Cyborgs

We all know the Terminator or Robocop, but whats the real Cyborgs of our time?
The term Cyborg was created in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used the word in an article about the advantages of self-regulating, human-machine systems, however the term has now been applied to an organism that has different abilities due to the help of technology!
Another description of Cyborgs I have taken from the Oxford Dictionary which explains them as "A person with physical tolerances or capabilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by a machine or other external agency that modifies the bodies functioning an integrated man-machine system".

I found a website online which talk about Ray Kurzweii, a 61 year old scientist who is completely convinced that we will eventually have the technology and biology to know how to be Cyborgs within 20 years. This could mean becoming immortal, imagine noone having to die in 20 years? The scientist has pointed out that artificial pancreases and neural implants are already available to us. He commented in The Sun saying "I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogramme our bodies' stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, ageing. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever".

So there at two types of Cyborgs, the real ones we use today, and the Fictional ones we regularly see in Sci-Fi movies.

"Cyborgs" that we see around today (and yes they are around, not just in movies) are known to enhance humans normal capabilities, these are items such as:

• Artificial Limbs
• Hearing Aids
• Glasses
• Pace Makers

Without some of these items humans would find it extremelly hard to get on with everyday life, but really do we want to be so reliant on these things, we should actually be in fear of them taking the human body overall. We will then be completely controlled by computers, and I'm pretty sure myself that I do not want another person, a complete stranger in charge of me.

The Fictional Cyborgs are usually seen as "human" looking subjects with atificial robot arms and legs, they usually at some point decide to randomly take their skin off aswell. They always have the ability to take over the world, and are constantly alot more stronger than us.

I turned deaf in one ear after having a virus when I was younger, does this mean when I put a hearing aid in, I then become a Cyborg, if so... Cool.

Neil Harbisson, born in 1982, is a young man who claims he is officaily a Cyborg, was diagnosed with Achromatopsia, which is a disease which means you can unfortunately only see in black and white. In 2002 Neil moved to the UK to study at Dartington College of Arts, where in his second year he started to attend a class called Cybernetics which was given by Adam Montandon. After introducing themselves and Adam finding out about Neil's condition, the pair started to work on what they called an "eyeborg project". It was a camera on Neils head which picked up colours and converted them into sound waves.

So will Cyborgs actually take over the world as we not, will there be a whole new species of humans in 20 years time. I think not for now, we should leave it too the movies.