Cyborg

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ABSTRACT
In the years ahead we will witness machines with intelligence more powerful than that of humans. This will mean that robots, not humans, make all the important decisions. It will be a robot-dominated world with dire consequences for humankind. Is there an alternative way ahead? Humans have limited capabilities. Humans sense the world in a restricted way, vision being the best of the senses. Humans understand the world in only dimensions and communicate in a very slow, serial fashion called speech. !ut can this be improved on? "an we use technology to upgrade humans? The possibility e#ists to enhance human capabilities. To harness the ever-increasing abilities of machine intelligence, to enable e#tra sensory input and to communicate in a much richer way, using thought alone. $evin %arwick has taken the first steps on this path, using himself as a guinea pig test sub&ect receiving, by surgical operation, technological implants connected to his central nervous system. ' "yborg is a "ybernetic (rganism, part human part machine. In this we will go through $evin %arwick)s ama*ing steps towards becoming a "yborg. The story is one of scientific endeavor and devotion, splitting apart the personal lives of himself and those around him. This astounding and unique story takes in top scientists from around the globe and seriously questions human morals, values and ethics. +ow question is, %ill the thought of "yborg is in favor of Human in the future? %hat will happen when man is merged with a computer? There are many questions, but a proper and good approach towards "yborg will be beneficial for Humans. !ecause it is individual choice for any human that whether he wants e#tra capabilities by implant technology and become "yborg or whether he &ust want to be mere a man only. !ecause electronic tagging can be regarded as a more permanent form of identification than a smart card. 'n implant could carry huge amounts of data on an individual, such as +ational Insurance number and blood type, blood pressure etc. allowing information to be communicated to on-line doctors over the internet. Thus ,epending on how the technology is used, there are good and bad effects. -o much of this smacks of the !ig !rother. %ith an implant, a machine will know where an individual is, in a building, ...... at all times. .ou might not even be able to pay a visit to the toilet without a machine knowing about it. Is this really what we want? //////////

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. CYBORG 2. CYBERNETICS 3. WHO ARE BEHIND CYBERNETICS? 3.1.Dr. KEVIN WARWICK 3.2.Dr. BRAIN ANDREWS 3.3.Dr. PETER TEDDY 3.4.Dr. AMJAD SHAD 3.5.Dr. MARK GASSON 3. .Dr. BRAIN GARDNER
4. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A MAN IS MERGED WITH COMP!TERS? 5. Pr. WARWICKS PLAN TO BE WITH COMP!TER . CYBERNETIC PIONEER WHO IS !PGRADING HIMSELF WITH COMP!TER ". WHY TO BE CYBORG? REASONS BY Pr. WARWICK #. THE CHIP !SED TO MAKE FIRST CYBORG $. THE NER!AL CONNECTION 1%. PROBLEMS CAME D!RING IMPLANT OPERATION 11. HOW NER!AL CONNECTION WORKS? 12. FIG!RE OF IMPLANT 13. NER!AL SYSTEM CONT!ING WITH TRANSPODER 14. THE SHAP TEST 15. ADVANTAGES OF IMPLANT 1 . NE&T STEPS TOWARDS CYBORG " $ 1% 11 11 13 1" 1$ 2% 22 Page 3 4 5

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1". THE MATRI& ' O!R F!T!RE 1".1.1.1.1. THE FACTS 1".1.1.1.2. H!MAN OR MACHINE 1".1.1.1.3. IN AND O!T OF CONTROL 1".1.1.1.4. IGNORANCE AND BLISS 1#. REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS 1$. NEW S!BJECT ' (S!BJECTIVE I) TEST* 2%. CONCL!SION 21. REFRENCES

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3% 3% 31 32

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CYBORG
".!(01, a compound word derived from cybernetics and organism, is a term coined by 2anfred "lynes in 3456 to describe the need for mankind to artificially enhance biological functions in order to survive in the hostile environment of -pace. (riginally, a ".!(01 referred to a 7Human being with bodily functions aided or controlled by technological devices, such as an o#ygen tank, artificial heart valve or insulin pump8. (ver the years, the term has acquired a more general meaning, describing the dependence of human beings on technology. In this sense, ".!(01 can be used to characteri*e anyone who relies on a computer to complete his or her daily work..

WHAT IS CYBORG?
' ".!(01 is a "ybernetic (rganism, part human part machine. This concept is bit tricky but let see an e#ample of a ".!(01, .ou may have seen the movie T902I+'T(0. In that '0+(:, was a ".!(01. He was part man part machine. %ell defination e#actly says this, ".!(01 can be made by technology known as ".!90+9TI"-. %hat is ".!90+9TI"-? To understand ".!(01 this is the first step ne#t we will see this.

WHAT IS CYBERNETICS?
"ybernetics is a word coined by group of scientists led by +orbert %iener and made popular by %iener;s book of 34<=, Cybernetics or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine. !ased on the 1reek >kybernetes,> meaning steersman or governor, cybernetics is the science or study of control or regulation mechanisms in human and machine systems, including computers. ".!90+9TI"- could be thought of as a recently developed science, although to some e#tent it cuts across e#isting sciences. If we think of ?hysics, "hemistry, !iology, etc. as traditional sciences, then "ybernetics is a classification, which cuts across them all. ..."ybernetics is formally defined as the science of control and communication in animals, men and machines. It e#tracts, from whatever conte#t, that which is concerned with information processing and control. ... (ne ma&or characteristic of "ybernetics is its preoccupation with the construction of models and here it overlaps operational research. "ybernetic models are usually distinguished by being hierarchical, adaptive and making permanent use of feedback loops. ... "ybernetics in some ways is like the science of organi*ation, with special emphasis on the dynamic nature of the system being organi*ed.>

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WHO ARE BEHIND THIS CYBERNETICS?

Dr. KEVIN WARWICK

$evin %arwick is ?rofessor of "ybernetics at the @niversity of 0eading, @$ where he carries out research in artificial intelligence control and robotics. His favorite topic is pushing back the frontiers of machine intelligence. $evin began his career by &oining !ritish Telecom with whom he spent the ne#t 5 years. 't AA he took his first degree at 'ston @niversity followed by a ?h, and research post at Imperial "ollege, :ondon. He subsequently held positions at (#ford, +ewcastle and %arwick @niversities before being offered the "hair at 0eading, at the age of A. $evin has published over 66 research papers and his latest paperback In the 2ind of the 2achines gives a warning of a future in which machines are more intelligent than humans. He has been awarded higher doctorates both by Imperial "ollege and the "*ech 'cademy of -ciences, ?rague and has been described Bby 1illian 'nderson of the C-DilesE as !ritain)s leading prophet of the robot age. He appears in the 3444 1uinness !ook of 0ecords for an Internet robot learning e#periment and in the A66A edition for his "yborg research.. In 344= he shocked the international scientific community by having a silicon chip transponder surgically implanted in his left arm. ' series of further implant e#periments have taken place in which $evin)s nervous system was linked to a computer. This research led to him being featured in Debruary A666, as the cover story on the @maga*ine wired. $evin also presented the .ear A666 0oyal Institution "hristmas :ectures with great success. $evin;s new implant e#periment called ;?ro&ect "yborg; got underway in 2arch A66A and is providing e#citing results.

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?rofessor 'ndrews was trained in "ybernetics, "ontrol -ystems and !ioengineering at the @niversities of 0eading, -heffield and -trathclyde. He has held academic and clinical appointments in the @$, @-' and "anada. He is presently ,irector and ?rofessor of !iomedical 9ngineering at the +ational -pinal In&uries "entre at -toke 2andeville Hospital and the @niversity of 0eading. He has published more than 66 research articles on the application of neural prostheses, bioengineering and cybernetics in spinal in&ury.

