BIOHACKERS, BODY MODDERS, CYBORGS
EDITOR’S NOTE:
The post was just finished when something about the AI STUDIO EXTENSION fell into my hands. I absolutely had to try it out. So here is the AI STUDIO VERSION of: “BIOHACKERS, BODY MODDERS, CYBORGS”
This episode of alphatester is about body augmentation.
BIOHACKERS, BODY MODDERS and CYBORGS.
Why do I find that interesting enough to do a post about?
Well – somehow I belong a little bit to all 3 groups…
…but first let’s look at the definitions of the terms:
A BIOHACKER or GRINDER is a person who actively engages with biological systems to understand, modify or improve them. This can be done through the use of technologies, experiments and self-optimization techniques. The term can also include people who experiment DIY in fields such as biology, genetics or molecular biology.
Glowing rabbits, increased muscle growth, CRISPR-Cas9 – the possible applications are huge. And the community is growing; thanks to affordable lab technology and open-source knowledge.
A small glimpse into the scene was given in recent years by the German sci-fi series “Biohackers” with Jessica Schwarz and Luna Wedler. The story is about the medical student Mia, who gets caught up in the dangerous world of genome research and illegal bioethical experiments. The series looks at the moral and ethical challenges that come with manipulating DNA and biotechnological advances.
A BODY MODDER is a person who shapes or individualizes their outer appearance through artistic body modifications such as piercings, tattoos, implants or other changes.
The somewhat more extreme kind of body modding includes split tongues, devil horns, tattooed eyes, plugs or tunnels in places like the cheek, brandings – that sort of thing.
A CYBORG (short for “cybernetic organism”) is a fused entity of biological organisms and artificial technologies. This mixture makes it possible to extend or improve human abilities by integrating technological components into the body.
With cyborgs we always immediately think of the Model 101 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) or the more advanced T-1000 (Robert Patrick) from the Terminator films.
Or Peter Weller’s face from RoboCop.
But even with a cochlear implant, i.e. an electronic inner-ear prosthesis, you are in fact a cyborg. Hand or arm prostheses can by now be controlled with “thoughts”.
Elon Musk goes one step further with his company Neuralink, founded in 2016. Research is actively being done there on a BCI, i.e. a brain-computer interface.
Since September 2023, patients with ALS or specific cervical spine injuries can sign up for the study at Neuralink.com.
The connection of human and machine is an eternal dream that can generally be described astranshumanism . Transhumanism is the philosophy of extending the limits of what is humanly possible (intellectually, physically, psychologically) through technology.
You know the principle from Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, Ex Machina and my personal favorites Westworld (love it) and Strange Days.
Since 2014 there has been the Transhumanist Party in the USA. A registered party that is fielding its own candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
BIOHACKERS, BODY MODDERS and CYBORGS.
What does that have to do with me?
7 years ago I installed an RFID chip in my own hand.
On dangerousthings.com you can order such syringes perfectly pre-configured from America and “inject” them under your own skin.
I have a 13.56 MHz chip here that can be written very easily with an app on the phone. Currently I have my LinkedIn profile stored on it. So when you run a phone over the hand, a link appears like with a QR code and if you follow it – my face pops up.
Is that all? What else can you do with it?
Attention, it’s getting nerdy now!
With a chip like this in your hand you can, for example, open doors, play music or switch on a light. Together with my apprentice we built this here.
This is an Arduino Uno, i.e. a small, programmable mini computer with an NFC (Near Field Communication) antenna and in here there’s also a Fibaro Smart Implant. When the Arduino has power, a small program starts and the antenna is activated. When I come near the antenna with my chip, the mini computer reads out my chip’s serial number and compares it with the number in the program. If the number matches, the Arduino sends an “ON” signal to the small Smart Implant here, and that sends an “ON” signal via Z-Wave (something like Wi-Fi) to my smart home hub. With that I can now do whatever I want. In this case – “Turn on my test light”.
That could just as well boot up my computer, open the garage door, or play my favorite songs on Spotify.
Do I feel like a cyborg because of that? Not really.
Even though by definition I would belong. I simply see myself as a curious nerd who at least doesn’t shy away from jabbing a syringe into his own hand. My motivation is very often just the proof of concept. The feeling when the lamp finally turns on!!
Fun fact: with an MRI, i.e. a magnetic resonance scan, you don’t have to worry about the chip – mine survived it, at any rate.
What the tube probably wouldn’t survive is the newest biohacker, body modder trend: BIOMAGNETS
This makes possible: an additional sense! Feeling magnetic fields! And of course: a magnetic finger! The latest development in so-called biomagnets is that the magnet is applied into the finger with a sterile syringe. Until now you had to cut open with a scalpel. If you keep the magnet in your body for a longer time, an additional sense develops. Because – the injected magnet vibrates, just like any “normal” magnet in connection with strong current and other magnetic fields. The nerves around it in the finger of course pick that up and report it to the brain. After 2–3 weeks you are supposed to be able to “feel” power lines and magnetic fields.
I haven’t ordered it yet – but I do find it interesting!
Links:
https://dangerousthings.com/product/xnt/
https://neuralink.com/patient-registry/
https://transhumanist-party.org/
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