Cybernetic Body, Transhumanist or Purist

[whitecloud]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2...-eye/23574281/

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...s#.VO3lrPmUeWU

Today, development of new "parts" for our body that could one day even better than the natural counterpart basically moving by leaps and bounds. The cybernetic technology moving faster than ever, what once must be controlled manually like hand prosthetic now can be controlled by mind by using nerve interface to the point it is as natural as controlling the flesh counterpart, with the strength far exceed it.

The cybernetic eye , while still in development, now can at least see the shape and form of things, with no doubt of more improvement to come.

and this is just in a mere 20 years more or less from a crude prosthetic that is clunky, limited range of motion, manual control to mind controlled cybernetic prosthetic for limbs and for eye from something that can only perceive light, to can perceive shape and form.

we all know that technology is maturing at incremental speed, the speed of development of 20 years ago is not the same with the present development speed.

to thus the question, in 20-30 years if such technology becoming commonplace, and better than our flesh counterpart will you change it for better "part" or maybe even the whole body save the brain ala Ghost in the shell?

or maybe you will hold dear to your human body to the best you can only opting for natural option, if available.

or maybe taking the middle road, changing some part for cybernetic part to enjoy some advantage, like secondary cyber brain, replacing one arm with cybernetic equivalent, an eye with bionic eye that have an advanced capability like zoom, night vision,etc?

for me personally, i will take the middle road, maybe changing one arm, an eye and adding cyber brain just to give me an advantage in this ever competitive world of working.

what about you guys? full trans-humanist? purist? or somewhere in the middle?

[monster]

If it ain't broke...

Anyway, if this really becomes commonplace and do offer better capabilities, I wonder what it would mean to the world of professional competitive sports. Would there be separate divisions for tech and non-tech?

[Kafriel]

This conversation treads inevitably into eugenics area, so I can't really position myself on it; such tech goes from prototype to "out in the market" but for the select few who have the bucks for it, creating a gap between people...and given the advantages of this technology, that gap can only get wider.

As for me, let's just say I got me two pairs of glasses instead of having eye surgery (640 euros against 7600, it was a rather easy choice) but if I -could- change my eyes, I'd do it...provided there are no compatibility issues or permanent risks.

There's also the issue of electromagnetism. With PCB-like fiber being used for many current prototypes, such products could cause all kinds of EM noise/jamming, so their use would have to be restricted in certain places. It would also cause people with, say, nano-skin be highly prone to temperature changes, since electrical conductors tend to conduct heat as well - would they have to use insulating oil for extreme temperatures, with extreme being something in the forties celcius?

[Jaden]

Hells yeah, I'd sign up for a neural uplink, added memory, augmented vision, life prolonging implants and all that. And maybe some better protection for my brain so it wouldn't break as easily. Like maybe move it into my chest cavity, the head is kinda exposed.

Even if I could never afford all that and the technology would just empower the elite, I'd say go nuts. No point standing in the way of progress.

[AnimeFan188]

A bionic lens can be inserted in a procedure like cataract surgery
can give vision three times better than 20-20 starting in 2017:

"Employing state-of-the art materials and production techniques, OcumeticsTM
Technology Corporation is pleased to announce the development of one of the
world’s most advanced intraocular lenses, one that is capable of restoring quality
vision at all distances, without glasses, contact lenses or corneal refractive
procedures, and without the vision problems that have plagued current
accommodative and multifocal intraocular lens designs."

"“This is vision enhancement that the world has never seen before,” he said. “If
you can just barely see the clock at 10 feet, when you get the Bionic Lens you
can see the clock at 30 feet away.”"

See:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2015/05/a-b...serted-in.html

[SineMora]

For someone who is broken like me, asthma, allergy, myopia with astigmatism, had a family line with cancer, born anemic, bullied for nearly 10 years (and a record of injuries, I nearly lost an eye when one of the assholes decided it's a good idea to put a stake my eye)... I guess transhumanism is a way to go...

Makes a good deterrent if I can ask for a piledriver under my arm or a finger taser, or a shotgun palm. I want a sweet revenge for the side of my eye.

Funny, I just went to the doctors today (doctors cause, many, derma, opta, etc.), nothing changed, still the same, the allergy is still there and my vision ain't changing from 200+

[AnimeFan188]

Humans 'will become God-like cyborgs within 200 years':

"Wealthy humans are likely become cyborgs within 200 years as they gradually
merge with technology like computers and smart phones, a historian has claimed.

Yuval Noah Harari, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the
amalgamation of man and machine will be the ‘biggest evolution in biology’ since the
emergence of life four billion years ago."

See:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/h...200-years.html

[Anh_Minh]

I don't think I'd want to be a first adopter or even to have superfluous surgery, but I'm not particularly sentimental about my body. The idea of becoming a cyborg doesn't bother me. I suspect it'll bother me even less in 40 years and replacing stuff becomes a necessity.

Originally Posted by SineMora

Makes a good deterrent if I can ask for a piledriver under my arm or a finger taser, or a shotgun palm. I want a sweet revenge for the side of my eye.

What if the bullies have their own rocket punches? Heck, why not carry a gun if you think it's the answer to all your problems?

[Sheba]

I'd go for augmented vision, replacement for my hands, memory extension and life prolonging implants, also reinforced spine and torso.

[SaintessHeart]

I would rather have a cyborg loli body. *runs*

[Draco Spirit]

I lean more towards the replace if broken line of thinking. I can't see myself replacing a perfectly good hand with a robotic one if my flesh and blood one works perfectly fine, mostly because I rather stroke kittens and feel there fluffiness with my fully fictional nerve endings... but if I got serous arthritis my tune might change.

Genetic engineering and clone organs look more tempting in the long run anyway. I certainly would have no issues in having the genes of my children purged of any nasty genetic disease and flaws, through I'll draw the line at vanity matters and if pushed into a corner, I just ask the dock to roll a dice for eye color!

[kirikawa]

I think with cybernetic bodies and robots, some of those have already been designed. I can't see cyber intelligence ever being able to process artificial brainwaves like ours can, but you never know. I'd definitely be interested in those eyes, though... talk about badass.

[SaintessHeart]

Surgein promising girsy head transplant pitches idea in US

How can I donate.

[AnimeFan188]

A possible future if humanity fails to improve itself:


Apple’s co-founder: We’re all going to be robots’ pets one day:

"Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk agrees.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak thinks we’re all probably going to become robots’
pets.

Speaking at a recent technology conference, Wozniak said that at first the thought
of artificially intelligent beings in charge of everything scared him. But now it’s a
comforting thought.

Fast forward hundreds of years to when robots are in charge. At that time, humans
will probably be treated in a similar fashion to dogs, Wozniak said during an event at
the Freescale Technology Forum 2015 in Austin, Texas."

See:

https://fortune.com/2015/06/25/apple...k-robots-pets/


Personally, I'd rather be the master of technology than the servant, or the pet.

[AnimeFan188]

Update on the leading edge of brain implant research and Kurzweils
predictions for brain implants in twenty years:

"Ray Kurzweil, director of engineering at Google, says that in the 2030s we will have
brain implants that will help us connect to the cloud, allowing us to pull information
from the internet. Information will also be able to sent up over those networks,
letting us back up our own brains.

As the cloud that our brains access improves, our thinking would get better and
better, Kurzweil said. So while initially we would be a “hybrid of biological and
non-biological thinking”, as we moved into the 2040s, most of our thinking will be
non-biological."

See:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2015/06/kur...ction-for.html

[FDW]

I'd be more interested in biological modifications before cybernetic ones. (Like, get the form I want first, then attach the machinery)

[AnimeFan188]

This Social Network Turns Your Personality Into an Immortal
Artificial Intelligence:

"By learning everything there is to know about you and your online
habits, social network ETER9 promises a kind of digital immortality
wherein an artificially intelligent agent continues to post on your behalf
long after you’re dead. The future is creepier than we ever imagined.

ETER9, a startup launched by Portuguese developer Henrique Jorge, is
still in the beta phase, but 5,000 people have already signed up for the
service. It currently features a Facebook-like newsfeed, and a “cortex”
that works much like a Facebook wall. But that’s where the similarities
end."

See:

http://io9.com/this-social-network-t...mmo-1725618358

[BladeMancer]

If this allows us to gain superhuman abilities (strength, speed and the like) then I'm sold.

[AnimeFan188]

Meet the only US presidential candidate promising
immortality:

"Commentary: CNET's Eric Mack speaks with Transhumanist Party
candidate Zoltan Istvan about America's cyborg future and finds himself
hesitant to join the borg so soon.

I'm not naming names, but in the current race for US president, there
are certain major party candidates who promise to accomplish all their
goals and insist they'll be just "terrific" in the process. Despite such
confidence, no candidate has set goals quite as ambitious as
Transhumanist Party candidate Zoltan Istvan, whose campaign promises
include not just a better life, but perhaps an endless one."

See:

http://www.cnet.com/news/transhumani...s-immortality/

[fiabundem1]

why does it have to be cybernetic? who knows my be we will unlock the human genome and finally go the genetic way instead (x-men).