The World's First Cyborg ft. Neil Harbisson || Episode 40

Biohacking comes in many forms, from those wanting to hack their work productivity, those aiming to optimize long-term health, and those wanting to correct their bodily shortcomings and deficiencies. This week, we talk to one biohacker whose mission might sound like something straight out of science fiction...adding additional sensors to the human body. Welcome to the HVMN Enhancement podcast. Episode 40 features Neil Harbisson, the world's first cyborg. Growing up color-blind, Neil sought to experience color without altering his existing gray-scale vision. His solution? Implanting an antenna in his head that allows him to perceive visible and invisible colors such as infrareds and ultraviolets via sound waves. This initial modification to his body spurred his current passion for cybernetics.  He is a co-founder of the Cyborg Foundation, an international organization that aims to help humans become cyborgs, defend cyborg rights and promote cyborgism as a social and artistic movement. Geoffrey Woo and Neil dive into his experiences with his antenna (did you know Neil can detect active/false alarms in stores?), discuss the ethical and practical appliances of cybernetics, and why adding additional sensors found in other species (antenna = bug) has made Neil actually feel closer to nature than, say, a machine.