From electrodes that help the colorblind "hear" colors to bizarre shaking penis implants, here's a compilation of the robo-future to come.
Listening to Red Roses
Performer and musician Neil Harbisson is totally colorblind. He did not want to give into the idea that he would miss out on the world's chromatic variety, so he designed an "e-eye" — a camera that picks up colors and translates them into different sounds.
He hears color. Her elbow is wi-fi ready. https://t.co/ZXSLw3BkrF #RBMADaily pic.twitter.com/MknU0D4ZV4
— RedBullMusicAcademy (@RBMA) May 16, 2016
Harbisson even went as far as asking a surgeon to connect the camera to a chip planted inside his head: now every frequency is sent directly to a cochlear implant that stimulates his brain with "color vibrations."
Portable Camera
Canada-born Rob Spence was involved in a shooting accident when he was a kid which resulted in him losing an an eye. When he grew up, he went on to become a documentary maker and found a way to make lemonade out of the lemons life had dealt him.
pic.twitter.com/vKTcv80vJE Pimpin'
— Rob Spence Eyeborg (@Eyeborg) February 18, 2016
Ready for AMA pic.twitter.com/4vjUFhNq4f
— Rob Spence Eyeborg (@Eyeborg) November 20, 2014
He installed a camera inside his prosthetic eye which means he does not need to bring along a film crew or a cumbersome camera when he is working. He now calls himself the "Eyeborg."
The Human Dildo
Body hacker Rich Lee has invented a device called Lovetron9000: a small, motor-powered object that can be inserted under a man's penis and make it vibrate while he has sex. The implant runs on a rechargeable battery, has different vibration modes, and it can go on for up to 45 minutes. Lee is planning on having a prototype "installed" in his body by the end of 2016.
Phantom Pain
James Young lost an arm and a leg in a train accident, but he decided he would keep playing video games. After teaching himself to use a joystick with his teeth, he got in touch with gaming company Konami. They built the amputee a bionic arm just like the one sported by one of the most iconic characters in video gaming, Snake, from the Metal Gear Solid franchise.
The 3D-printed arm can react to the movement of his back muscles and it also comes with a drone, an in-built smartwatch and even USB ports to charge his smartphone.
Skin-LED
Folks at Grindhouse Wetware have been bringing tattoos to life by implanting LEDs under the skin.
Happy #NationalDNADay! Here's @TimTheCyborg's #DNA double helix #tattoo backlit by the Circadia #implant prototype. pic.twitter.com/uPAZFj4a3q
— Grindhouse Wetware (@GHWetware) April 26, 2016
The backlit tattoos are certainly visually alluring, but installing them is not exactly a cakewalk and involves gory DIY-like surgery.
Hello, World! Meet Northstar. Here's @jtim02 showing it off. For more, follow us on Instagram. #BodyMod pic.twitter.com/43YcBsBcFX
— Grindhouse Wetware (@GHWetware) November 7, 2015
Although these 'body hacks' sound rather fascinating, do not try any of the above at home.
