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CYBORGS

Seminar 2011

1. INTRODUCTION:
A neural interface allows human brain to communicate directly with a computer, without any other equipment. That kind of interface allows any illusions to be inputted to human nervous system. A recent article on neural interfacing in the IEEE Transactions reports that "a Microelectrode array capable of recording from and stimulating peripheral nerves at prolonged intervals after surgical implantation has been demonstrated." These tiny siliconbased arrays were implanted into the perennial nerves of rats and remained operative for up to 13 months. The ingeniously designed chip is placed in the pathway of the surgically severed nerve. The regenerating nerve grows through a matrix of holes in the chip, while the regenerating tissue surrounding it anchors the device in place. This chip receives the signals from the surrounding nerves and sends it to a computer through a wireless medium. Within several decades, active versions of these chips could provide a direct neural interface with prosthetic limbs, and by extension, a direct human-computer interface. This human computer interface may now lead to a revolutionary organism called as cyborg, which was thought of as a science-fiction earlier.

Some scientist point out that humans and machines already have remarkable similarities even with-out integration. Both humans and machines function or behave in fundamentally the same way with respect to processes and feedback. The field of cybernetics aims to understand the similarities and differences in internal workings of organic and machine processes (action - feedback - response) and, by formulating abstract concepts common to all systems, to understand their behavior. In cybernetics, machines and organisms are said to be in principle the same- they function or behave in fundamentally the same way with respect to processes and feedback. Our cyborg technologies are giving us the capacity to intervene in our own evolution both through technological augmentation and genetic engineering. The distinction between; living-nonliving, organic-inorganic, body-machine, natural-artificial, and human-nonhuman is no longer being held. This redesigning of the human is leading us into a post human age and allowing us to choose our future if we shall accept it. Post-modern literary critic N. Katherine Hayles explains, We are moving from the human-machine hyphen where the human is connected to the machine, to the human/machine splice where the human and the machine extend into each other and there is no clearly distinguishable boundary between them. College of Engineering Perumon 1 Dept of Computer Science & Engineering

CYBORGS

Seminar 2011

A cyborg, also known as a cybernetic organism, is a being with both biological and artificial (e.g. electronic, mechanical or robotic) parts.a hybrid of neurons and wires or circuits. The cyborg is often seen today merely as an organism that has enhanced abilities due to technology. The whole process of becoming a Cyborg is known as Cyborgation.

2. ORIGIN:

The concept of a man-machine mixture was widespread in science fiction before World War II. As early as 1843, Edgar Allan Poe described a man with extensive prostheses in the short story "The Man That Was Used Up". In 1908, Jean de la Hire introduced Nyctalope (perhaps the first true superhero was also the first literary cyborg) in the novel L'Homme Qui Peut Vivre Dans L'eau (The Man Who Can Live in the Water). Edmond Hamilton presented space explorers with a mixture of organic and machine parts in his novel The Comet Doom in 1928.

CYBORG, a compound word derived from Cybernetics and Organism, is a term coined by Nathan Klines and Manfred Clynes in 1960.Their concept was the outcome of thinking about the need for an intimate relationship between human and machine as the new frontier of space exploration was beginning to take place. A designer of physiological instrumentation and electronic data-processing systems, Clynes was the chief research scientist in the Dynamic Simulation Laboratory at Rockland State Hospital in New York.Originally, a CYBORG referred to a Human being with a bodily function aided or controlled by technological devices, such as an oxygen tank, artificial heart valve or insulin pump. Over the years, the term has acquired a more general meaning, describing the dependence of human beings on technology. In this sense, CYBORG can be used to characterize anyone who relies on a computer to complete his or her daily work.

College of Engineering Perumon

Dept of Computer Science & Engineering

CYBORGS

Seminar 2011

3. KINDS OF CYBORG ENTITIES:


CYBORG

Convenient

Conditional

CYBORGS are categorized into two types based on their structural and functional role play. Structurally cyborgation can take place either internally or externally.

Convenient cyborgs may refer to any external provision of an exoskeleton for the satisfying the altered fancy needs of body, and the latter

Conditional cyborgation includes bionic implants replanting the lost or damaged body part for the normal living in the present environment.

