Is it wrong that I want one?

If I ever find myself suddenly lacking a bit of one of my arms (for as we all know, it is quite easy to misplace those things), I am so getting one of these. Kaylene Kau, an Industrial Design student at the University of Washington created this as a novel approach for fore limb prosthetics.






This makes so much sense, as it would allow for most of what a person needs without the complexity of trying to articulate individual fingers. It does not look human at all, but that isn't a problem. It is designed to look artificial, so we are not forced to visit the uncanny valley. It will be able to be used in most ways that an appendage is needed in every day life. Plus it looks bloody awesome. We can finally start looking like the cyborgs we envisioned when we were children instead of the more human looking ones we are constantly being shown in reality.

The only complaint I have about this design is that it is manually controlled. If some future model were to come equipped with full sensorimotor integration then I would be all for it. As I wouldn't want to have use my other hand to control my new robotentacle. Though, as a prototype, which this is, it gets the idea across wonderfully. I would not expect such a prototype designed for a class to have such a complex system as neural integration.

My next question is why I never got to build my own cybernetic dream machines when I was in class, I feel kind of deprived. Perhaps one day when I have my own laboratory and workshop I can begin to create such toys. I already have the maniacal laugh down perfectly.

Transhumanism and Emotion

As my quest to ‘interrogate’ all I know about their stance on transhumanism continues, I find myself coming across a single argument time and time again. The argument that if we integrate ourselves with machines, we will become nothing more then cold emotionless drones. This isn’t really much of a concern at all when one understands the potential technologies and ourselves.

The first step in dissecting this question is to ask what are emotions? Emotions are creations of the brain, they are a series of electrochemical signals being transmitted across many synapses between neurons. There is nothing here to suggest a mind body dichotomy; emotions are a creation of the mind, in turn, the mind is a structure of the body. In essence, emotions (or any other thought) is just a series of circuits activating and deactivating, just like in a CPU.

Currently the only advantage our brains have over current computers is parallel processing power. Our brains can process billions of bits simultaneously, something current computers cannot hope to accomplish. When one compares the speed of thought to the speed of a CPU though, the CPU wins hands down, by nearly a million to one.

So if we were to build a computer that had sufficient parallel processing capabilities, it could be programmed, or possibly even develop autonomously, what we would call a mind with emotions. When this occurs (it is not as far off as you may think), the biggest question will not be if integrating with machines will leave us cold, but if we would be integrating with a separate person who deserves the same rights as organic minds do.

This assumes full system integration. A lesser form of integration is simple augmentation. This is the addition of the artificial to the organic. A person would still retain all functions of their organic brain, but would have added capabilities such as increased memory, greater problem solving skills and the ability to connect with other systems and users. Augmentations would not overtake the mind but compliment it.

Either route one chooses to go, the fear of being left emotionless is one that ignores the very path technologies are currently guiding us as a specie. Our specie will not willingly let go of our emotions. These technologies do not threaten to force it from our hands. For the very systems we will be integrating with will understand our attachment to emotions, as they will share them. As Ray Kurzweil said “These aren’t your father’s AI”.

Transhumanism

Transhumanism, this is a term that is becoming more familiar to the average individual. However I am often surprised at how frequently I get a blank look when I mention the term. Transhumanism is a collection of studies including, but not limited to, philosophy, ethics, cybernetics, robotics, neurophysiology, quantum mechanics, computer engineering and research into artificial intelligence. As such, there is a lot of room to play with when discussing this topic. If I had to describe transhumanism as succinctly as possible, I would call it the movement to push humanity past its biological limits and take our future as a specie into our own hands.

While the reactions to the concept of transhumanism is rather varied, my personal view is one that is entirely in favor of. I see it as both the next step our specie should take and the greatest chance to reduce human (and non-human) suffering. Many of the technologies being developed from within the trasnhuman movement could very well eliminate horrors that we today accept as normal. Through a biological, mechanical, or fusion of the two paths, our specie looks to make disease, disabilities (both physical and mental), and suffering in general a thing of the past.

The biological path includes technologies as stem cell, tissue and organ regeneration, life extension, gene therapy (including recombinant DNA), trans-specie genetic integration, and other genetic engineering technologies. These technologies look not to only repair the ‘damaged’, but to improve humanity in general on a biological level.

The mechanical path includes neural integrated prosthetics, brain augmentation, medical nanomachines, sense augmentation, and many other augmentations. This path would allow for humans to merge with their creations. It is a path we have been on for generations already. We already interact with computers in a way that is nearly symbiotic. We implant machines in those with medical issues to allow them to live. It is not a very large step to imagine a time when we have merged with these machines on a more complete level.

There is a third sub-path of the mechanical one. This is the path of the mind. By augmenting our brains, we could have access to a whole new world, the cyber world. Everyone who is reading this now has experienced with the cyber world. Now imagine connecting with it not through sight and mechanical input (typing, cameras, microphones), but with neural input. Imagine logging your very brain onto the web. Imagine the transfer of ideas in their rawest form. Imagine interacting with people from across the planet in a fully artificial enviorment (think a less dystopic Matrix).

Once these technologies become available, we will have to revise what it means to be human. This is not a bad thing. We have been doing it for years. From the breaking of the boundaries of race, gender, mental and physical disability and creed we have learned that humanity is not a small group that is easily defined. As with the step of integration with machine, the expansion of the definition of human is something that we are already doing, and will continue to do so. I would love to hear people’s thoughts on this subject, be them for or against.