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P/2/r T/..3
?eter Teddy 2' ,?hil D0"- "onsultant +eurosurgeon and "linical ,irector, ,ept +eurological -urgery, 0adcliffe Infirmary, (#ford "onsultant +eurosurgeon, +at. -pinal In&uries "entre, -toke 2andeville "onsultant +eurosurgeon, ?ain 0elief @nit, (#ford @niv (#ford 2edical -chool. !2,!"h 34F , D0"-B:ondE34F= -pecial interestsG -pinal +eurosurgery Bincluding intramedullary tumours and syringomyeliaE, ?ain surgery, +eurovascular surgery. 9#aminer, Intercollegiate !oard for D0"-B-+E, 'dvisor B+eurosurgical 'ppointmentsE 0"- %ill be involved in operative implantation of the device.

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'm&ad -had is a neurosurgeon with interest in spinal surgery and neurostimulation. 'm&ad was trained in 9dinburgh where he spent 5 years. 'fterwards he took position in (#ford and is actively involved in the research in the field of -pine and neurostimulation. He has published in this field and delivered lectures internationally. He helped in designing the implanting system for the microelectrode array.

M,r7 G,1182ark 1asson is a design engineer and has been with the @niversity of 0eading for si# years. Having previously specialised in robotics, he &oined the Implant pro&ect in A666 as the lead technical engineer and pro&ect co-ordinator. 2ark received a degree in "ybernetics and "ontrol 9ngineering from 0eading in 344=, and is currently working towards his ?h,. In addition to the implant research, he keeps active within the department by teaching bionics and robotics, as well as participating in public lectures all around the world.

Br+,- G,r.-/r
!rian 1ardner 2' B(#onE, !2 !"h, D0"?, B:on H9dinE D0"- "onsultant -urgeon in -pinal In&uries since 34=I and :ead "linician since 344= at the +ational -pinal In&uries "entre, -toke 2andeville Hopsital, 'ylesbury !ucks.

This research team is made up of A6 scientists, including two who work directly with ,r. $evin %arwickG ?rofessor !rian 'ndrews, a neural-prosthesis specialist who recently &oined this pro&ect from the @niversity of 'lberta in "anada, and professor %illiam Harwin, a cybernetics e#pert and former codirector of the 0ehabilitation 0obotics :aboratory at the @niversity of ,elaware in the @-. The others are a mi#ture of faculty and researchers, divided into three teams charged with developing intelligent networks, robotics and sensors, and biomedical signal processing - i.e., Page 7

Cyborg creating software to read the signals the implant receives from $evin)s nervous system and to condition that data for retransmission. They are in discussions with ,r. 'li Jamous, a neurosurgeon at -toke 2andeville Hospital in nearby 'ylesbury, to insert ne#t implant, although they are still sorting out the final details. (rdinarily, there might be a problem getting a doctor to consider this type of surgery, but %arwick)s department has a long-standing research link with the hospital, whose spinal-in&uries unit does a lot of advanced work in neurosurgery. They;ve collaborated on a number of pro&ects to help people overcome disabilities through technical aidsG an electric platform for children who use wheelchairs, a walking frame for people with spinal in&uries, and a self-navigating wheelchair. %hile Jamous has his own research agenda, they are settling on a middle ground that will satisfy both parties; scientific goals.

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This is the question that ?rofessor $evin %arwick and his team at the department of "ybernetics, @niversity of 0eading intend to answer with ;?ro&ect "yborg;. (n 2onday A<th 'ugust 344=, at <G66pm, ?rofessor $evin %arwick underwent an operation to surgically implant a silicon chip transponder in his forearm. ,r. 1eorge !oulous carried out the operation at Tilehurst -urgery, using local anesthetic only.

This e#periment allowed a computer to monitor $evin %arwick as he moved through halls and offices of the ,epartment of "ybernetics at the @niversity of 0eading, using a unique identifying signal emitted by the implanted chip. He could operate doors, lights, heaters and other computers without lifting a finger.

The chip implant technology has the capability to impact our lives in ways that have been previously thought possible in only sci-fi movies. The implant could carry all sorts of information about a person, from 'ccess and Kisa details to your +ational Insurance number, blood type, medical records etc., with the data being updated where necessary.

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K/=+- W,r0+;7 8<2>+-/1 6+1 9>,- 28 ?/;84/ 8-/ 0+26 6+1 ;849<2/r.
I was born human. !ut this was an accident of fate - a condition merely of time and place. I believe it;s something we have the power to change. I will tell you why.

In 'ugust 344=, a silicon chip was implanted in my arm, allowing a computer to monitor me as I moved through the halls and offices of the ,epartment of "ybernetics at the @niversity of 0eading, &ust west of :ondon, where I;ve been a professor since 34==. 2y implant communicated via radio waves with a network of antennas throughout the department that in turn transmitted the signals to a computer programmed to respond to my actions. 't the main entrance, a voice bo# operated by the computer said >Hello> when I enteredL the computer detected my progress through the building, opening the door to my lab for me as I approached it and switching on the lights. Dor the nine days the implant was in place, I performed seemingly magical acts simply by walking in a particular direction. The aim of this e#periment was to determine whether information could be transmitted to and from an implant. +ot only did we succeed, but the trial demonstrated how the principles behind cybernetics could perform in real-life applications. 2y first implant was inserted by ,r. 1eorge !oulos at Tilehurst -urgery in 0eading into the upper inside of my left arm, beneath the inner layer of skin and on top of the muscle. The ne#t device will be connected to the nerve fibers in my left arm, positioned about halfway between my elbow and shoulder. BIt doesn;t matter which arm carries the implantL I chose my left because I;m right-handed, and I hope I will suffer less manual impairment if any problems arise during the e#periment.E 2ost of the nerves in this part of the body are connected to the hand, and send and receive the electronic impulses that control de#terity, feeling, even emotions. ' lot of these signals are traveling here at any given timeG This nerve center carries more information than any other part of the anatomy, aside from the spine and the head Bin the optic and auditory nervesE, and so is large and quite strong. 2oreover, very few of the nerves branch off to muscles and other parts of the upper arm - it;s like a freeway with only a few on- and off-ramps, providing a cleaner pathway to the nervous system.

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Cyborg %hile we ultimately may need to place implants nearer to the brain - into the spinal cord or onto the optic nerve, where there is a more powerful setup for transmitting and receiving specific comple# sensory signals - the arm is an ideal halfway point.

The second phase of the e#periment ?ro&ect "yborg A.6 got underway in 2arch A66A. This phase will look at how a new implant could send signals back and forth between %arwick;s nervous system and a computer. If this phase succeeds with no complications, a similar chip will be implanted in his wife, Irena. This will allow the investigation of how movement, thought or emotion signals could be transmitted from one person to the other, possibly via the Internet. The question is how much can the brain process and adapt to unfamiliar information coming in through the nerve branches? %ill the brain accept the information? %ill it try to stop it or be able to cope? ?rofessor $evin %arwicks answer to these questions is quite simply >%e don;t have an idea - yet, but if this e#periment has the possiblility to help even one person, it is worth doing &ust to see what might happen>.