4. OPERATIONAL AND ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES:

A silicon chip is implanted into any part of the body especially the region where most of the nerves are interconnected, and send and receive the electronic impulses. This silicon chip consists an array of electrodes .These electrodes are extremely thin, similar in dimension to a human hair. This silicon chip is designed in such a way that it can receive the nerve signals ,amplify them and encode the signal into digital format by which proper computer accessibility is provided. Since no wires are preferred to interconnect the cyborg and computer a wireless communication path is preferred. This implant is encased in a glass tube. One end of the glass tube contains the power supply - a copper coil energized by radio waves to produce an electric current. In the other end, three mini printed circuit boards will transmit and receive signals. The implant is connected to the body through a band that wraps around the nerve fibers and is linked by a very thin wire to the glass capsule. The chips in the implant will receive College of Engineering Perumon 3 Dept of Computer Science & Engineering

CYBORGS

Seminar 2011

signals from the nerve fibres and send them to a computer instantaneously. For example, when a finger is moved, an electronic signal travels from the brain to activate the muscles and tendons that operate the hand. These Nerve impulses will still reach the finger. The signal from the implant will be analog, so it is to be converted into digital in order to store it in the computer.

A silicon chip

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Seminar 2011

Still, several studies on work, organizational culture, computerized information systems (CIS), networks, and human-machine dyads (such as the "symbolic value of the CIS" or the "organizational symbolism" of computer Culture) indicate the desire to explore, interpret, and reveal more than the efficiency of cyborgs and their supposed capability to undo the "problems" of late industrial society .There is a desire to understand and to make meaning of the developing history of cyborgs, the development of their behavior and culture; the two interconnected through hands, wires and electronic mechanisms that bend the technological discourse towards cultural as well as digital ears.

4.1 Human implanted with silicon chip:


Figure shows a human-computer interface, the implanted chip in shoulder and the response of the computer with respect to the signals from the Cyborg.

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SENSORS

ELECTRONIC DEVICES

DOORS ETC

PROCESSOR CONTROLLING DIFFERENT DEVICES

4.1.1 Research project on cyborg: This project is based on the experiment conducted by cyborg Steve Mann .The silicon chip implant is inserted into the upper inside of the left arm, beneath the inner layer of skin and on top of the muscle. And the device is connected to the nerve fibers in the left arm, positioned about halfway between the elbow and shoulder. Most of the nerves in this part of the body are connected to the hand, and send and receive the electronic impulses that control dexterity, feeling, even emotions. This nerve center carries more information than any other part of the anatomy, aside from the spine and the head and so is large and quite strong. This chip is made to receive the signals from the nerve fibres and the signals are then transmitted to the computer. The computer is programmed to receive the signals, store them in a data base and execute the tasks such as opening the doors switching on and off of lights and giving vocal messages to the cyborg depending on his locomotions and actions.

4.1.2 Experiments proposed by cyborg Steve Mann: As discussed earlier the chip in the implant will receive signals from the nerve fibers and send them to a computer instantaneously. For example, when we move a finger, an electronic signal travels from the brain to activate the muscles and tendons that operate the hand. These Nerve impulses will reach the finger. The implanted silicon chip receives these

College of Engineering Perumon

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nerve pulses and it sends the signal of impulses to a computer through wireless path. The signal from the implant will be analog, so we'll have to convert it to digital in order to store it in the computer. The computer receives the signal and sends it back to the implant. This ensures whether the same response of moving the finger will be by sending same impulse signal to the implant. When we waggle the left index finger, it will send a corresponding signal via the implant to the computer; here it will be recorded and stored. Next, we can transmit this signal to the implant, hoping to generate an action similar to the original. No processing will be done inside the implant. Rather, it will only send and receive signals, much like a telephone handset sends and receives sound waves. It's true that onboard power would increase the options for

programming more complex tasks into the implant, but that would require a much larger device.

5. INDIVIDUAL CYBORGS:
A British scientist, Professor Kevin Warwick of The University of Reading's Cybernetics department is said to be the first human cyborg. His first experiment involved a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip enclosed in a glass tube. The tube was inserted under the skin in his arm, and the RFID chip communicated with a computer. In 2002, under the heading Project Cyborg, he had an array of 100 electrodes fired in to his nervous system in order to link his nervous system into the Internet. With this in place he successfully carried out a series of experiments including extending his nervous system over the Internet to control a robotic hand, a loudspeaker and amplifier. In 2004, under the heading Bridging the Island of the Colourblind Project, a British and completely colorblind artist, Neil Harbisson, started wearing an eyeborg on his head in order to hear colors. His prosthetic device was included within his passport photograph which has been claimed to confirm his cyborg status.

College of Engineering Perumon

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CYBORGS

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6. ADVANTAGES:
Certainly, there have been a number of positive responses to this 'cyborg' phenomenon. There have been a number of AI researchers like Hans Moravec who have unabashedly declared that it may be time for carbon-based biological life to yield control of the planet to its 'mind children,' silicon-based life. They claim that the phenomenon, seen from a grand evolutionary perspective, can be seen as part of the grand design of evolution. The human cyborg represents a 'transitional species' of sorts, before the human enters total post-biological obsolescence. If evolution is theorized from an abstract perspective as an attempt to increase the information-processing power latent in matter, in the struggle against entropy, it is clear that hardware (artificial life) will eventually win out against wetware (organic life) since it is more durable and more efficient.

