The body electric: an anatomy of the new bionic senses

Abstract

JAMES GEARY The convergence of biology and technology is making way for a host of opportunities to repair and even enhance our senses and muscles. Some computers already have capacity to see, hear, and touch, and a few people have had computer chips embedded in their bodies. For instance, an electrode implanted at optic nerve of a blind woman with retinitis pigmentosa enables her to see shapes and colors. One researcher implanted a silicon chip in his arm that interacts with electronic devices around him. It transmits a signal that unlocks doors and turns on lights upon his arrival. Other devices allow odors and flavors to be transmitted over Internet. Some computers act as lie detectors by analyzing facial expressions. Geary explores all these new technologies and their interplay with mind, which he calls the sixth sense. He even considers what it might be like to be cyborg. Originally published in Great Britain in 2002. Rutgers U Pr, 2002, 214 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $27.00.

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