Image via CDProjektRed.
Imagine a world completely unlike our own. In this world you can call up data with your mind and view it inside your brain or choose to overlay it with your field of vision. That field of vision? It encompasses infrared, radar, and night vision, which is all very useful in the seedy part of town you live in. You communicate with your friends via built in implants in your ears and throat, heading out into the night to meet up. On the way you are assaulted, a back alley criminal jumping you from behind. You react instantly, catching the assailant in mid-air and tossing him ten feet without breaking a sweat. His accomplice, terrified, fires several rounds of 9mm at you while fleeing, but the bullets only fragment on your skin, leaving righteous holes in your jacket that you’ll be able to tell your friends about later. Yes, heavily investing in cybernetics was the best thing you ever could have done.
Cybernetics, and by extension, full cyborgs, are a common theme in the world of cyberpunk. I’ve previously touched on prosthetics and 3D printing, and the pair are rapidly merging together to form new components that any sci-fi aficionado would recognize as cybernetic. What we’ve come to refer to as cybernetics, though, goes by many other names, including cyberware and bionics. The actual definition of ‘cybernetics’ has to do with “the study of human control functions and of mechanical and electronic systems designed to replace them, involving the application of statistical mechanics to communication engineering” (Random House Dictionary). What this means is that real-world cybernetics are mechanical and electrical analogs to biological systems, used for their research and eventual applications. It does not strictly mean getting a grenade launcher implanted in your arm.
Of course, where would the fun in that be? In common parlance, cybernetics, cyberware, and bionics are currently interchangeable, particularly in the realm of sci-fi, such as in my novels “Jupiter Symphony,” and (especially) “The Long Night.” So taking that into consideration, it’s easy to see that current technology trends with biocompatible 3D printing, neuroprosthesis, and medical implants all point to a rapid approach to true bionics.
Cybernetics, and by extension, full cyborgs, are a common theme in the world of cyberpunk. I’ve previously touched on prosthetics and 3D printing, and the pair are rapidly merging together to form new components that any sci-fi aficionado would recognize as cybernetic. What we’ve come to refer to as cybernetics, though, goes by many other names, including cyberware and bionics. The actual definition of ‘cybernetics’ has to do with “the study of human control functions and of mechanical and electronic systems designed to replace them, involving the application of statistical mechanics to communication engineering” (Random House Dictionary). What this means is that real-world cybernetics are mechanical and electrical analogs to biological systems, used for their research and eventual applications. It does not strictly mean getting a grenade launcher implanted in your arm.
Of course, where would the fun in that be? In common parlance, cybernetics, cyberware, and bionics are currently interchangeable, particularly in the realm of sci-fi, such as in my novels “Jupiter Symphony,” and (especially) “The Long Night.” So taking that into consideration, it’s easy to see that current technology trends with biocompatible 3D printing, neuroprosthesis, and medical implants all point to a rapid approach to true bionics.
A 3D printed spinal implant.
The great question that arises then is this: at what point does a prosthetic become cyberware? When do we jump from prosthesis to bionics? According to many sources, we already have, such as with the Touch Bionics i-Limb, but while the limb is impressive, it still only mimics an organic hand without exceeding the capabilities of the original.
Based on my own research, experience, and opinion, prosthesis are items which stand as a substitute for a lost or malformed organ, giving the user back an amount of lost functionality not to exceed 99%. By contrast, a bionic structure gives a patient (or customer) a device which matches or exceeds the abilities of their original organ. As Daft Punk so aptly state: harder, better, faster, stronger. Taking a slew of bionic components and attach them all to one person and you get a cyborg: a cybernetic organism that is part man, part machine.
Attached to all these cool new goodies you will find a host of moral quandaries that are quite dire indeed. Should people be allowed to receive limbs that exceed human capacity? Should they be able to do so voluntarily? You can already go to the doctor to slim your nose, inflate your tits, and slice off your stomach. What’s stopping you from getting new, perfect, sexy legs that also let you run at 30 miles per hour? Would certain professions require certain augmentations? Would certain augmentations limit you to a certain profession? Would we have separate sports leagues for bionic competitors? The Cyborg Olympics? And then there’s the age old profession of war. A soldier who loses a limb could be fitted with a better one, but why stop there? Elite units will go to extremes to get hardware to increase their chance of mission success. How much more deadly would the SEALs or SAS be with cyborg team members? It brings to mind the crew of Public Security Section 9 from the fantastic and popular anime Ghost in the Shell, where the team comes to rely on their augmentations to win the day.
Attached to all these cool new goodies you will find a host of moral quandaries that are quite dire indeed. Should people be allowed to receive limbs that exceed human capacity? Should they be able to do so voluntarily? You can already go to the doctor to slim your nose, inflate your tits, and slice off your stomach. What’s stopping you from getting new, perfect, sexy legs that also let you run at 30 miles per hour? Would certain professions require certain augmentations? Would certain augmentations limit you to a certain profession? Would we have separate sports leagues for bionic competitors? The Cyborg Olympics? And then there’s the age old profession of war. A soldier who loses a limb could be fitted with a better one, but why stop there? Elite units will go to extremes to get hardware to increase their chance of mission success. How much more deadly would the SEALs or SAS be with cyborg team members? It brings to mind the crew of Public Security Section 9 from the fantastic and popular anime Ghost in the Shell, where the team comes to rely on their augmentations to win the day.
Ghost in the Shell characters from Production I.G.
My novel that delves deeply into cyborgs and bionics, “The Long Night,” is only an outline at this stage, but I will be tackling many of these questions head on, as they are deeply integral to the plot and the identity of the main protagonist. Meanwhile, my readership can find several scenes with augmented characters in my first novel, “Jupiter Symphony,” which you can preview on Amazon and other major ebook retailers.
Whether you use the term cybernetics, cyberware, or bionics doesn’t really matter. What does matter is the amazing future that is rapidly unfurling before us. As with all forms of technology, augmentations themselves are just collections of parts. Our intent and application will determine whether they become a benefit to society or a deadly menace. Knowing humanity, I suspect we’ll find ourselves stuck somewhere in the middle, living in the gray. Until next time, I’ll see you in the dark future.
A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.
Whether you use the term cybernetics, cyberware, or bionics doesn’t really matter. What does matter is the amazing future that is rapidly unfurling before us. As with all forms of technology, augmentations themselves are just collections of parts. Our intent and application will determine whether they become a benefit to society or a deadly menace. Knowing humanity, I suspect we’ll find ourselves stuck somewhere in the middle, living in the gray. Until next time, I’ll see you in the dark future.
A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.
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