billytheseal

The term cyborg was first created in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline. The idea of a cybernetic organism, something that is both man and machine, is both an attractive and terrifying concept, and consequently, it has featured prominently in Science Fiction. From the Six Million Dollar Man to Robocop, Darth Vader to The Terminator, and the Cybermen to the Cylons, the idea of them has been part of our culture for a long time.

And in the last few years, cyborgs have arrived. Cochlearr implants were some of the first, and now things like C-Leg and the iLimb and artificial hearts are here, technological marvels improving life for what will be countless people. How long will it be before people start having implants, not to replace a defective limb or organ, but because they're better than the natural ones? In 2002, Kevin Warwick had electrodes connected to his nervous system and was able to operate machinery at a distance, as well as having what was, in effect, a completely new sense.

And we come to us. Although we're not directly connected, how many of us can live without a mobile phone? Now the iphone is here, mobile and direct contact to the internet at all time. Information on anything at our fingertips. Things like blogs and tweeter and facebook proclaim our feelings to the world, updates on our schedules and physical health, how long will it be before we cannot do without constant updates? Without a connection to the virtual world? How long will it be before everyone is truly a cyborg?