Do humans dream of cyborg sheep?

So, before I start – a confession. Firstly, this blog post is unashamedly geeky. Secondly, I’ve always had a fascination with the idea of cyborgs, ever since seeing (and not quite understanding) Blade Runner as a child.

So, cyborgs. The definition of a Cybernetic Organism is that of an organism with both natural and artificial systems, that help it function. According to Wikipedia:

“The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space.”

But surely Cyborgs have existed, even co-existed, for millennia.

“How is this possible?” I hear you cry, "Cyborgs are the result of the atomic and computer ages, and could not have previously existed."

But no – look at the definition. An artificial system, in this case, is a system not inbuilt in humans – something that augments our already fantastically adapted physiology to do what we do, only better.

So the moment homo sapiens picked up a stone and started to sharpen and then hunt with it, when we developed the bow, and even the pencil, we became on-again-off-again cyborgs.

All of these items aren’t in-built, they’re something we have artificially created to help us achieve what we need to thrive and survive. Sure we can hunt, but we don’t have small pointy appendages (no giggling), and writing by dipping our finger in a vegetable dye just isn’t quite as readable, or refined.

Obvious, contemporary examples of cyborgs exist – from ex-servicemen with artificial limbs, to implanted defibrillators and even wearable technology.

But cyborgs are more widespread than that, you’re probably sitting next to one and are likely even one yourself, without knowing it. Every time you pick up a pen, make a phone call, or use a computer, you too become a cyborg, if only for a few minutes.

Image courtesy of Will Lion