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?rofessor $evin %arwick, the world;s leading e#pert in "ybernetics, here he unveils the story of how he became the worlds first "yborg in a ground breaking set of scientific e#periments. In the years ahead we will witness machines with an intelligence more powerful than that of humans. This will mean that robots, not humans, make all the important decisions. It will be a robot dominated world with dire consequences for humankind. Is there an alternative way ahead? Humans have limited capabilities. Humans sense the world in a restricted way, vision being the best of the senses. Humans understand the world in only dimensions and communicate in a very slow, serial fashion called speech. !ut can this be improved on? "an we use technology to upgrade humans? Page 10

Cyborg The possibility e#ists to enhance human capabilities. To harness the ever increasing abilities of machine intelligence, to enable e#tra sensory input and to communicate in a much richer way, using thought alone. $evin %arwick has taken the first steps on this path, using himself as a guinea pig test sub&ect receiving, by surgical operation, technological implants connected to his central nervous system. ' "yborg is a "ybernetic (rganism, part human part machine. In this book $evin gives a very personal account of his ama*ing steps towards becoming a "yborg. The story is one of scientific endeavour and devotion, splitting apart the personal lives of himself and those around him. This astounding and unique story takes in top scientists from around the globe and seriously questions human morals, values and ethics.

WHY TO BE A CYBORG? @ REASONS BY Pr. WARWICK

Have you ever wondered what you will think of yourself when, in later years, you look back on your life? It is not too difficult to keep your nose clean and not create waves. That way you go through life without too many hassles. I am not like that, I am afraid. I want to try to change things, to have a go at completely altering what it means to be human. 'nd if that upsets you somewhat, that is your problem. I am not going to stay awake at night worrying about it.

Those of you who are reasonably well educated Ba basic requirement is to have read my book, In the 2ind of the 2achineE, will be aware that the near future will con&ure up machines that can out-think us and which have the potential to control our human destiny. @nless progress is halted now, which is e#tremely unlikely, then before long it will be intelligent machines running the show and not humans.

(ne realistic alternative to the hand of evolution patting humans on the back in an >it;s been nice knowing you> way, is for humans to themselves link up much more closely with the circuitry being created. %e can enhance our abilities by linking the workings of the human body directly with technology. %e humans can evolve into cyborgs - part human, part machine. >-urely,> I hear you say, >this is all science fiction.> %ell, think again.

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Cyborg In late 'ugust 344=, I had a silicon chip transponder surgically implanted into my left arm. %ith this in place, when I moved around the cybernetics building at 0eading university, doors opened and lights came on automatically. The building;s computer even said hello to me when I arrived in the morning.

In the late summer of A663 it is planned for me to have a further implant. In this case the nervous system in my arm will be short-circuited, via a radio signal, with the nervous system of the computer. %e will investigate how my movements can be remotely controlled and how much my emotions can be directed by the computer. %e will feed in ultrasonic information and try to bring about e#tra BhumanE sensory perception.

In the future, I believe, we will be able to send signals to and from human and machine brains. %e will be able to directly harness the memory and mathematical capabilities of machines. %e will be able to communicate across the internet by means of thought signals alone. Human speech and language, as we know it, will become obsolete. @ltimately, humans will become a lower form of life, unable to compete with either intelligent machines or cyborgs.

In the short term I would like to try to unravel some of the mysteries which presently lie behind the human body. %hen you feel pain is it more or less than my pain? In the ne#t two to three years we will find out. %hen I think of the colour red, is it the same as when you think of it? %e will know before too long. !ut shouldn;t I stop this e#perimentation that is poking its nose into the future? -houldn;t I &oin the ranks of academic philosophers and merely make unsubstantiated claims about the wonders of human consciousness? -houldn;t I stop trying to do some science and keeping my head down? Indeed not.

If there is one thing I would like said of myself, it is that at least I had a go, at least I tried to change things, at least I did some science.

I love my &ob. I would not trade it for anything. !eing in a position to investigate aspects of science about which we presently know little or nothing is fantastic. In the ne#t few years I will be scratching the surface of telepathy, electronic medicine, e#trasensory perception and thought control. %ho are you when your intelligence is Page 12

Cyborg based partly on your original, restricted human brain and partly on an e#pandable, powerful computer brain? %ill your values and ethics still be human?

%e presently have a very limited knowledge about the world around us, how the human body works and what is physically possible. Just as a century ago :ord $elvin told us that heavier-than-air flying machines were not possible, so today we hear equally irrelevant rubbish such as that machines will always be subservient to us. (ne of my principles is to listen to what the message is and not who is sending it. (ften a young child will make a statement both profound and relevant, while respected senior academics will show themselves to be complete idiots.

%e should not claim things to be impossible in the future simply because we do not like the thought of them being possible. If a mathematical equation shows something to be impossible this does not mean it actually is not possible. The future is out thereL I am eager to see what it holds. I want to do something with my lifeG I want to be a cyborg.

THE CHIP !SED TO MAKE FIRST CYBORG

The transponder that was implanted in the forearm of ?rofessor $evin %arwick, on A<th 'ugust 344= consists of a glass capsule containing an electromagnetic coil and a number of silicon chips. It is appro#imately A mm long and mm in diameter. %hen a radio frequency signal is transmitted to the transponder, the coil generates an electric current Ban effect discovered by 2ichael Daraday many years agoE. This electric current is used to drive the silicon chip circuitry, which transmits a unique, 5<-bit signal. ' receiver picking up this signal can be connected in an Intelligent !uilding network. !y means of a computer, it is able to recognise the unique code and, in the case of an implant, the individual human in question. (n picking up the unique, identifying signal, a computer can operate devices, such as doors, lights, heaters or even other computers. %hich devices are operated and which are not depends on the requirements for the individual transmitting the signal. Page 13

Cyborg The silicon chip transponder had not, prior to this e#periment, been surgically inserted into a human. It was not known what effects it would have, how well it would operate and, importantly, how robust it would be. There was the very real possibility that the transponder might leak or shatter while in the body with catastrophic consequencesM The implant in $evin %arwick;s forearm was successfully tested for nine days before being removed.

THE NER!AL CONNECTION

(n 2arch 3< th , A66A at =. 6 am an operation was carried out at the 0adcliffe Infirmary, (#ford, @$ to implant a microelectrode array onto the median nerve of ?rofessor $evin %arwick. 2r.?eter Teddy, "onsultant used in a series of e#periments and was finally removed to avoid medical complications, after nine +euro-surgeon, led the operating team which included 2r 'm&ad -had.

The research team involved with the pro&ect is co-led by ?rofessor !rian 'ndrews, who assisted in the operation, and includes 2r 2ark 1asson. !rian, $evin and 2ark are all based at the ,epartment of "ybernetics, @niversity of 0eading, @$. The operation, which lasted &ust over A N hours, went very well and has been declared a success. This is the world)s first operation of this type. The array, which has been positioned in the wrist, contains 366 spikes with sensitive tips O each of these making direct connections with nerve fibres. %ires linked to the array have been tunneled up $evin)s 'rm, where they appear through a skin puncture, 3Icm away from the array. These wires are to be linked to a novel radio transmitterPreceiver device which will be e#ternally connected, its aim being to &oin $evin)s median nerve to a computer by means of a radio signal. It is hoped that the pro&ect will result in considerable medical benefits for a large number of people, in Page 14

Cyborg particular assisting in movement for the spinally in&ured. The team will now be involved in a wide variety of investigations in the weeks ahead, hopefully also looking into enhancing capabilities when a human and machine are &oined "yborgs.

