neil Harbison's experience shows how
quickly technology is transforming
culture social reaction has changed over
the years so in 2004 people thought it
was a light later people started to
think it was a microphone 2006 I think
they thought it was for chatting then in
2009 people started to think it was a
hands-free phone so if they thought it
was a new telephone now people think
it's something to do with Google glass
so it's changed over the years now
people think that I'm actually filming
them which
is a creates uncomfortable situation so
I'm thinking of changing the image and I
might just move the sensor down so that
it creates less confrontation with
people that might think that I'm
actually filming them but I'm sure that
in two three years people will think
it's something else it keeps changing
although some people still don't know
how to react to the antenna
times are changing I think we are now
entering the age of transition into
cyber so we'll see more wearable
technology becoming accepted and
normalized once wearing technology
becomes something normal we'll start
seeing the transition into implanting
the technology people will start
accepting this more so in the 20s the
late twenties we'll see more and more
projects with new body parts and new
senses and I believe that in the 40s it
will be normal to have technology
implanted so it will be normal to merge
humans and technology and to unite
cybernetics and organisms I'm sure it
will be normal to meet someone and as
what are you extra senses and new body
part
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[Music]
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you
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