Six Real-life Cyborgs
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Six Real-life Cyborgs
Meet six inspiring people who blend the line between human and technology
The term "cyborg" was coined in 1960 by scientists Manfred E. Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. Short for "cybernetic organism," this word describes an entity that combines biological and artificial components to enhance its abilities or functionality. It can refer to a living being augmented with technological enhancements or a machine integrated with organic elements.
According to this definition, cyborgs already exist among us. Individuals with pacemakers or cochlear implants, for example, can be considered cyborgs.
In this article, we will introduce six artists and researchers who have added new parts to their bodies. Some became cyborgs due to life circumstances, while others chose to become one. All of them explore the boundaries between humans and technology.
Hugh Herr
Hugh Herr was a promising climber and was hailed as a prodigy. By the age of 17, he was recognized as one of the best climbers in the United States. But his career as a rock climber has been cut short. In 1982, Herr had an accident he lost both his legs. He was 19 years old at that time.
After recovering from the accident, Herr turned his focus to academics and eventually found a place at MIT, where he began working on advanced leg prostheses.
Herr gained widespread attention in 2014 with his viral TED Talk where he presented his bionic legs. The talk has been viewed over 14 million times to date.
Currently, Herr serves as a Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab and co-leads the Yang Center for Bionics at MIT. Named a "Leader of the Bionic Age" by Time Magazine, Herr dedicated his life to advancing bionic limbs and has been responsible for numerous groundbreaking innovations in bionics.
Neil Harbisson
Imagine you can’t see colours. You don’t even have a concept of colour. You have no knowledge of what it means for something to be "red" or "green," and everything appears gray.
This is how Neil Harbisson perceives the world. He was born with a rare condition called achromatopsia, which renders him unable to see colours. He can only see shades of gray.
In 2003, Harbisson invented the Cyborg Antenna. It is a device that takes in the colours, translates them into sounds and sends them to Harbisson’s head via a bone conductor. With this device, Harbisson can hear the colours.
Over time, the antenna has become an integral part of Harbisson's body and an extension of his senses. It has fundamentally changed how he perceives the world. As an artist, Harbisson shares his unique perspective through artworks that swap sound and image. He paints sounds and makes music from images.
Harbisson is also an activist for cyborg rights. In 2010, he co-founded the Cyborg Foundation, an international organisation that defends cyborg rights, promotes cyborg art and supports people who want to become cyborgs. In 2017, he co-founded the Transpecies Society, an association that gives voice to people with non-human identities, raises awareness of the challenges transpecies face, advocates for the freedom of self-design and offers the development of new senses and organs in the community.
Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick is regarded by some as the first cyborg, part human and part machine.
In 1998, Kevin Warwick was the first person to receive an RFID implant. It was a part of Project Cyborg - an experiment to answer the question of what happens when a man is merged with a computer.
In 2002, Warwick followed up with BrainGate, a small array of electrodes implanted in his arm that directly connected his nervous system with computers. This implant enabled two-way communication between Warwick and computers, leading to a series of experiments involving the expansion of human perception and direct links between humans and machines.
One such experiment involved implanting similar electrodes into his wife's arm to investigate the transmission of movement, thought, or emotion signals between individuals. Many consider this experiment as one of the first examples of technological telepathy.
Moon Ribas
Moon Ribas is a dancer and choreographer who is fascinated by movement. She incorporates movement into her art, including a unique ability to sense the Earth's movement.
Ribas has implants that vibrate whenever there is an earthquake. Since March 2013, she has worn the sensor permanently, using her seismic sense to create dance performances. In one of her solo pieces, "Waiting for Earthquakes," her movements are defined by seismic activity. If there are no earthquakes, she remains still. If there are earthquakes, she starts dancing.
Apart from being a cyborg artist, Moon Ribas is also a cyborg activist. Together with Neil Harbisson, she co-founded the Cyborg Foundation and the Transpecies Society.
Tilly Lockey
Tilly Lockey was born a perfectly healthy girl, but her life took a dramatic turn when she contracted meningitis at the age of 15 months. The disease nearly claimed her life. She survived but both her wrists had to be amputated.
Growing up, Tilly used clunky prosthetics. Her life changed when she was approached by Open Bionics, a small startup spun off from the University of Bristol in the UK, specializing in 3D-printed prosthetic arms. She began collaborating with the company to help develop affordable prosthetic arms and became the face of the young startup.
Tilly fully embraced her prosthetic arms and began sharing her experiences as a teenage cyborg on YouTube. She later became a teenage model, artist, and influencer. In 2019, she joined Open Bionics in promoting the movie "Alita: Battle Angel."
In 2021, Tilly won the sixth series of the CBBC competition series Got What It Takes?
Victoria Modesta
Viktoria Modesta received global attention in 2014 when she launched a collaboration with Channel 4 for the campaign Born Risky, which included a video to a song Prototype. The video went viral and reached 14 million views as of writing this article. The video for "Prototype" received a Silver Lion Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
From this point on, she was known as the world’s first bionic pop artist.
Since then, Modesta has established herself as a performance artist, model, and actress. She has worked with renowned brands such as Rolls Royce, GM, Intel, Snap, Veuve Clicquot, Autodesk, and Pangaia.
Through her art, Victoria Modesta challenges modern perceptions of altered beauty. She is an advocate for changing public views on the use of augmented body parts. In 2016, she was featured on BBC's list of inspirational and influential women, BBC 100 Women.
Share in the comments if you know any more real-life cyborgs.
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