Those magnets have the strength to rip out of those fingers, assuming a magnetic field was close/strong enough. That would be a funny sight, like a couple's facial piercings getting stuck to each other

Reborn8u

United States1761 Posts

August 10 2012 06:01 GMT

#22

Reading this I was reminded of an old friend of mine, he told me that cybernetics were the future, this was about 15 years ago. He was really into the Ghost in the Shell at the time. Cool stuff, I wonder how fast my apm would be if I didn't have to use a mouse or keyboard. ]

There are so many interesting technologies that could spawn from this. Replacement body parts, soldiers with digitally enhanced senses, direct brain integration, your own internal cell phone and hard drive, direct computer interface, even the potential to bypass breaks in nerves (spinal injury).

I imagine a world where I drive my car with thoughts, and never have to look for the tv remote again.

BlindKill

Australia1508 Posts

August 10 2012 06:13 GMT

#23

Imagine in the next few centuries where Earth got fucked up hard, we are forced to move to space, and evolution isnt coming fast enough for us to adapt to the extreme environment of new planets. DNA and electronics will be used together in a lab womb to create a reasonably suitable human ( halfhuman?). Instead of tools, we might just have arms that you can plug and unplug new tools like a Bosch screwdriver with the sizes and all. Instead of learning something through going to school and stuff, we could just have a computer in our brain that remembers everything so all we need to train on is critical thinking, ethics/morality, empathy. Creativity and originality will be the most sought after commodity right behind Spice.

StorkHwaiting

United States3465 Posts

August 10 2012 07:05 GMT

#24

On August 10 2012 14:54 Shady Sands wrote:

Show nested quote +

Me too, right? Although I'm torn between this and completely replacing all the wetware with silicon. Like total mind upload

I'd rather total mind upload. IF you can total mind upload then you can just clone yourself endlessly. Immortality and infinity. Only limiter is processing power and energy source.

thedz

United States217 Posts

August 10 2012 22:05 GMT

#25

On August 10 2012 14:54 Zahir wrote:
Awesome article; I was so impressed with the author, both for his cutting edge choice of subject, and having the balls to undergo fucking underground surgery to implant shit in his body, just to be able to REALLY report on it. That is s class journalism right there.

Yeah, Ben Popper did an excellent job on the article. I've loved all his previous features on The Verge, but the cyborg one really takes the cake.

starfries

Canada3508 Posts

August 10 2012 23:09 GMT

#26

On August 10 2012 16:05 StorkHwaiting wrote:

Show nested quote +

I'd rather total mind upload. IF you can total mind upload then you can just clone yourself endlessly. Immortality and infinity. Only limiter is processing power and energy source.

That kind of depends on what you believe about consciousness and the mind. To quote a certain movie, "would you be the man in the box or the prestige?"

Plexa

Aotearoa39261 Posts

August 10 2012 23:25 GMT

#27

Really good article, like others have said. Makes me wonder when (or if?) this will be done commercially. There would clearly be a market for it, but I wonder if government regulators will step in.

fabiano

Brazil4644 Posts

August 10 2012 23:36 GMT

#28

On August 10 2012 14:54 Shady Sands wrote:

Show nested quote +

Me too, right? Although I'm torn between this and completely replacing all the wetware with silicon. Like total mind upload

Ghost in the Shell.

Freaking Ghost in the Shell, so fucking good. Movies like that aren't made anymore.

Soulstice

United States288 Posts

August 10 2012 23:47 GMT

#29

The human body is a remarkable thing, almost divine. I like my internal body the way it is thank you.

radscorpion9

Canada2252 Posts

August 10 2012 23:56 GMT

#30

This is really fascinating stuff, thanks again for a great post Shady Sands. I also approve of the Fallout reference

.

I feel like there will probably be an equal amount of advances in genetic modification and understanding how stem cells work so that they can be used to recreate/repair any damaged bones or organs. We could basically have clinical immortality if we figure out the aging process, no need to transfer your consciousness to a machine (what is consciousness anyways, do you want to take the chance?)

Fun quote from Alpha Centauri, from the secret project "The Longevity Vaccine":

"I plan to live forever, of course, but barring that I'd settle for a couple thousand years. Even five hundred would be pretty nice."
-- CEO Nwabudike Morgan, MorganLink 3DVision Interview

HammyBits

Norway1 Post

August 11 2012 23:55 GMT

#31

For those into the body modding, the story is remarkably similar to cyberpunk like Neuromancer (great book) or Ghost in the Shell (anime).

Shady Sands

United States4021 Posts

August 14 2012 09:40 GMT

#32

On August 12 2012 08:55 HammyBits wrote:
For those into the body modding, the story is remarkably similar to cyberpunk like Neuromancer (great book) or Ghost in the Shell (anime).

Just sent those guys an email about this thread. We'll see if they respond here =)

Technique

Netherlands1542 Posts

August 14 2012 09:57 GMT

#33

So they did something that has been possible for longer then their lifetime already and think it's cutting edge?

Zzz.

Show some real progress please, not some guys daydreaming bout it.

Shady Sands

United States4021 Posts

August 14 2012 10:03 GMT

#34

On August 14 2012 18:57 Technique wrote:
So they did something that has been possible for longer then their lifetime already and think it's cutting edge?

Zzz.

Show some real progress please, not some guys daydreaming bout it.

Here's the thing dude: progress here is not defined by cutting edge improvements in the technology--it's about bringing it down to the level of cheap, mass acceptance. It wasn't IBM's and Cray's innovations in supercomputing that led to the information revolution--it was Steve Jobs fiddling around with cheap transistors, a CRT screen, and a wooden box. That's what these guys remind me of.