Humanity just made a large, DIY step towards a time when everyone can
upgrade themselves towards being a cyborg. Of all places, it happened
somewhere in the post-industrial tristesse of the German town of Essen.
It's there that I met up with biohacker Tim Cannon, and
followed along as he got what is likely the first-ever computer chip
implant that can record and transmit his biometrical data. Combined in a
sealed box with a battery that can be wirelessly charged, it's not a
small package. And as we saw, Cannon had it implanted directly under his
skin by a fellow biohacking enthusiast, not a doctor, and without
anesthesia.
Called the Circadia 1.0, the implant can record data from
Cannon's body and transfer it to any Android-powered mobile
device. Unlike wearable computers and biometric-recording devices like
Fitbit, the subcutaneous device is open-source, and allows the user
full control over how data is collected and used.
The Circadia device before being implanted in Cannon's arm.
Because a regular surgeon wouldn't be allowed to implant a device
unapproved by medical authorities, Tim relied on the expertise of body
modification enthusiasts, who had all met in Essen for the BMXnet conference.
The procedure itself was so delicate that not only were we not allowed
to film the thing, but we were not even able to share where exactly it
took place.
One of the pioneers in body modification is Steve Haworth, who
conducted the surgery. Despite a family background in medical device
engineering, Haworth turned to the more experimental side of altering
the human body in the early 90s, first with piercing and tattoo studios
in Phoenix and later by developing modifications like 3D tattoos and the
metal mohawk.
Haworth used his own tools for the surgery, and as he's not a
board-certified surgeon, was not able to use anesthetics. He did
assure me that "there are pretty amazing things we can do with ice." It
sounded convincing at the time.
In its first version, the chip can record Cannon's body temperature
and transfer it in real time via Bluetooth. Three LEDs built into the
package serve as status lights, and can be controlled to light up the
tattoo in Cannon's forearm.
It's
a humble beginning, but updates are on the way. Grindehouse Wetware
have already completed the development of a pulse monitoring device, and
he's also been able to shrink the size of the Circadia system, which
will make the procedure quite a bit more user-friendly. He's also
working to automate communication between the chip and the internet of
things.
"I think that our environment should listen more accurately und
more intuitively to what's happening in our body," Cannon explained. "So
if, for example, I've had a stressful day, the Circadia will
communicate that to my house and will prepare a nice relaxing atmosphere
for when I get home: dim the lights, let in a hot bath."
So Cannon is essentially trying to integrate the body into the
growing quantified and connected universe. But unlike the life-loggers
and step-counter-users, biohackers take the concept of self-improvement
to the next level. Why would one literally hack his body?
According to Cannon, the developments are not about simply trying to
insert gadgets into one's body for a performance enhancement. The end
goal is to transcend the boundaries of biology, and try to hack
evolution itself.
As hacking, both for good and bad, has become pervasive in society,
and as the appropriation of communication networks has become a common
battleground, biohackers like Cannon are trying to take the fight
for self-determination into the realm to the technologized body.
It's as if there a new dimension has been added to Michel Foucault's terms biopolitics and biopower,
which he developed in the 1970s. Through biopower, Foucault described
the emergence of a new form of power and politics as an extension to
traditional state power in the 20th century, which takes the body as an
object of quantification and the reproduction of society's power
structures. His point seems valid today, as the political fights of our
time not only take place in legal discourses, but are also being staged
over what's legal to do with one's own body.
In the future, hackers' and activists' disputes with restrictive
governments may not only be about communication, information, and
digital infrastructure, but may also shift into debates about our own
technologically-improved physical beings. In the face of companies and
governmental agencies developing implants that are protected by patents
and secret test procedures, the question of how to remain in control of
our bodies may turn out to be a very real pressing social issue,
something Cannon is preemptively trying to push against.
Cannon does hold the human body as imperfect and failing in many
ways, and refuses to obey the "established medical industry's artificial
ideas about what 100 percent is." He has also decided to pause
theoretical and academic discussions on immortality, and is focusing
instead on what he terms practical transhumanism. In essence, he aims to
use open-source and networked research approaches to define the
capabilities of his body and to find out how far he can upgrade himself.
The security risks are real, as we've learned with Dick Cheney's heart.
At the same time, complex medical products tend to be mostly restricted
to those who can afford them. Even though the former vice president may
dislike the thought, a bunch of biohackers aim to prove that a
well-connected and enthusiastic underground culture of self-taught
garage tinkerers may be able to increase the safety and accessibility of
medical devices. The Linux community stands as proof enough for
Cannon that open source implant can be developed safely and securely.
Building on the much cheaper development costs of an open
coding-network, Tim wants to realize his goal of offering cheap organs
for everyone in a near future. "We have been working on the Circadia
Chip for 18 months, needing only a fraction of the costs that big
companies would use for this," he said. "The same will go for our next
projects and an artificial heart is a goal for us for the next decade."
Tim Cannon demonstrates the prototype of the Circadia and the control commands on his tablet device.
In a few months, the first production series of the Circadia chip
should be ready. With an expected price of around $500, the chip should
be relatively accessible for just about any enthusiast, and will mainly
be distributed through the networks of the body modification community.
That means that if you find the right local establishment, you could
have your own chip installed. Haworth told me that he would charge
roughly $200 for the procedure itself.
The question of whether or not we'll blur the line between man and
machine, of whether or not we'll enhance the human body, has long been
answered in the affirmative. Now it's a question of who will break new
ground, and when. As to whether or not the roboticiziation of humans is
found in better hands with DIY enthusiasts or the medical
establishment, and who will make farther strides, only time will tell.
In the meantime, there are just slight battery difficulties to be resolved: