Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Cyborgs Today & in the Future Transvision 2007 James J. Hughes Ph.D. Author Citizen Cyborg Executive Director, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies Public Policy Studies, Trinity College, Hartford CT
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 The Enlightenment Project
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Denis Diderot ( ) “D'Alembert's Dream” 1769 Machine minds are possible Minds may be deconstructed and rebuilt later Science can bring the dead back to life Human-animal hybrids OK
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Marquis de Condorcet Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind Reason liberates from church, authoritarianism, nature Women’s suffrage Opposed to slavery Radical life extension Freedom from work Marquis de Condorcet
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Condorcet on H+ "Nature has set no term to the perfection of human faculties; the perfectibility of man is truly indefinite; and the progress of this perfectibility, from now onwards independent of any power that might wish to halt it, has no other limit than the duration of the globe upon which nature has cast us….."
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Transcending the Body’s Limits External devices: shoes, glasses, bicycles, exoskeletons Chemical management: diet, drugs, gene therapy Cybernetic augmentation: implanted devices, neural interfaces, nanomedicine Redesign: reconstructive surgery, inheritable genetic engineering
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Transcending the Body’s Limits External devices: shoes, glasses, bicycles, exoskeletons Chemical management: diet, drugs, gene therapy Cybernetic augmentation: implanted devices, neural interfaces, nanomedicine Redesign: reconstructive surgery, inheritable genetic engineering
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 JD Bernal ( ) Irish physicist, pioneered X- ray crystallography 1929, "The World, the Flesh & the Devil: An Enquiry into the Future of the Three Enemies of the Rational Soul” – first projection of cybernetic implants
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Vannevar Bush ( ) Ran Office of Scientific Research and Development during WWII Proposed NSF after war Proposed memex in "As We Think" Atlantic Monthly, July 1945
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Nathan Kline and Manfred Clynes “Cyborgs and Space,” Astronautics, Sept. Monitoring and controlling the body/brain of the astronaut from ground control
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Artificial Organs Heart Assist Devices and Full Artificial Heart Replacements Dialysis and Implantable Artificial Kidneys Artificial Lungs
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Artificial Pancreas Diabetes growing rapidly Realtime blood sugar monitoring Automated release of insulin Implanted
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 NanoTissue Engineering Nanomaterials as scaffolding and mesh around which stem cells can grow tissues and neural bridges Using electrical stimulation of cells through the mesh to control the growth of the tissue
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Robert Freitas & Nanomedicine Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing (IMM) in California, former Research Scientist at Zyvex Corp. in Texas author of Nanomedicine Vols. I & II Designs for nanorobotic Red blood cells (respirocytes) T-cells (microbiovores) Cell-repair (chromallocytes)
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Neuroprosthetics & NNI NIH Neural Prosthesis Program Cochlear & retinal implants Peripheral neural prosthetics Brain implants National Nanotechnology Program Ethical, Legal and Other Societal Issues
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Respirocyte Artificial red blood cell 18 billion atom structure 300x the amount of O 2 a RBC can carry
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Prosthetic Limbs and Joints Hip and kneee replacements Arms and legs Fingers
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 NBIC Convergence Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno Program (2003-) Psychopharmacology Genetic engineering Nanotechnology Artificial intelligence Cognitive science The accelerating convergence of all these for “enhancing human performance”
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Implants for Depression & OCD Depression Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Deep Brain Stimulation for Seizures 1% of the population has seizure disorders, such as Epilepsy Parkinsons Disease
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Visual Impairments 8.6 million Americans have visual impairments Includes glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy Half a million are legally blind
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Hearing Impairments 25 million people in the U.S. have hearing loss Of those, 2.4 million have severe to profound deafness 25% of those aged 65 to 74 have hearing impairments 40% over age 75 have hearing impairments
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Loss of Body Control About 750,000 people with cerebral palsy in the U.S. About 75,000 quadriplegics in the U.S. Lou Gehrig's Disease or ALS and muscular dystrophy each effects about 15,000 Americans “Locked-in state”
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Brain-Computer Interfaces
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Brain Damage & Neuroprosthetics Post-stroke brain injury is leading cause of disability in U.S. One in 250 suffer from the effects of head injuries
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 NanoNeural Network Self-replicating Two-way communication with trillions of neurons Networked inside and out Perfect virtual reality, mind back-up, upload
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 More Basic Research Support Needed Cognos Project and Neural Interfaces Biocompatible nanomaterials Medical nanorobotics
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Legitimate Concerns: Safety, Efficacy, Access Ensure technology is safe and effective Make technology accessible to all
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Ensuring Safety/Efficacy of Implants FDA’s device regulatory office is small and overwhelmed Verichip illustrates problem with enhancement/thera py distinction
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 Access to Implants Limited Most people in the world who could benefit from implants do not have access to them
Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2007 For more information World Transhumanist Association transhumanism.org Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies ieet.org Me: