red_angel
19-12-2007, 09:46 PM
A Reading scientist has become the world's first cyborg after undergoing an operation to fit his arm with a device that effectively makes him part-human, part-robot.
"Being a human was ok, I even enjoyed some of it. But being a cyborg has a lot more to offer," joked Professor Kevin Warwick, of the University of Reading.
The device was fitted during a two-hour operation last Thursday. This morning Professor Warwick was given the all clear to begin experiments, which will focus on recording information coming out of the device to find out more about the main nerve in the arm. Electronic impulses will also be fed into his arm to monitor the affect of movement and on the brain.
"I've got a 100 pin plug which has been fired into the main nerve in my arm, two centimetres below my wrist.
"It was literally plugged in during the operation. From there, wires run inside my arm and appear 15 cm up, just above my elbow at an opening in my skin. It looks like a little clutch of platinum and titanium attached to a connector pad," explained Professor Warwick.
Professor Warwick risked paralysing his hand during the operation, and still faces the risk that an infection could destroy his ability to move and feel with it.
"Occasionally I get a little twinge, which scientifically is quite fun. It's probably just a little bit of static," he said.
The implant was designed by Professor Brian Andrews, from the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Buckinghamshire.
It is hoped the experiment will help scientists better understand the nervous system, and restore movement in people after spinal injuries. "The big aim is hopefully about helping people move around again and to control their bodies more," said Professor Warwick.
There is also scope for enhancing the sensory system. One of the laboratory experiments planned over the next three months - the length the device will be in the professor's arm - is designed to give him a sixth sense. By attaching an electronic ultra sound sensor to the device, it is hoped that Professor Warwick will be able to develop the sensory capabilities of a bat, through his arm.
"For me that could be fun," he explained, "but for someone who is blind, it could be immediately useful, it could give them the chance to sense space like a bat. Another application could be for someone with arthritis - we could put a chip in them and electronically remove the pain."
Professor Warwick today dismissed criticisms that the experiment was purely a PR exercise. "I expected accusations of gimmickry - what else can you say about something that is so new and different? People can judge for themselves, I've been through a two-hour operation, I have a pin in my arm, it will be there for three months: I wouldn't do that for PR," he said.
Companies, such as Fugitsu and Computer Associates, are sponsoring the experiment.
"Being a human was ok, I even enjoyed some of it. But being a cyborg has a lot more to offer," joked Professor Kevin Warwick, of the University of Reading.
The device was fitted during a two-hour operation last Thursday. This morning Professor Warwick was given the all clear to begin experiments, which will focus on recording information coming out of the device to find out more about the main nerve in the arm. Electronic impulses will also be fed into his arm to monitor the affect of movement and on the brain.
"I've got a 100 pin plug which has been fired into the main nerve in my arm, two centimetres below my wrist.
"It was literally plugged in during the operation. From there, wires run inside my arm and appear 15 cm up, just above my elbow at an opening in my skin. It looks like a little clutch of platinum and titanium attached to a connector pad," explained Professor Warwick.
Professor Warwick risked paralysing his hand during the operation, and still faces the risk that an infection could destroy his ability to move and feel with it.
"Occasionally I get a little twinge, which scientifically is quite fun. It's probably just a little bit of static," he said.
The implant was designed by Professor Brian Andrews, from the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Buckinghamshire.
It is hoped the experiment will help scientists better understand the nervous system, and restore movement in people after spinal injuries. "The big aim is hopefully about helping people move around again and to control their bodies more," said Professor Warwick.
There is also scope for enhancing the sensory system. One of the laboratory experiments planned over the next three months - the length the device will be in the professor's arm - is designed to give him a sixth sense. By attaching an electronic ultra sound sensor to the device, it is hoped that Professor Warwick will be able to develop the sensory capabilities of a bat, through his arm.
"For me that could be fun," he explained, "but for someone who is blind, it could be immediately useful, it could give them the chance to sense space like a bat. Another application could be for someone with arthritis - we could put a chip in them and electronically remove the pain."
Professor Warwick today dismissed criticisms that the experiment was purely a PR exercise. "I expected accusations of gimmickry - what else can you say about something that is so new and different? People can judge for themselves, I've been through a two-hour operation, I have a pin in my arm, it will be there for three months: I wouldn't do that for PR," he said.
Companies, such as Fugitsu and Computer Associates, are sponsoring the experiment.