There are others who foresee perhaps a more peaceable coexistence for human beings and electronic life, One recent theory that has been bantered about lately is that the human race may have reached the saturation point for economic growth, but this is fortunate since it has arrived in time for it to work on 'human growth,' i.e. the re-engineering of the human species. We can 'graduate' from being victims of natural selection to masters of self-selection. It seems hard to argue against increasing human longevity, intelligence, or strength, since human beings seem to live too short a span, to make too many mistakes in reasoning, and to lack the physical endurance necessary to make great accomplishments If this technology comes into existence then a wide variety of advantages can be achieved the following description gives an overview of advantages enjoyed by cyborgs.

Increased strength: Assuming that it is possible to replace or enhance the human endoskeleton with metal and pneumatic/hydraulic pumps, the strength of a cyborg could be drastically increased above a normal human. A metal skeleton would even possibly allow you to even take hits a normal human couldn't survive (e.g. A sledgehammer to the chest, or a gunshot to the head)

College of Engineering Perumon

Dept of Computer Science & Engineering

CYBORGS

Seminar 2011 Longer lifespan: Because you are replacing a lot of your body parts,

you are making some of your organs obsolete and since you aren't relying on them, it doesn't matter if they fail or are taken out. However until research into extended or replenishing the state of the brain, you will still only have as long to live as your brain will allow. Unless you could somehow transfer your conscience into the computer that eventually replaces your brain, you are screwed.

One of the most important advantage of cyborg technology would be giving artificial sight to blind people . The main advantage is to that of health-The long life of the mechanical parts, compared to biological parts; it is much easier to replace a mechanical part.

In the medical field cyborgs would be of great use because any disease could be analyzed in terms of the neural impulse signals.

College of Engineering Perumon

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CYBORGS

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7. DISADVANTAGES:

The critics of bioelectronics and bio computing foresee numerous potential negative social consequences from the technology. One of the dangers inherent in bioelectronics might be the ability to control and monitor people. Certainly, it would be easy to utilize bio-implants that would allow people to trace the location and perhaps even monitor the condition and behavior. This would be a tremendous violation of human privacy, but the creators of human biotech might see it as necessary to keep their subjects Under control. Once implanted with bio-implant electronic devices, 'cyborgs'

might become highly dependent on the creators of these devices for their repair, recharge, and maintenance, thus placing them under the absolute control of the designers of the

technology. Perhaps the most cogent arguments against this technology originate from people who foresee tremendous possible risks toward human health and safety. In this way cyborgs may lead many adverse consequences as predicted by the critics.

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8. COMPARISON WITH ROBOTS:

The main difference between a cyborg and a robot is the presence of life. A robot is basically a machine that is very advanced. It is often automated and requires very little interaction with humans. In comparison, cyborgs are a combination of a living organism and a machine. It doesnt necessarily have to be human; it can be a dog, a bird, or any other living thing. The living component is what separates a cyborg from a robot. This basically means that a cyborg is alive while a robot isnt. Even though some robots can simulate certain aspects of living beings, it never truly is alive. A robot is only capable of doing what it was programmed to do while a cyborg, especially human cyborgs, exercise free will on their activities. There are a number of good examples for robots. Among them are the robots working in factories that do the repetitive tasks. These robots are better than humans at these tasks as they are very quick and do not get tired. Even people with pacemakers qualify as their existence depends partly on the continuing function of the electronic device that keeps their hearts rhythm. Another area where the robots and cyborgs vary is complexity. Robots can be fairly complex like the factory robots mentioned above. There are, however, also robots that are very simple. In comparison, the machine part of a cyborg is often very complex as it interfaces with the organic part in order to function.

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CYBORGS

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9. APPLICATIONS:
Cyborgs find a variety of applications in medical and military field. 9.1 IN MEDICINE: In medicine, there are two important and different types of cyborgs: these are the restorative and the enhanced. Restorative technologies restore lost function, organs, and limbs.The key aspect of restorative cyborgization is the repair of broken or missing processes to revert to a healthy or average level of function. There is no enhancement to the original faculties and processes that were lost. The enhanced cyborgs intend to exceed normal processes or even gain new functions that were not originally present. In the field of medical technology, devices known as prosthetics have been developed to replace or aid failing body parts. Prosthetic devices have been created to assist and restore an alarming variety of body parts, including skeletal and joint, organs (cardiovascular, kidney, cell) neural (brain, vision, auditory), and aesthetic or cosmetic.