PROBLEMS CAME D!RING IMPLANT OPERATION

They have transpoder in the glass tube so while sterili*ing it they had put it into the hot water and because of the thin glass it was blast as it had became very hot. They have to think how they can link that chip with the computer as it was implanted in the forearm of ?r. %arwick. They have implanted chip in left arm of ?r. %arwick as they were afraid that if operation failed than he can work on with his right arm as he was righty. The main thing was to put a chip in the main nerve of arm in such a manner that the nerve should not be broken as by happing so they may loose ?r. %arwick. The silicon chip transponder had not, prior to this e#periment, been surgically inserted into a human. It was not known what effects it would have, how well it would operate and, importantly, how robust it would be. There was the very real possibility that the transponder might leak or shatter while in the body with catastrophic consequencesM The implant in $evin %arwick;s forearm was successfully tested for nine days before being removed.

HOW THIS NER!AL CONNECTION WORKS?

The @- ?rofessor and visionary, +orbert %einer founded the field of "ybernetics in the 34<6)s. He envisaged that one day electronic systems he called 7+ervous ?rostheses8 would be developed that would allow those with spinal in&uries to control their paralysed limbs using signals detected in their brain. In the @$ two internationally renowned professors, in the department of "ybernetics

at the @niversity of 0eading, !rian 'ndrews and $evin %arwick, together with the eminent neurosurgeon ?eter Teddy have &ust taken a step closer to this dream. The team have come together from different branches of "ybernetics and +eurosurgery. $evin %arwick speciali*es in the field of 'rtificial
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Intelligence and 0obotics and !rian 'ndrews in the field of !iomedical 9ngineering, +eural ?rostheses and -pinal In&uries. ?eter Teddy has a long involvement with neural implants and is the head of +eurosurgery at (#ford. 'lthough seemingly worlds apart, these fields have many common threads.
The principal investigators 'ndrews, %arwick and Teddy, lead a large team of surgeons and researchers including, !rian 1ardner, 'li Jamous, 'm&ad -had and 2ark 1asson of the world famous +ational -pinal In&uries "entre B+-I"E--toke 2andeville Hospital, the 0adcliffe Infirmary in (#ford and the @niversity of 0eading, @$. The team are supported by the ,avid Tolkien Trust, "omputer 'ssociates, Tumbleweed and Du&itsu. ' sophisticated new microelectronic implant has been developed that allows two-way connection to the nervous system. In one direction, the natural activity of nerves are detected and in the other, nerves can be activated by applied electrical pulses. It is envisaged that such neural connections may, in the future, help people with spinal cord in&ury or limb amputation. The microelectronic chip implant, shown in figure 3, comprises an array of fine spikes with sensitive tip electrodes. These spike electrodes are e#tremely thin, similar in dimension to a human hair. They can safely penetrate nerve tissue and allow the activity of a#ons close to each tip to be recorded or stimulated i.e. the array chip allows a two-way interface. The device has been inserted into the median nerve of a healthy volunteer O?rofessor $evin %arwick. In this way the basic safety and function of the device can be established before it is e#plored further in patients. The median nerve contains a mi#ture of many individual sensory and motor a#ons. The sensory a#ons conduct signals generated by skin receptors in response to temperature and pressure changes applied in the region of the thumb, inde# and middle fingers and palm as illustrated in figures 3 H A. 2otor a#ons that are located within the median nerve conduct signals from the 5 spinal cord to muscles, such as the thenar muscle group located at the base of the thumb as shown in figure 3 BcE. The array was inserted into the median nerve such that the sensitive tips of the microelectrodes were distributed within the nerve trunk. -ome electrodes can pick up signals from sensory a#ons whilst others pick up mainly motor a#on signals. (thers pick up a mi# of the two. The array is connected to an e#ternal amplifier and signal processing system through fine wires passing through the skin as shown in figure <.

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' main ob&ective, at this stage, is to demonstrate clinical and technical easibility of implanting the array safely, with minimal discomfort for a prolonged period without infection. The team will now attempt to record nerve signals from individual a#ons with sufficient fidelity to allow them to discriminate them from background noise. In a series of tests, specific sensory stimuli Bfor e#ample light touch, vibration heat etc.E will be carefully applied to various points on the skin whilst recording the Page 17

Cyborg microelectrode signals. These signals will be computer analy*ed in an attempt to identify the type of receptors being e#cited. In other tests. ?rofessor %arwick will contract his thenar muscles to generate controlled movement and force whilst the corresponding activity from the microelectrodes will be e#amined to determine if motor and sensory activity can be adequately separated. In separate tests, low-level electrical signals will be applied to individual microelectrodes in the array. %hen such stimuli are applied to motor a#ons the corresponding muscle fibres will contract. If however, the electrical stimuli are applied to sensory a#ons these may be perceived by ?rofessor %arwick as sensations. !y carefully applying patterns of precisely controlled low-level electrical stimulation to the sensory a#ons the investigators will determine if sensations recogni*able to ?rofessor %arwick can be generated. This first stage should allow the team to determine the feasibility of using microelectrode arrays to transmit and receive twoway signals between peripheral nerves and e#ternal microcomputers by wires through the skin. In the future, the through-the-skin wire may be replaced by a radio link connecting the fully implanted component with the e#ternal control computers as illustrated in figure I. Dor now, the present system allows a relatively low cost and minimally invasive system to be used for research and development. %e envisage that such neural prostheses may be used to restore sensory and motor functions lost by spinal in&ury, other neurological lesions or limb amputation. Two e#amples are given below to illustrate the sort of applications we have in mind. 9ven after spinal in&ury the nervous tissue below the lesion is usually alive and operating even though it is disconnected from the brain i.e. signals are still being naturally generated by sensory receptors and transmitted to the spinal cord but are not perceived by the brain. -imilarly, signals are still being put F out by the spinal cord and causing muscles to contract. However, these contractions are refle#ive and not voluntarily controlled contractions. Tetraplegics cannot voluntarily move or feel their handsL microelectrode arrays could in principle be inserted into the median and radial nerves. 2uscles that control the hand could be activated using electrical pulses to microelectrodes close to the a#ons innervating those muscles. 9lectrical pulses could be generated precisely using a microcomputer as part of some future neuroprosthesis. 0eceptors in the patient)s skin and muscle will fire as the hand opens, makes contact and grasps an ob&ect. The receptor signals would be detected by the microelectrodes positioned close to their a#ons and fed out to the controlling microcomputer which, in turn, would automatically regulate the degree of activation of muscles, so as not to grip the ob&ect too tightly or loosely. It may also be possible to feed back sensory signals picked

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Cyborg

F+:<r/ 1 The main hand nerves BaE. The median nerve and its branches BbE.-ensory signals from receptors in the shaded area of the skin are routed through the median nerve en-route to the spinal cord. The median nerve also contains motor a#ons that conduct signals from the spinal cord to muscles in the hand such as the thenar group shown superimposed in BcE.

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Cyborg

Figure 2 Various sensory receptors in the skin.

Figure 3 The microelectrode array showing 100 Axons, shown colored, conduct signals from individual spikes with sensitive tips. Activity Individual receptors to the spinal cord through of axons that are close to each tip can e nerves such as the median nerve detected or stimulated y a computer.

