What are cyborgs?

Movie cyborgs can be creepy, but in real life artificial parts can help improve lives. Cyborg is short for cybernetic organism. Cyborgs are a mix of natural and artificial, or human-made, parts. Cyborg parts are, in fact, quite common.

Pacemakers are small mechanical devices that are implanted into peoples’ chests to keep their heartbeats regular. They monitor the natural electrical signals of a heart and, when necessary, send a signal to correct the heart’s rhythm.

Small devices implanted in human ears can help with hearing. A microphone in the implant picks up sounds from the environment. The sounds are then translated into electrical impulses, which are sent to the brain.

Artificial arms or legs, called prostheses, help people who have lost a limb. In some new robotic arms, doctors used the nerves that once linked the brain to the arm. They reconnected these nerves to the person’s chest muscle. Then, when the person thinks “bend elbow”, sensors in the robotic arm detect movement in the chest muscles. This information is passed on to computer chips in the arm. The sensors then respond, and the robotic arm bends. Cool, not creepy.