Biohacking

AHH! CYBORGS EVERYWHERE! Well, maybe not yet, but thanks to a process called biohacking, it could very easily become the future of the human race. But what really is biohacking? It is the process of changing or “hacking” the human body to enhance it using technology. There are many different types of biohacking, some that are much milder than others. Some of them are quite wild indeed. Some of the milder forms of biohacking include sending electricity through your brain to enhance your learning and performance capabilities. On the other end of the spectrum, there is complete replacement of limbs with robotic ones. The big question here is this: how much biohacking should be allowed? The thing is, we already have the answer. Biohacking, while a bit more on the extreme side, falls into the category of body modification, just like tattoos and body piercing. Biohacking will eventually fall into the same groove as tattoos and piercings, with similar regulations, but no real limit for the amount of modification allowed.

              One example of modern biohacking is the implantation of magnets. These magnets are neodymium magnets, much like the ones commercially available at almost any store. When implanted, these magnets allow the wearer to make their hand into a magnet. This does have practical uses in today’s world as well as being an interesting addition to the wearer. For example, if the wearer were a contractor or carpenter, finding studs and holding nails would be easier. (“Cyborgs Among Us”) For everyday use, stylists could use them to hold bobby pins while fixing their hair or their client’s hair. Others could use them to hold onto things like pens when carrying other objects or walking around with no pockets. So, magnets do indeed have a practical use in everyday life. Getting them implanted is quick but painful, considering that no anesthetic can be administered, but a magnet (as long as you remember to keep your valuables in the other pocket) could actually be a useful biohack. Eventually, when biohacking becomes more of the status quo, more regulations will be in place, similar to piercings, that will make this form of biohacking easier for the common person who wants to be a bit more uncommon.

              Not only can you get magnets implanted into your hand, but you can also get microchips implanted. They will do much more than the magnets will. These chips can allow the wearer to send information to their phone, open doors with proximity technology, or even act as a set of headphones that you never need to take off with speakers embedded in your ears. (“Cyborgs Among Us”) The speakers that can be implanted already have a practical application for the common person: you would never have to buy another set again. Sure, maintenance would be required, but we as humans require maintenance occasionally. These would also be beneficial to runners, because the runner would never have to deal with the hassle of cords, and could control the songs/whatever they listen to with a chip in their hand. This is also a very practical biohack, which will become more prominent as the initial “black sheep” phase passes.  

Sometimes, when veterans come home from combat, they have lost limbs. They deserve to have a method for replacing their lost limbs if they want. Prosthetics are readily available through insurance and such, but what about robotic limbs? Thanks to DARPA, vets now have the option to replace lost limbs with robotic limbs. (“Terminator Arm”) Some limbs connect to nerves in the lost limb and even allow the wearer to feel again. (“DARPA”) So, there are actual practical uses for robotic limbs.

              Some might say that the limbs are taking biohacking too far. Sure, amputees and veterans will benefit enormously from them, but what about people who still have their limbs (for now)? There would be nothing to stop people from purposely getting their arm amputated and replaced with a cybernetic arm, just like there isn’t much from preventing people from getting tattoos. There would be nothing to stop these people from getting stronger, hardier limbs than everyone else, allowing them to go above and beyond the general population. Just like steroids, there would be rules outlawing the use of performance enhancing limbs.

              Even though the idea of biohacking is new and scary to the world today, it will eventually be thought of like tattoos and piercings. Regulations will be set in place, of course, but there will be no limits set on how much biohacking is too much. This is not bad, because there are practical applications for biohacking, with in-ear speakers and controls in your hand, along with many other options for biohackers to explore.              

Work Cited:

"'Terminator' Arm Is World's Most Advanced Prosthetic Limb." YouTube. SWNS TV, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qUPnnROxvY>.

MSN. "DARPA Builds Prosthetic Hand That Can Feel." YouTube. GlobeTrendy, 19 June 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbZurRk_oxQ>.

Pepitone, Julianne. "Cyborgs Among Us: Human 'Biohackers' Embed Chips In Their Bodies." NBC News. Dangerous Things, 11 July 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/cyborgs-among-us-human-biohackers-embed-chips-their-bodies-n150756>.