World's first cyborg?

[KorpDeath]

So where do I begin with this one? First, what do you think the biggest issues with this are? And second, what's your take on mixing humans and machines?

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/03/22/human.cyborg/index.html

This has possibilities..

[jcmcb]

I don't see the big deal, its just another tool to augment your body, something we have been doing since we created tools all those many years ago...

PS I want to be a cyborg!

[souleman]

Ummm, what about an iron lung? Ok, so maybe you are not mobil, but you are still attached to a machine. Ok then, be picky. What about a defibulator or a pace maker. Wouldn't that be considered a cyborg? Now, how many of you are jealous of the people with heart problems?

[jcmcb]

So is our (american) Vice President a Cyborg then? AAAHH!!! Run its the cybor vice president!!!

[gold eagle]

If it helps ppl and is not used to create cybots/cyborgs like on "soldier" then it is ok.

[Juridian]

I think this can lead to some very nice improvements when it comes to prosthetics for missing limbs and such. We can actually develop prosthetic devices that move because of nerve impulses sent by the brain and possibly some time in the future feed impulses back to basically add the sense of touch to those prosthetics.

Also this could eventually be used to give someone their sight or hearing back.

[cF_nM]

I think the largest argument against cyborgs is this-which I think is completely reasonable-if we make machines that can make decisions completely on their own, then what would make being human so special...in other words people are afraid that the human race will become obselete, which is happening very quickly at this very moment-if machines can think for themselves, which is the only thing they don't have over us, can think faster, and are much stronger, then we would be very obselete and would have no real purpose.....

[Juridian]

Ahh.....But with the cyborg we are augmenting the humans, not replacing them.

[cF_nM]

Well if we were augmenting humans, I think that makes it completely different....but if we built the cyborgs completely from scratch, then I stick with what I said earlier.....

[ZeroOne]

Cyborg in Dictionary.com: http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=cyborg&r=67
compare to robot: http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=robot&r=67

CF_nM, if you "build a cyborg from scratch", it is not a cyborg, it's a robot with AI.

Funny things those cyborgs, though... What if we augment a human by replacing his brain by a computer..?

[KorpDeath]

Then I think you have carbon based computer.

Isn't anyone bothered by the religious implications. There very well could come a time when something on your body wears out, you just go to your doctor and he rips it out and puts in an artificial one. Where's the outrage at this from the rightwing conservative types?