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Cyborg up by microelectronic arrays in the hand and impose them onto sensory pathways above the level of the lesion using another array. These arrays may even be inserted into the motor corte# to provide brain signals for the control system, &ust as %einer had envisaged. (ther potential applications in spinal cord in&ury are envisaged, including, devices to improved bladder and bowel control and perhaps facilitate standing and walking in paraplegics. 'mputees still have living nerves in their stumps into which microelectrode arrays could be inserted. These nerve stumps still relay voluntary signals to amputated muscles and are still capable of conducting sensory signals that previously originated in the amputated skin and muscles. Dor the amputee, miniature force, pressure and temperature sensors can be built into the artificial limb. These sensors could be connected to a control microcomputer which would in turn generate and apply pulses to electrode tips that have been previously associated with the appropriate sensation. If a hand amputee, wearing such a prosthesis fitted with miniature pressure sensors in the inde# finger tip were to touch or press on ob&ect, the fingertip sensor would generate an electrical signal proportional to the applied pressure. This pressure signal could then be acquired by a microcomputer, which would then apply stimulus pulses to sensory nerve fibers within the stump using a microelectrode array to recreate realistic sensation of pressure at the inde# fingertip. !eing from the field of "ybernetics it is also possible to speculate that such devices could be used in the future to e#tend the capabilities of ordinary humans, for e#ample enabling e#tra sensory input and to provide new methods of communication with machines or other humans. 'lthough this may sound, to some, rather alarming, futuristic and more the domain of "yborg science fiction, we emphasi*e that the short term goals of our work are aimed at developing useful clinical applications within present day ethical constraints It should be emphasi*ed that although an e#citing step has been taken it is still very early days. The e#amples we have indicated are speculative at this stage and although we are cautiously optimistic, a great deal of work remains to be done to determine if the approach is practical. Durthermore, significant technical development is required to make these devices available to patients. = It could take 36 or more years before such systems start to become widely available.

THE NE!RAL SYSTEM CONTIN!ING WITH TRANSPODER

The interface to ?rofessor %arwick)s nervous system was a micro electrode array consisting of 366 individual electrodes implanted in the median nerve of the left arm. ' AI-channel neural signal amplifier amplifies the signals from each electrode by a factor of I666 and filters signals with corner frequencies of AI6H* and F.I$H*. The amplified and finltered electrode signals are then delivered to the neural signal processor where they are digiti*ed at 6,666 samplesPsecondPelectrode and scanned online for neural spike events. This means that only AI of the total 366 channels can be viewed at any one time.

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+eural spike events are detected by comparing the instantaneous electrode signal to level thresholds set for each data channel. %hen a supra-threshold event occurs, the signal window surrounding the event is time stamped and stored for later, offline analysis. The neural stimulator allows for any of the AI monitored channels to be electrically stimulated with a chosen repetition frequency at any one time.

This implant, like the first, will be encased in a glass tube. %e chose glass because it;s fairly inert and won;t become to#ic or block radio signals. There is an outside chance that the glass will break, which could cause serious internal in&uries or prove fatal, but our previous e#periment showed glass to be pretty rugged, even when it;s frequently &olted or struck.

(ne end of the glass tube contains the power supply - a copper coil energi*ed by radio waves to produce an electric current. In the other end, three mini printed circuit boards will transmit and receive signals. The implant will connect to my body through a band that wraps around the nerve fibers - it looks like a little vicar;s collar - and is linked by a very thin wire to the glass capsule.

The chips in the implant will receive signals from the collar and send them to a computer instantaneously. Dor e#ample, when I move a finger, an electronic signal travels from my brain to activate the muscles and tendons that operate my hand. The collar will pick up that signal en route. +erve impulses will still reach the finger, but we will tap into them &ust as though we were listening in on a telephone line. The signal from the implant will be analog, so we;ll have to convert it to digital in order to store it in the computer. !ut then we will be able to manipulate it and send it back to my implant.

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AN IMOPRTANT TEST TO SHOW THAT CHIP IMPLANT IS NOT HARMF!L B!T CAN BE PLANTED INTO H!MAN BODY WITH EASEB.

'n important aspect of ?ro&ect "yborg A.6 is to monitor $evin)s hand function before, through the duration of the implant period and after the electrode array has been removed. The results need to be ob&ective in order to be used as a comparative tool. The problem has been solved using the -H'? B-outhampton Hand 'ssessment ?rocedureE test. The score given by the -H'? test is a functional score, 366Q being normal hand function, made up of five sub-scores for each of the different hand gripsG lateral, power, tripon, e#tension and spherical.

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Cyborg The test consists of a series of abstract and day-to-day activities and was specifically developed to test hand function rather than de#terity. Hand function is in fact considered more important in the clinical assessment of the hand. 9ach activity is measured against time and the sub&ect is asked to start and stop the timer to eliminate possible mis&udgements from the assessor. ' standard assessment procedure is followed to ensure ob&ectivity during the test. The -H'? test has been successfully proved to be a reliable and repeatable test and it is currently used in several hospitals across the @$. 's can be seen below, the tests carried out show no degredation of hand functionality resulting from the implant procedure or e#periments carried out during ?ro&ect "yborg A.6.

64P63P6A (verall -pherical Tripod ?ower :ateral Tip 9#tension 4F 4F 4I 45 45 4F 4I

AFP6 P6A 4F 4I 4F 45 4F 45 4F

6<P6IP6A 4F 45 45 4I 44 4I 4=

AFP6IP6A 4= 45 44 45 4= 4= 4=

34P6FP6A 4= 45 44 45 4= 44 4=

ADVANTAGES OF IMPLANT

9lectronic tagging can be regarded as a more permanent form of identification than a smart card. Information on the holder can be read into a computer system. In a simple e#ample, when a smart card or tag is presented, and the individual is recogni*ed, machinery such as light or a door can operate depending on what the system thinks of that individual;s status.

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Cyborg 1oing a step further, the individual could be implanted with silicon chip circuitry which gives out a unique code, identifying the individual concerned. The potential of this technology is enormous. It is quite possible for an implant to replace an 'ccess, Kisa or bankers card. There is very little danger in losing an implant or having it stolenM 'n implant could carry huge amounts of data on an individual, such as +ational Insurance number and blood type, blood pressure etc. allowing information to be communicated to on-line doctors over the internet. %ithin businesses, there is the possibility of individuals with implants could be clocked in and out of their office automatically. The e#act location of an individual within a building would be known at all times and even whom they were with. This would make it easier to contact them for a message or an urgent meeting. The technology could be e#tremely useful for car security. Dor e#ample, unless a car recogni*ed the unique signal from its owner, it would remain disabled. The implant communicated via 0D to the department;s ;Intelligent !uilding;. 't the main entrance, the computer said >Hello> when the ?rofessor enteredL detected progress through the building, opening doors on approach and switching on lights. +ot only were the methods of non-percutaneous information transfer between computers and the human body investigated, but physical and mental effects of implants were discovered, forming the first stage of an ongoing research pro&ect. "urrently in development is a new implant that will directly interface with the ?rofessor;s nervous system. This will allow the implant to record, identify and simulate motor and sensory signals, as well as allowing interface of new senses to the body. This type of device could allow treatment of patients whose central nervous systems have been damaged or affected by diseases like multiple sclerosis, to achieve controlled muscle function. (r it could allow more natural control of prosthetic limbs using remaining nerve fibres, and alternative senses for the blind or deaf. @ltimately the research may lead to implants being placed nearer to the brain or into the spinal cord. %e may be able to artificially affect emotions, perhaps abandoning the concept of feeding people chemical treatments and instead achieve the desired results electronically. "yberdrugs and cybernarcotics could very well relieve clinical depression, or perhaps even be programmed as a little pick-me-up on a particularly bad day.

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Cyborg If initial e#periments are successful, then implants would be placed into two people at the same time, sending movement and emotion signals from one person to the other, possibly even via the Internet. %ill we evolve into a cyborg community? :inking people via chip implants to each other and intelligent machines? 's scary or liberating as the new technology may be, ;"yborg; technology is here. It may be only a matter of time before we have to ask ourselves if we are willing to &oin this new frontier . . .

THE NE&T STEPS TOWARDS TR!E CYBORGS ?

