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- The world's first legally recognised cyborg gave a presentation at the Sandton Convention Centre as part of the IDC CIO Summit.
- Neil Harbisson has an antenna fixed to his skull that allows him to hear colours.
- He identifies as a cyborg because he can no longer tell the difference between the software and his brain.
- For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.
Neil Harbisson, the world's first legally recognised cyborg, made an appearance at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday, 18 May.
Harbisson spoke about the "evolution of the human species" at the 15th edition of the International Data Corporation CIO Summit. He told News24 that he was enjoying his stay in South Africa.
He has an antenna built into his skull that allows him to hear colours – something he was never able to see because he grew up with a visual impairment that meant he could only see in grayscale.
"To me, colour has always been a mysterious element that has surrounded me for many years," he said.
Harbisson endeavoured to learn as much as possible about colour. He said he realised that the light frequencies of different colours could be transformed into sound which he could use to distinguish between the colours.
A wearable device was developed to allowed him to distinguish between colours by hearing them, but it has had its drawbacks.
"The system 20 years ago was not very comfortable for me. It was heavy and I didn't want to wear technology," Harbisson said.
He had aspirations beyond simply wearing the technology.
"I didn't want to wear technology. I didn't even want to use technology."
He added:
He thought installing an antenna in his head was the best way forward, but struggled to find a doctor who was prepared to do the surgery because he failed to convince a bioethical committee to go ahead with the procedure.
Eventually, he found a doctor who was prepared to do it and the antenna was installed with a chip inside his skull that vibrated on the basis of the frequency of colours.
He said that there were "constant vibrations in my head" as the antenna constantly sensed colours.
Innovations
After a while, Harbisson enabled the system to connect to the internet. He said people could stream live images of colours into his head through an app.
"So, I would be here, but I would be receiving colours from a supermarket in New York or a sunset in Australia."
His internet connection enabled him to connect to the International Space Station to see the colours from space, which made him a "sensestronaut", he said.
There was a drawback to having internet in his head though – it opened him up to being hacked, which only happened once.
"Someone that had no permission sent colours to my head. So, I was physically hacked once, but I actually enjoyed it. It was an interesting experience to feel that someone was sending colours to my head without permission."
A few years ago though, he said he migrated onto the blockchain to avoid being hacked again. People can now send colours to his head by buying an NFT that has an unlockable feature, allowing them to send colours to his head.
Harbisson also has a device in his mouth that allows him to communicate with someone else, who decided to install a similar system by Morse code, when he clicks his teeth together.
Previously, he had a light in his mouth that turned on and off when he clicked his teeth but removed it because it turned on and off repetitively when he ate.
He said there were other tools that could make people sense non-traditional things, such as earthquakes, direction, magnetic substances, pressure, seeing behind themselves, and time.
Recognition
In 2004, Harbisson needed to renew his British passport, but was told that he would not be able to take the picture with the "device" attached to his head. He successfully argued that it was not a device, but an intrinsic part of him as he considered himself a cyborg. He was allowed to take the picture with the antenna.
"I no longer feel the difference between the software and my brain and that's why I identify myself as a cyborg, because I feel that I am technology."
He added that certain rights should be put in place, given the existence of the implants.
- Morphological freedom – essentially this is the freedom to install these implants as it is currently difficult to find doctors prepared to do the procedures;
- Organ naturalisation – implants should be considered organs and not devices;
- Freedom from disassembly – nobody should be forced to disassemble or remove implants;
- Bodily sovereignty – everyone should have the freedom to decide who enters their body physically through the internet;
- We are all equal – regardless of how "mutant" you are, everyone should be considered equal.
Harbisson expects more senses and more organs to exist soon.
He said that the internet was used for communication purposes for decades and foresees that it will be used for sensory experiences in the future.
