Cyborgs – Science Fiction to Scientific Reality
The year is 2021. It is two decades after the 9/11 attacks. A group of terrorists are seated at an outdoor café discussing their plans. A cat observes from about 5 meters away. Images are transmitted from its brain providing real-time information. At the same time, a tiny beetle goes unnoticed as it takes position underneath the table. It is outfitted with a nano-listening device that transmits the content of the terrorists’ discussion also in real-time. A few minutes later, a couple of pigeons land nearby and begin pecking for crumbs. As they do so, they inch closer to the table. A few minutes later, each pigeon lifts a wing dispensing a poisoned dart. Before the terrorists can react, each is dead. Elsewhere in the world, a soldier who lost his arms and legs in combat, through sheer perseverance and utilization of bionic limbs wins a triathlon. In the process, he outperforms mere mortals with natural limbs. Sound far-fetched? Not anymore! Cyborgs – part machine, part biological organism that can be used for scientific, medical, military/intelligence/law enforcement purposes, have become a reality thanks to scientific and technological advances presenting both promise (e.g. the possibility of significant medical breakthroughs to restore and enhance quality of life and to extend life itself) and trepidation (e.g. as machine and organism merge, the delineating boundary of life becomes blurred impacting associated rights while the possibility of controlling human thought and action becomes frighteningly real).
The term “cyborg” was coined by NASA scientists Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline in 1960 when discussing the hypothetical advantages of human-machines in space. Although such cybernetic organisms became the realm of science fiction, efforts to create real-life cyborgs began even before the term was conceived and continue to this day.