THE WORLD'S FIRST CYBORG- NEIL HARBISSON
A Cyborg is a Cybernetic Organism with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. Biomechatronics is an interdisciplinary study of Biology, Mechanics and Electronics. It is the interfacing of Biological organs with Electromechanical devices and systems. Slated to be the most promising research in this age of Artificial Intelligence, it signifies the harbinger of Man-Machine Hybrids.
He explains that initially he had to memorise the names of colours and the related notes, but after some time, all this information became a perception. Later, with the passage of time, when he started to dream in colour, he felt that the software and his brain had united.
Neil Harbisson is the first officially recognised Cyborg. He was born with Achromatopsia, ie, extreme colour blindness. His world was only black and white. In 2004 he got an antenna implanted in his head which is a colour sensor, an electronic eye, which detects colour frequencies which are sent to the chip implanted at the back of his head and he hears the sound of colour through bone conduction. The sensor of the antenna dangles over his forehead and translates light waves into vibrations, which his brain has learnt to decode. The electronic eye renders colours as sounds on a musical scale though vibrations in his skull. He basically hears colours since then. Slowly all these sounds became colour perception until he began feeling colours. The cybernetic device became a part of him, an extension of his brain.
He talks about his inspiring story on TED Talks (ted talks harbisson) which is available on the following link:
He explains that initially he had to memorise the names of colours and the related notes, but after some time, all this information became a perception. Later, with the passage of time, when he started to dream in colour, he felt that the software and his brain had united.
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