Cyborgs and body hacks

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Friday, 24. August 2018 11:44

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Technoscope 3/2018

Translated with DeepL

Technical aids are not only used to replace missing senses, but sometimes also to enhance people's sensory abilities.

Neil Harbisson, who has been unable to perceive colours since birth, is described as the first cyborg ever. The photo on his ID card shows a small technical device protruding from his head. It is a colour sensor fixed in his skull. This sensor registers the wavelength of the colour in front of him and transmits it to a chip in the back of Harbisson's head. There, the information is converted into sound waves - each colour is translated into a note. The sounds reach Harbisson's auditory system via bone conduction so that he can hear the colours. A visit to the supermarket with all its colourful packaging sounds like a visit to a nightclub to him. After years of training, Harbisson can even perceive colours in the infrared and ultraviolet range that are invisible to humans. Harbisson now sees the colour sensor as part of his body and not as a device.

Harbisson founded the Cyborg Foundation together with his partner Moon Riba in Barcelona in 2010. Riba is able to sense earthquakes via implanted magnets. Both pursue a more artistic approach and want to give people new sensory experiences.

Existing RFID chips to open the front door or an implantable compass, for example, are likely to have more practical uses. Some of these body hacks are already available for purchase. In February 2018, the Augmented Human International Conference, which focussed on sensory-enhancing technologies, was held for the eighth time. The "augmented human" is not a vision of the future, but is already walking among us.

Augmented Human International Conference

http://www.sigah.org/AH2018/

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How can Switzerland best prepare for cyber threats? This is where the SATW’s thematic platform comes into play. The platform advises the secretariat on matters relating to cybersecurity and the strategic direction of the priority programme. It regularly identifies new relevant topics and highlights specific areas for action. In this way, the thematic platform helps ensure that Switzerland is as well-equipped as possible to defend itself against cyber threats.

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