The cyborg is ... Who are cyborgs in movies and everyday life

A lot of human victims are connected with technical progress. Do not believe me? Look at the statistics: the number of deaths in car accidents is much higher than the number of deaths from a fall from a horse. The modern person is surrounded on all sides by machine-killers: from the hairdryers in the bathroom to the TVs, which can explode. Fantasists have long solved this problem: in order not to be afraid of machines, one must become an automaton himself. By the way, a cyborg man can very well become a reality in the near future. After all, progress does not stand still. A cyborg - who is this? Let's figure it out.

They are among us

So, for many cyborg - it's Robocop, Terminator and other characters from the screen. Let's remember the most vivid and cult of them.

Terminator (model T800). This well-known cyborg was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. His famous "I'll be back" and "Hasta la vista, baby" know everything, even those who have never watched the saga. The film was a huge success, so the authors have removed more than one sequel. And even in 2015, the next part of the "Terminator" is planned.

Robocop is a cyborg-policeman. Under the scenario it was made by the company "OSR", and the basis was the employee of the police department Alex Murphy. The film was filmed in 1987, and in 2014 his remake was released.

Another picture that has been universally recognized is the "Universal Soldier": cyborg Van Damme confronts the cyborg of Lundgren.

But still the very first real cyber-man in the movie was not Terminator or Robocop, as you might have thought, but a snoring and whistling character from Star Wars. This is Anakin Skywalker, or rather what was left of him, enclosed in a special life-supporting suit. It was he who paved the way for all the other "fellows" in the big cinema. The cult series "Doctor Who" also tells about the rebellion of cyborgs who came from the 10th planet of the Solar System.

However, cinema is not the only arena for cyber-people. They are in large numbers can be found in the world of fighting games (computer games) - Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur and others. Also today all kinds of designers, toys, figurines, etc. are very popular. For example, a cyborg lego.

Terminology

Understand the term. In the conventional sense, a cyborg is a bionic person; Being with a mechanical body. This term appeared somewhere in the early 60-ies. The word "cyborg" contains two concepts. The first is cybernetic (cybernetic), the second is the organism (organism). This term refers to a "living organism", which has been improved with the help of special mechanical devices.

Technical progress has its own peculiarity: the desire for minimalism. So, large stationary phones have turned into small mobile phones, which we carry with us daily. Players, clocks, phones, tablets - today a man without them, like without hands. Thus, man and technology evolve together. And it is quite possible that sooner or later it will be the beginning for real cyborgs.

Incidentally, by the way, there are already today. These are people who wear prosthetic devices, pacemakers, titanium plates on bones, hearing aids, contact lenses and ceramic teeth, after all. And now imagine that somewhere there is a person who has all this installed at the same time. Is not that a cyborg?

Today, such a person is, rather, a disabled person than a super-hero from the screen. While implantable devices only compensate for shortcomings, but over time the situation will change. This can lead to increased physical capacity of a person.

Robot or cyborg

The cyborg - who is this? A living organism in which mechanical devices are embedded? Or a robot that contains biological components? Originally a cyborg was called a person who was on the verge of dying. All mechanical devices served him as a substitute for what he lacked due to certain circumstances. Technical implants of hands, feet, internal organs, etc. Today cyborgs were even called purebred robots, who had never before even been human. For example, the terminators of the eponymous saga. But still it's wrong.

Terminators (T800, for example) and others like it are machines, robots. Cyborgs are, first and foremost, people, living biological beings. Therefore, to call a terminator a cyborg is not correct. Here the word "android" will be more appropriate.

Limbs

Over the past 50 years, mankind has advanced in the field of organic. Today, it is possible to replace up to 60% of the human body. The highest achievements are in the field of creating artificial limbs. Innovation was the creation of Touch Bionics bionic prosthesis i-Limb. This apparatus is capable of reading muscle signals from the remaining limb and interpreting the movements that a person is trying to make.

The most breakthrough invention is the artificial limb, represented by the Defense Technology Agency (DARPA). The peculiarity of this prosthesis is that it can be controlled mentally! The device is connected to the muscle tissue, thereby reading the brain impulses. This, of course, is not the only development in this area. But they all have one common fat minus: high cost and complexity in operation.

Bones

At the moment, this is the simplest substitute for anything in the body. Most often, artificial bones are made from titanium. However, since the use of 3D printing has become widely used, high-precision plastic elements have also been used.

The work on strengthening the skeleton is in full swing. Scientists are developing a new technology: reinforcement of a specific bone with titanium powder and foamed polyurethane. This should allow the porous structure of the implant to grow with bone tissue, which in turn will lead to a strengthening of the skeleton. It is not yet known whether these developments can be successfully completed and find practical application, but the idea is worthwhile.

Organs

Artificially reproducing the internal organs of man is much more difficult than bones or limbs. However, even here progress does not stand still. The most advanced medicine in the field of artificial heart. And every day this technology is getting better. Scientists predict the imminent creation of artificial eyes and kidneys. There are successes in working with the liver. However, these are just developments.

Studies of the intestine, bladder, lymphatic system, spleen and gall bladder are planned shortly. And what about the most important and complex organ of the human body?

Brain

This is perhaps the most difficult task. There are two stages. The first is the creation of artificial intelligence. The second is the reproduction of the structure of the brain itself. Engineers using computer technology are relentlessly trying to replicate the neural network of a person's thinking organ. However, they are far from the brain. For example, the software simulator Spaun for 2.5 hours projected what our main organ reproduces in 1 second. Another project called SyNAPSE can simulate about 530 billion neurons, thus lagging behind the brain 1500 times.

However, creating a neural network is not all. It must be made to "think". Those. Create an artificial intelligence. At this stage it is still empty. There is little progress in Apple - the so-called Siri. But that's all. In general, many scientists raise doubts that at this stage of development, humanity is capable of anything like this.

A cyborg - is this real?

So how much humanity is close to creating a real cyborg with a living brain and a metal body? The answer can be as follows: in the next twenty years it is hardly technologically possible.

There is an opinion that in the future cyborgs are possible with artificially grown in the laboratory body, and not metal. Such "people" will have improved abilities. But how should they be called then?

But still the main reason is the unwillingness of people to accept the existence of cyber-people. Remember how hard society has become accustomed to the idea of cloning. Some believe that this is unnatural and contrary to the will of the Creator. Others are constrained by fear for their future, representing the rebellion of cyborgs and the complete destruction of all living things. Of course, this idea has many supporters. But, most likely, it will take more than a decade until social and religious differences subsided.

Today, the development of biotechnology is at an early stage. Therefore, it is difficult to even imagine what the cyborg of the future will be like. But one thing is clear, that the famous cyborg-policeman will remain a fantasy of the film director, who is not destined to be realized.