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REALITIES of CYBORGISATION

Roger ClarkeXamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, Canberra

Visiting Professor, Uni. of Hong Kong, U.N.S.W., A.N.U.

http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/...

.../SOS/Cyborg0508 {.html, .ppt}

Murdoch UniversitySchool of Media Communication and

Culture17 August 2005

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Above-The-KneeAmputee

Earle Connor CA

12.77 secondsfor 100m (28

kph)

A Physical Exo-Prosthesis

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From: http://www.paralympic.ca/english/athens2004/Athletes/CONNOR_EARLE.asp

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Double Below-The-Knee

Amputee Oscar Pistorius ZA

21.97 secondsfor 200m (32.5kph)

A Physical Exo-Orthosis?

From: IEEE Spectrum, June 2005, p. 13http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/resource/jun05/0605nspo.html

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PHYSICAL PROSTHESESTo recover lost functionality

• External Prostheses• Spectacles, ...• Renal dialysis machines, iron

lungs, ...• Exo-Prostheses

• Contact lenses, Hearing-aids, …• Artificial Limbs, ...

• Endo-Prostheses• Shoulders, hips, knees, stents, ...

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PHYSICAL ORTHOSESTo extend functionality

• External Orthoses• Binoculars, telescopes, ...• Decompression chambers, space-

suits, ...• Exo-Orthoses

• Walking-sticks, Cricket bats,• Night-glasses, …• Artificial limbs, ...

• Endo-Orthoses• ... ?

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Golden Rice

A rice strain genetically engineered to contain beta-carotene,

to address Vitamin A deficiency, ...

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... “especially in children in poor countries”,and thereby to quell nervousness about GM

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TIME magazine, July 2000

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_rice

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The Oncomouse The laboratory mouse genetically modified to carry an activated oncogene, which significantly increases its

susceptibility to cancer

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Fn: The original cyborg in the late 1950s is reputed to have been a white rat … with a tiny osmotic pump implanted in its body to allow chemicals to flow into its system at a controlled rate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncomousehttp://art.bgsu.edu/~glittle/ava_text_1.html

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‘Molecular Nanotechnology’

From: Drexler E. (1986) ‘Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology’

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BIOLOGICAL PROSTHESES / ORTHOSES

Prostheses• Gene Therapy, e.g. for cystic fibrosis

Orthoses• Genetic Intervention• Genetic Selectivity / Eugenics:

• Foetus-Screening (for termination)

• Embryo-Screening (for IVF)

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Above-the-Elbow Amputee

Peter Eberle AU

“The nerves at the top of the arm

tell the muscles to contract. …The muscle emits electrical

impulses that are detected by the arm’s

[battery-operated] CPU, which tells the motor in the hand to move”

Otto Bock Ltd & GmbH

From: ‘Keen gardener gets dynamic lifter’The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 July 2005

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Electrical pulses are generated in the patient's ear which generate the

impression of sound22 electrodes replace tens of thousands of

hair cells

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From: http://www.BionicEar.org/

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The Boston Retinal Implant Project

Surviving retinal cells are [to be] electrically stimulated

to pass signals to the brain that it interprets as sight

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From: http://www.bostonretinalimplant.org/project/prosthesis.xml

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Steve Mann’s Visual Exo-Orthoses

(Wearcam, Sousveillance, etc.)

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From: http://wearcam.org/

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Stelarc’s Performance Art

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From: http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/cards/copernicus.jpg

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Kevin chip-in-arm Warwick

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From: http://www.kevinwarwick.com/

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DIGITAL-NEUROLOGICAL PROSTHESES and ORTHOSES

• External• Virtual Reality, ...

• Exo-• Steve Mann’s

visual/sousveillance, ...• Endo-

• Cochlear implants, Chip implants, ...

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Parallel Technological Developments

• Artefact-with-Artefact Hybrids / Robotics

• Computationally-Derived Intelligence / ‘AI’(complex algorithms), largely failed ...

• ... on to Biologically-Inspired Computing(simple ‘genetic’ rules), leading to ...

• Artificial Life(‘lifelike’ behaviour of digital artefacts)

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Speculative Extensions• New Sensors

• magnetic and electrical fields, gravity• Telepathy, ...

• New Effectors• induction• telepathy, telekinesis, ...

• Jacking in / constructs / dittos & uploading (Vinge, Gibson, Bear, Egan, Brin & Moravec)

• Transhumanism (Esfandiary)• The Singularity (Vinge)

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Some Impacts• Power-Balance among Near-Human Entities• Entity Rights• Research Sponsorship by the ‘Aging Rich’• The Notions of

• Human-ness and Humanity• Individuality

• Power-Balance – People v. Organisationse.g. Orthosis-Imposition (e.g. chip-insertion)

• Mil and Security R&D, and Applications