PROJECT CYBORG 2.%

(n the 3<th of 2arch A66A a one hundred electrode array was surgically implanted into the median nerve fibres of the left arm of ?rofessor $evin %arwick. The operation was carried out at 0adcliffe Infirmary, (#ford, by a

medical team headed by the neurosurgeons 'm&ad -had and ?eter teddy. The procedure, which took a little over two hours, involved inserting a guiding tube into a two inch incision made above the wrist, inserting the microelectrode array into this tube and firing it into the median nerve fibres below the elbow &oint.

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Cyborg ' number of e#periments have been carried out using the signals detected by the array, most notably ?rofessor %arwick was able to control an electric wheelchair and an intelligent artificial hand, developed by ,r ?eter $yberd, using this neural interface. In addition to being able to measure the nerve signals transmitted down ?rofessor %ariwck)s left arm, the implant was also able to create artificial sensation by stimluating individual electrodes within the array. This was demonstrated with the aid of $evin)s wife Irena and a second, less comple# implantconnecting to her nervous system.

'nother important aspect of the work undertaken as part of this pro&ect has been to monitor the effects of the implant on ?rofessor %arwick)s hand functions. This was carried out by 'llesio 2urgia a research student at the department, using the -outhampton Hand 'ssessment ?rocedure B-H'?E test. !y testing hand functionality during the course of the pro&ect the difference between the performance indicators before, during and after the implant was present in $evin)s arm can be used to give a measure of the risks associated with this and future cyborg e#periment.

THE MATRI& ' O!R F!T!RE B

Is The Matrix merely a science fiction scenario, or is it, rather, a philosophical e#ercise? 'lternatively, is it a realistic possible future world? The number of respected scientists predicting the advent of intelligent machines is growing e#ponentially. -teven Hawking, perhaps the most highly regarded theoretical scientist in the world and the holder of the "ambridge @niversity chair that once belonged to Isaac +ewton, said recently, >In contrast with our intellect, computers double their performance every 3= months. -o the danger is real that they could develop intelligence and take over the world.> He added, >%e must develop as quickly as possible technologies that make possible a direct connection between brain and computer, so that artificial brains contribute to human intelligence rather than opposing it.>3 The important message to take from this is that the dangerRthat we will see machines with an intellect that outperforms that of humansRis real.

THE FACTS
!ut is it &ust a dangerRa potential threatRor, if things continue to progress as they are doing, is it an inevitability? Is the 2atri# going to happen whether we like it or not? (ne flaw in the present-day thinking of some philosophers lies in their assumption that the ultimate goal of research into 'rtificial Intelligence is to create a robot machine with intellectual capabilities approaching those of a human. This may be the aim in a limited number of cases, but the goal for most 'I developers is to make use of the ways in which robots can outperform humansRrather than those in which they can only potentally become our match. Page 27

Cyborg 0obots can sense the world in ways that humans cannotRultraviolet, C-ray, infrared, and ultrasonic perception are some obvious e#amplesRand they can intellectually outperform humans in many aspects of memory and logical mathematical processing. 'nd robots have no trouble thinking of the world around them in multiple dimensions, whereas human brains are still restricted to conceiving the same entity in an e#tremely limited three dimensional way. !ut perhaps the biggest advantage robots have over us is their means of communicationRgenerally an electronic form, as opposed to the human)s embarrassingly slow mechanical technique called speech, with its highly restricted coding schemes called languages. It appears to be inevitable that at some stage a sentient robot will appear, its production having been initiated by humans, and begin to produce other, even more capable and powerful robots. (ne thing overlooked by many is that humans do not reproduce, other than in cloningL rather, humans produce other humans. 0obots are far superior at producing other robots and can spawn robots that are far more intelligent than themselves. (nce a race of intellectually superior robots has been set into action, ma&or problems will appear for humans. The morals, ethics, and values of these robots will almost surely be drastically different from those of humans. How would humans be able to reason or bargain with such robots? %hy indeed should such robots want to take any notice at all of the silly little noises humans would be making? It would be rather like humans today obeying the instructions of cows. -o a war of some kind would be inevitable, in the form of a last gasp from humans. 9ven having created intelligent, sentient robots in the first place, robots that can outthink them, the humans) last hope would be to find a weak spot in the robot armoury, a chink in their life-support mechanism. +aturally, their food source would be an ideal target. Dor the machines, obtaining energy from the sunRa constant sourceR would let them bypass humans, e#cluding them from the loop. !ut as we know, humans have already had much success in polluting the atmosphere and wrecking the o*one layer, so blocking out the sun)s rays O scorching the sky, in effect O would seem to be a perfectly natural line of attack in an attempt to deprive machines of energy. In my own book, In the Mind of the MachineA, I had put forth the idea that the machines would, perhaps in retaliation, use humans as slave labourers, to supply robots with their necessary energy. Indeed, we must consider this as one possible scenario. However, actually using humans as a source of energyRbatteries, if you likeRis a much sweeter solution, and more complete. Humans could be made to lie in individual pod-like wombs, acting rather like a collection of battery cells, to feed the machine-led world with power. ?robably in this world of machine dominance there would be a few renegade humans causing trouble, snapping at the heels of the machine authorities in an attempt to wrestle back power for humans, an attempt to go back to the good old times. -o it is Page 28

Cyborg with the 2atri#. It is a strange dichotomy of human e#istence that as a species we are driven by progressRit is central to our beingRyet at the same time, for many there is a fruitless desire to step back into a world gone by, a dream world. .et it is in human dreams that the 2atri# machines have brought about a happy balance. -imply treating humans as slaves would always bring about problems of resistance. !ut by providing a port directly into each human brain, each individual can be fed a reality with which he or she is happy, creating for each one a contented e#istence in a sort of dream world. 9ven now we know that scientifically it would be quite possible to measure, in a variety of ways, the level of contentment e#perienced by each person. The only technical problem is how one would go about feeding a storyline directly into a brain. -o what about the practical realities of the brain port? I myself have, as reported in SI, "yborg,) had a 366-pin port that allowed for both signal input and output connected into my central nervous system. In one e#periment conducted while I was in +ew .ork "ity, signals from my brain, transmitted via the Internet, operated a robot hand in the @$. 2eanwhile, signals transmitted onto my nervous system were clearly recognisable in my brain. ' brain port, along the lines of that in the 2atri#, is not only a scientific best guess for the futureL I am working on such a port now, and it will be with us within a decade at most.

H!MAN OR MACHINE
%ith the port connected into my nervous system, my brain was directly connected to a computer and thence on to the network. I considered myself to be a "yborgG part human, part machine. In The Matrix, the story revolves around the battle between humans and intelligent robots. .et +eo, and most of the other humans, each have their own brain port. %hen out of the 2atri#, they are undoubtedly humanL but while they are in the 2atri#, there can be no question that they are no longer human, but rather are "yborgs. The real battle then becomes not one of humans versus intelligent robots but of "yborgs versus intelligent robots. The status of an individual whilst within the 2atri# raises several key issues. Dor e#ample, when they are connected are +eo, 2orpheus, and Trinity individuals within the 2atri#? (r do they have brains which are part human, part machine? 're they themselves effectively a node on the 2atri#, sharing common brain elements with others? It must be remembered that ordinarily human brains operate in a standalone mode, whereas computer-brained robots are invariably networked. %hen connected into a network, as in the 2atri#, and as in my own case as a "yborg, individuality takes on a different form. There is a unique, usually human element, and then a common, networked machine element. @sing the common element, Sreality) can be downloaded into each brain. 2orpheus describes this Bas do others throughout the filmE as Shaving a dream.) He raises questions as to what is real. He asks how it is possible to know the difference Page 29

