A handful of people around the world have had computer chips implanted in their bodies to extend, enhance or repair their senses. The remarkable convergence of biology and technology is being brought about by joining advanced computers with the human nervous system, a merger that holds the promise of devices that can restore sight to the blind and mobility to victims of paralysis. This same technology might also one day provide us with bionic senses, such as the ability to see infrared radiation or feel distant objects at a distance. By linking neurons in the brain directly to neuromorphic chips, scientists are also exploring the possibility of creating virtual eyes, ears and limbs on the Internet and allowing people to control Internet appliances by thought alone. Machines are getting neuromorphic senses too. Researchers are extending emotionally intelligent computers with the ability to see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think for it self.

Drawing on the fields as diverse as artificial life and biology, 'The Body Electric' addresses the psychological, social and philosophical implications of these new developments. Are you any less 'you' after a bionic implant? If all your senses are electronically enhanced, how will we tell the difference between virtual reality and the actual world? How can privacy be ensured when computers and senses are watching and listening to everything we do and say? Will transmitting smells and tastes over the Internet enrich the user's experience or merely provide another way for corporations to sell us products?

Mark Bower

Director, NextWave.IT Ltd

www.nextwaveit.biz

enquiry@nextwaveit.biz