A brain-computer interface , or BCI, provides a direct path of communication from the brain to an external device, effectively creating a cyborg. Research of Invasive BCIs, which utilize electrodes implanted directly into the grey matter of the brain, has focused on restoring damaged eyesight in the blind and providing functionality to paralyzed people, most notably those with severe cases, such as Locked-In syndrome. This technology could enable people who are missing a limb or are in a wheelchair the power to control the devices that aide them through neural signals sent from the brain implants directly to computers or the devices. It is possible that this technology will also eventually be used with healthy people also.

Retinal implants:

They are another form of cyborgation in medicine. The theory behind retinal stimulation to restore vision to people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa and vision loss due to aging. Two approaches employed are:

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Subretinal implant and Epiretinal implant.

The subretinal implant involves a chip that is is just 2 mm across and includes 1,500 to 5,000 micro photodiodes, each fitted with a stimulating electrode. The chip is surgically implanted onto the surface of the retina and is designed to produce electronic signals similar to those produced by the photoreceptor layer. These sensors detect light, and generate a pulsed electrical signal that is fed to the bipolar cells.

An implant in the retina (left) allows patients to recover some vision by replacing damaged retinal light receptors with a photodiode array (right).

The epiretinal implant involves a video camera on the user's glasses that transmits a coded image into the eye-ball via a laser, where the microchip implant receives the information. Inside the eye, the implant translates the laser's data and activates a grid of electrodes which stimulate the nerves in the eye, creating dots of light and dark.

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Cochlear ear implants:

The multichannel cochlear implant

A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain. The implant consists of 4 components that can help to create hearing. A microphone collects the sound, A speech processor that sorts the sounds collected, A transmitter/receiver which converts the signals from the processor into electric pulses, And an electrode array that then send the signal to different areas of the auditory nerve.

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CYBORGS

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Cybernetic Limbs : C-LEG : In current prosthetic applications, the C-Leg system developed by Otto Bock HealthCare is used to replace a human leg that has been amputated because of injury or illness. It is an innovative, completely microprocessor-controlled leg prosthesis system that helps people who have undergone transfemoral amputation to achieve a new degree of safety and dynamics. It features an on-board sensor technology that reads and adapts to the individual's every move. Angles and moments are measured 50 times per second. The C-Leg features a wireless remote control that lets users easily switch between different settings, e.g. for walking, bicycling or inline-skating, as well as make individual fine adjustments to the hydraulic system. No matter at what speed and on what ground the user is walking, the C-Leg reacts in real time to the gait circumstances, ensuring not only natural movements but also offering a high amount of mobility and independence with every step. With its aesthetic and clear language of form, the C-Leg contributes to the well being of its wearers? Thus allowing them to bear their disability with greater self-confidence.

The C-leg: an innovative leg prosthesis system.

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CYBORGS

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i-LIMB: The iLimb Hand is the most advanced bionic hand you can currently buy. It looks just like a real hand with 4 fingers and a thumb, all of which can be moved to allow a grabbing action. Stuart Mead, CEO of the company behind the device Touch Bionics, explains how the hand works: The hand has two main unique features. The first is that we put a motor into each finger, which means that each finger is independently driven and can articulate. The second is that the thumb is rotatable through 90 degrees, in the same way as our thumbs are There are two electrodes that sit on the skin that pick up myoelectric signals. They are used by the computer in the back of the hand, which does two things: it interprets those signals and it controls the hand.

Neuro-controlled bionic arm

The i-LIMB

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Cardiac Treatment:

Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) are currently in use by patients who although they have some heart function, require artificial assistance to sustain their lives.

Alzheimer's/Parkinson's Disease and Epilepsy:

Per the BBC (13 August 2008) researchers (in 2008) at the University of Reading, in Reading, UK created a multi-electrode array consisting of about 300,000 neurons extracted from a rat fetus to control robotic movement. The cells, kept separate from the robot in a temperature-controlled container (filled with a pink broth solution) fitted with electrodes communicated via Bluetooth short-wave radio. The objective is to gain a better understanding of neurons with the hope of discovering effective treatments for Alzheimers and Parkinson's disease.

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CYBORGS 9.2 IN MILITARY:

Seminar 2011

Military organizations' research has recently focused on the utilization of cyborg animals for inter-species relationships for the purposes of a supposed tactical advantage. DARPA has announced its interest in developing "cyborg insects" to transmit data from sensors implanted into the insect during the pupal stage. The insect's motion would be controlled from a MEMS, or Micro-Electro-Mechanical System, and would conceivably surveil an environment and detect explosives or gas. Similarly, DARPA is developing a neural implant to remotely control the movement of sharks. The shark's unique senses would be exploited to provide data feedback in relation to enemy ship movement and underwater explosives.