Cyborg between the dream world and the real world. This line of questioning follows on from many philosophical discussions, perhaps the most prominent being that of ,escartes, who appeared to want to make distinctions between dream states and Sreality), immediately leading to problems in defining what was real and what was not. 's a result he faced further problems in defining absolute truths. ?erhaps a more pertinent approach can be drawn from !erkeley, who denied the e#istence of a physical world, and +iet*sche, who scorned the idea of ob&ective truth. !y making the basic assumption that there is no 1od, my own conclusion is that there can be no absolute reality, there can be no absolute truth R whether we be human, "yborg, or robot. 9ach individual brain draws its conclusions and makes assumptions as to the reality it faces at an instant, dependant on the input it receives. If only limited sensory input is forthcoming, then brain memory banks Bor in&ected feelingsE need to be tapped for a brain to conceive of a storyline. 't any instant, a brain links its state with its common-sense memory banks, often coming to unlikely conclusions. 's a brain ages, or as a result of an accident, the brain)s workings can changeL this often appears to the individual to be a change in what is perceived rather than a change in that which is perceiving. In other words, the individual thinks it must be the world that has changed, not his or her brain. %here a brain is part of a network, however, there is a possibility for alternative viewpoints to be proposed by different nodes on the network. This is not something that individual humans are used to. 'n individual brain tends to draw only one conclusion at a time. In some types of schi*ophrenia this conclusion can be confused and can change over timeL it is more usually the case, though, that such an individual will draw a conclusion about what is perceived that is very much at variance with the conclusion of other individuals. Dor the most part, what is deemed by society to be Sreality) at any point, far from being an absolute, is merely a commonly agreed set of values based on the perceptions of a group of individuals. The temptation to see a religious undertone in The Matrix is interesting R with 2orpheus cast as the prophet John the !aptist, Trinity perhaps as 1od or the holy spirit, +eo clearly as the messiah, and "ypher as Judas Iscariot, the traitor. !ut, far from a 1andhi-like, turn the other cheek, approach, +eo)s is closer to one that perhaps was actually e#pected by many of the messiah himself, taking on his role as victor over the evil 2atri#G a holy war against a seemingly invincible, all-powerful machine network. !ut what of the machine network, the 2atri#, itself? %ith an intellect well above that of collective humanity, surely its creativity, its artistic sense, its value for aesthetics would be a treat to behold. !ut the film keeps this aspect from us O perhaps to be revealed in a sequel. Humans released from the 2atri# grip, merely regard it as an evil, perhaps "ypher e#cluded here. 2eanwhile the 'gents are seen almost as faceless automatons, ruthless killers, strictly obeying the will of their 2atri# overlord. ?ossibly humans would see both the 2atri# and 'gents as the Page 30

Cyborg enemy, &ust as the 2atri# and 'gents would so regard humans O but once inside the 2atri# the picture is not so clear. 's a "yborg, who are your friends and who are your enemies? It is no longer black and white when you are part machine, part human.

IN AND O!T OF CONTROL

2orpheus tells +eo that the 2atri# is control. This in itself is an important revelation. 's humans, we are used to one powerful individual being the main instigator, the brains behind everything. It is almost as though we cannot even conceive of a group or collection running amuck, but believe, rather, that there is an individual behind it all. In the second world war, it was not the 1ermans or 1ermany who the allies were fighting but 'dolf HitlerL meanwhile in 'fghanistan, it is !in-:aden who is behind it all. .et in the 2atri# we are faced with a much more realistic scenario, in that it is not some cra*ed individual up to no good, but the 2atri# O a network. %hen I find myself in a discussion of the possibility of intelligent machines taking over things, nine times out of ten I am toldRfollowing a little chuckle to signify that I have overlooked a blindingly obvious pointRthat >If a machine causes a problem you can always switch it off.> %hat a fool I was not to have thought of itMM How could I have missed that little snippet? (f course it is not only the 2atri# but even today)s common Internet that gives us the answer, and cuts the chuckle short. 9ven now, how is it practically possible to switch off the Internet? %e)re not talking theory here, we)re talking practice. (kay, it is of course possible to unplug one computer, or even a small subsection intranet, but to bring down the whole Internet? (f course we can)t. Too many entities, both humans and machines, rely on its operation for their everyday e#istence. It is not a 2atri# of the future that we will not be able to switch off, it is a 2atri# of today that we cannot switch off, over which we can not have ultimate control. +eo learns that the 2atri# is a computer-generated dream world aimed at keeping humans under control. Humans are happy to act as an energy source for the 2atri# as long as they themselves believe that the reality of their e#istence is to their likingL indeed, how are the human nodes in a position to know what is computer-generated reality and what is reality generated in some other way? ' stand-alone human brain operates electrochemically, powered partly by electrical signals and partly by chemicals. In the western world we are more used to chemicals being used to change our brain and body state, either for medicinal purposes or through narcotics, including chemically instigated hallucinations. !ut now we are entering the world of e-medicine. @tilising the electronic element of the electrochemical signals on which the human brain and nervous system operate, counterbalancing signals can be sent to key nerve fibre groups to overcome a medical problem. "onversely, electronics signals can be in&ected to stimulate movement or Page 31

Cyborg pleasure. @ltimately, electronic signals will be able to replace the chemicals that release memories and >download> memories not previously held. %hy live in a world that is not to your liking if a 2atri# state is able to keep your bodily functions operating whilst you live out a life in a world in which you are happy with yourself? The world of the 2atri# would appear to be one that lies in the direction humanity is now headingRa direction in which it would seem, as we defer more and more to machines to make up our minds for us, that we wish to head.

IGNORANCE AND BLISS

In a sense, The 2atri# is nothing more than a modern day >!ig !rother,> taking on a machine form rather than the (rwellian vision of a powerful individual using machines to assist and bring about an all-powerful status. !ut 1984, the novel in which the story of !ig !rother was presented, was published in 34<=. The 2atri# comes fifty years later. In the meantime, we have witnessed the likes of radar, television for all, space travel, computers, mobile phones, and the Internet. %hat would (rwell)s !ig !rother have been like if he had had those technologies at his disposal O would !ig !rother have been far from the 2atri#? %ith the first implant I received, in 344=, for which I had no medical reason Bmerely scientific curiosityE, a computer network was able to monitor my movements. It knew what time I entered a room and when I left. In return it opened doors for me, switched on lights, and even gave me a welcoming >Hello> as I arrived. I e#perienced no negatives at all. In fact, I felt very positive about the whole thing. I gained something as a result of being monitored and tracked. I was happy with having !ig !rother watching me because, although I gave up some of my individual humanity, I benefited from the system doing things for me. %ould the same not be true of the 2atri#? %hy would anyone want to e#perience the relatively tough and dangerous life of being an individual human when he or she could be part of the 2atri#? -o here we come on to the case of "ypher. 's he eats his steak he says, >I know that this steak doesn)t e#ist. I know when I put it in my mouth, the 2atri# is telling my brain that it is &uicy and deliciousM> He goes on to conclude that >Ignorance is bliss.> !ut is it ignorance? His brain is telling him, by whatever means, that he is eating a nice &uicy steak. How many times do we nowadays enter a fast-food burger bar in order to partake of a burger that, through advertising, our brains have been conditioned into believing is the tastiest burger imaginable. %hen we enter we know, because we)ve seen the scientific papers, that the burger contains a high percentage of water, is mainly fat, and is devoid of vitamins. .et we still buy such burgers by the billion. %hen we eat one, our conditioned brain is somehow telling us that it is &uicy and delicious, yet we know it doesn)t quite e#ist in the form our brain is imagining. %e can thus understand "ypher)s choice. %hy be out of the 2atri#, living the dangerous, poor, tired, starving life of a disenfranchised human, when you can e#ist Page 32

Cyborg in a blissfully happy life, with all the nourishment you need? ,ue to the deal he made with 'gent -mith, once "ypher is back inside he will have no knowledge of having made any deal in the first place. He appears to have nothing at all to lose. The only negative aspect is that before he is reinserted he may e#perience some inner moral human pangs of good or bad. 0emember that being reinserted is actually good for the 2atri#, although it is not so good for the renegade humans who are fighting the system. 0obert +o*ick)s thought e#periment puts us all to the test, and serves as an immediate e#hibition of "ypher)s dilemma. +o*ick asks, if our brains can be connected, by electrodes, to a machine which gives us any e#periences we desire, would we plug into it for life? The question is, what else could matter other than how we feel our lives are going, from the inside? +o*ick himself argued that other things do matter to us, for e#ample that we value being a certain type of person, we want to be decent, we actually wish to do certain things rather than &ust have the e#perience of doing them. I disagree completely with +o*ick. 0esearch involving a variety of creatures, principally chimpan*ees and rats, has allowed them to directly stimulate pleasure *ones in their own brain, simply by pressing a button. %hen given the choice of pushing a button for pleasure or a button for food, it is the pleasure button that has been pressed over and over again, even leading to starvation Balthough individuals were quite happy even about thatE. Importantly, the individual creatures still had a role to play, albeit merely that of pressing a button. This ties in directly with the 2atri#, which also allows for each individual mentally e#periencing a world in which he or she is active and has a role to play. It is, however, an important question whether or not an individual, as part of the 2atri#, e#periences free will or not. It could be said that "ypher, in deciding to reenter the 2atri#, is e#ercising his free will. !ut once inside, will he still be able to e#hibit free will then? Isn)t it essentially a similar situation to that proposed by +o*ick? "ertainly, within the mental reality pro&ected on an individual by the 2atri#, it is assumed that a certain amount of mental free will is allowed forL but it must be remembered, at the same time, that each individual is lying in a pod with all his or her life-sustaining mechanisms taken care of and an interactive storyline being played down into his or her brain. Is that free will? %hat is free will anyway, when the state of a human brain is merely partly due to a genetic program and partly due to life)s e#perience? Indeed, e#actly the same thing is true for a robot. In the 2atri#, no human fuel cells are killed, not even the unbornRthere is no abortion. .et, naturally dying humans are allowed to die naturally and are used as food for the living. Importantly, they are not kept alive by chemicals merely for the sake of keeping them alive. The 2atri# would appear to be more morally responsible to its human sub&ects than are human sub&ects to themselves. %ho therefore wouldn)t want to support and belong to the 2atri#, especially when it is making life easier for its sub&ects? Page 33

Cyborg

+eo is kidnapped by :uddites, dinosaurs from the past when humans ruled the earth. It)s not the future. %e are in reality heading towards a world run by machines with an intelligence far superior to that of an individual human. !ut by linking into the network and becoming a "yborg, life can appear to be even better than it is now. %e really need to clamp down on the party-pooper +eos of this world and get into the future as soon as we canRa future in which we can be part of a 2atri# system, which is morally far superior to our +eolithic morals of today.

R/,>@08r>. ,99>+;,2+8-1

Though the e#periment sounds like an episode of ,r. %ho, its real-world implications are >right around the corner,> says %arwick, who foresees enormous medical applications. Through a system of embedded chips interfacing with an artificial motor system, %arwick imagines paraplegics walking. 'nd that;s &ust for starters. 7-imply take measurements off muscles and tendons and feed them into the transponder,> %arwick says. >That means, ultimately, that you wouldn;t need a computer mouse anymore. .ou wouldn;t need a keyboard.>

"harles (stman, a senior fellow at the Institute for 1lobal Dutures and science editor at 2ondo A666, agrees. >+europrosthetics are . . . inevitable,> he says. >!iochip implants may become part of a rote medical procedure. 'fter that, interface with outside systems is a logical ne#t step.>

%arwick;s eagerness is palpable, engaging, contagious. >This is where you can speculate,> he says. >This is where we take a technical thing and say, ;0ight-o, got the signal, got the implantL all I;ve got to do is run a wire from the implant to my nervous system.; . . . I;m so e#cited about it, I want to get on with the ne#t step straight away. :et;s see if we can control computers directly from our nervous system.>

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THE NEW S!BJECT BY HIMB. (SYBJECTIVE I) TESTING*

%e test intelligence by measuring individual performance in certain key areas. !ut who decides what should be tested and why? (ur decision about which skills to test is highly sub&ective, based solely on abilities valued by certain people, in certain cultures. !ut why should the ability to identify different types of snow, or track prey over vast distances, be valued less highly than knowledge of 9uropean history or applied mathematics? %e are entering the new millennium with a system of intelligence testing which we think can evaluate everyone, regardless of se#, race, creed, age and culture. %e apply our own standards to other cultures, other species, and even to the machines we create, and we find them wanting. !ut our growing understanding of the e#traordinary abilities of animals in areas in which we cannot even hope to compete, coupled with the current race to produce new technologies which far outstrip the boundaries of human achievement, calls for a new definition of intelligence, and a new method of testing it. ,r $evin %arwick has conducted a revolutionary investigation into the problems associated with conventional, >sub&ective> IT testing, and into the nature of intelligence itself. He has devised a new way of comparing not only person with person and culture with culture, but also a system that unites human, animal and artificial intelligence for the first time. The results will astound you.

CONCL!SION

Dinally I would like to say that if the future is of intelligent robots than to protect mankind we will must need some +9(s, T902I+'T(0s. They all are ".!(01-. !ecause by making human ".!(01- we may have following e#tra ordinary capabilities/

I think by 2100 we're going to see people able to communicate

between each other by thought signals alone, so no more need for telephones, old fashioned signaling, we'll be able to think to each other via implants.

Linking myself up via an implant to a computer, my nervous

system, electronic signals connected to the electronic signals in the computer effectively mentally becoming one with the computer. !his will mean movement type signals and emotional type signals Page 35

Cyborg can transmit from my body to the computer, but also the other way. !he computer will be able to affect me emotionally, perhaps cheer me up when I'm depressed or cause me to move when I didn't think about moving. It opens all sorts of other possibilities" the computer will be able to send down other information ultrasonic or infrared information on my nervous system to my brain. I will effectively have e#tra sensory perception and will be able to look at the world in new ways than I could do before.

Instead of communicating by speech as we do presently, we'll be

able to think to each other, simply by implants connected to our nervous system linking our brains electronically together, possibly even over the internet.

$e won't need the languages that we presently do, we'll need a

new language of ideas and concepts in order to communicate thoughts from brain to brain.

REFERENCES

T8 9r/9,r/ 26+1 1/4+-,r I 6,=/ :8 26r8<:6 26/ A8>>80+-: 1+2/1.

www.pcworld.com www.universityofreading.com www.cnn.com www.bbcnews.com www.miamihearld.com www.google.com www.kevinwarwick.com www.rdg.ac.uk www.cy er.rdg.ac.uk www.davidtolkientrust.com www.tum leweed.com www.ca.com www.fu!itsu.co.uk www.oxfordradcliffe.nhs.uk www.nhs.uk www.wired.com"wired"archive"#.0$"warwick.html Page 36

Cyborg www.guardian.co.uk"Archive"Article"0,%$&','()%(#(,00.html

B8871 r/,.
I ".!(01 I ".!(01 A.6 I+ TH9 2I+, (D 2'"HI+9

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