A cyborg insect used for reconnaissance missions In 2009 at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Micro-electronic mechanical systems (MEMS) conference in Italy, researchers demonstrated the first wireless flying-insect cyborg. Engineers at the University of California at Berkeley pioneered the design of a remote controlled beetle, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The success of the Beetle Borg has sparked an onslaught of research and the creation of a program called Hybrid Insect MEMS or HI-MEMS. The goal for HI-MEMS, according to DARPAs Microsystems Technology Office, is to develop tightly coupled machine-insect interfaces by placing micro-mechanical systems inside the insects during the early stages of metamorphosis. 18 Dept of Computer Science & Engineering

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The fig. shows a remote controlled beetle

Eventually researchers plan to develop HI-MEMS for dragonflies, moths, beetles, bees, sharks, rats, and even pigeons. The intimate control of insects with embedded microsystems will enable insect cyborgs, which could carry one or more sensors, such as a microphone or a gas sensor, to relay back information gathered from the target destination.

Similarly, DARPA is developing a neural implant to remotely control the movement of sharks. The shark's unique senses would be exploited to provide data feedback in relation to enemy ship movement and underwater explosives.

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Dept of Computer Science & Engineering

CYBORGS

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10. FUTURE PROSPECTS AND POSSIBILITIES:

Experiments are being conducted to establish wireless communication between two persons. But they should be provided with computer aided cameras. This technology would be implemented in almost all fields where human interaction is needed. for example consider a uranium plant or space research centre which requires a wide variety of sensors to inform about special tasks .In these places human intervention is highly needed because even if we use autonomous sensors Sometimes problems may crawl in. By using cyborg technology this problem would be more simple because if we interface humans with sensors then up to date information would be sent to the cyborg for instantaneous analysis of the status where ever he is. Even in medical field cyborgs would be of great use because any disease could be analyzed in terms of the neural impulse signals. This technology would be also used to establish intercommunication between two or peoples without using speech. It is assumed that wide area access between any number of people can be achieved by using internet. This internet would substantially form a cyberspace establishing a community of cyborgs in the near future. In this way cyborgs may revolutionize the present technology and can be used in even more areas of the world. The military has already considered the possibility of the cyber-soldier, augmented by technology so that he has faster reflexes, deadlier accuracy, greater resistance to fatigue, integrated weaponry, and most importantly, lesser inclinations toward fear or doubt in combat. Such soldiers could be created through combinations of biochemical, bioelectronics, and DNA manipulation, which is already a great success. They might have available arsenals of new biological warfare components, synthetically generated within their own bodies. Brain implant - could be used to correct localized brain and spinal cord damage. Researchers expect tests in humans within 10 years. A possibility of a cyborg can be to add microchips to the brain, which would allow your brain to offload commands such as doing calculations to the chip, which could

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CYBORGS

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do the calculations instantaneously and return the answers to the brain. Perception could be increased by assisting parts of the brain that deal with awareness Any disease could be analyzed in terms of the neural impulse signals. Space endeavors can be made easy without human interaction on-site. Can be used in army for fighting,flying,etc.. Cyberdrugs and cybernarcotics could very well cure cancer, relieve clinical depression.

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CYBORGS

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11. CONCLUSION
By cyborg technology man can improve himself a lot. Combining AI and cybernetics, a variety of future prospects are possible. Research in the right directions will provide hope and happiness to many who are suffering from handicaps. There should be a control on the use of cybernetics as the technology may be used for illegal purposes. Cyborgs, once relegated to science fiction have become scientific reality providing vast military/intelligence/law enforcement, medical, and technological prospects. If cybernetic technology is used benevolently and ethically where human thought remains the primary driver in lieu of imposed mind-control, it will open new windows of opportunity providing greater freedom and improved standards of life, to quadriplegics trapped in their own bodies, to the blind imprisoned in a world of darkness, to the deaf confined in a prison of silence, and to people who with age or injury, will need seamless synthetic replacement parts for those worn down or destroyed. It will also expand human capabilities with regard to speed, sight, communication, and endurance. Finally, when such technology gains widespread acceptance and use, it is likely that the majority of the human race will be cyborg, though not in the way envisioned by science fiction.

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12. REFERENCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyborg http://ezinearticles.com/ http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CYBERN.html http://www.kevinwarwick.com http://www.stelarc.va.com.au www.fiu.edu www.wikipedia.com www.amswers.com

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