Silicon implant turns professor into 'cyborg'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: In a bold experiment, British scientist Kevin Warwick
\nhas had a silicon chip transponder surgically implanted in his
\nforearm to communicate remotely with computers which can operate
\nthe doors and lights and control the temperature in his office --
\ndemonstrating the potential of intelligent building systems.<\/p>\n
Warwick, who is a professor of Cybernetics at Reading
\nUniversity, southern England, has even arranged for a computer to
\nrecognize what telephone he is sitting next to.<\/p>\n
\"Cybernetics is all about humans and technology interacting
\nand for a professor of cybernetic to become a true 'cyborg' --
\npart man, part machine -- is therefore rather appropriate,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The glass capsule, about 23 millimeters long and three
\nmillimeters in diameter, contains a transponder consisting of an
\nelectromagnetic coil and a number of microchips.<\/p>\n
When a radio frequency signal is transmitted to the
\ntransponder, the coil generates an electric current. This is used
\nto drive the silicon chip circuitry which transmits a unique 64-
\nbit signal. A receiver picking up this signal can be connected to
\nan intelligent building network.<\/p>\n
Through a computer it can recognize the code and thus, in the
\ncase of an implant, the individual person. It can then operate a
\nrange of computer controlled-devices, such as doors, lights,
\nheaters, or even other computers in a specially adapted building,
\naccording to the pre-programmed requirements of that person.<\/p>\n
Professor Warwick, the first person to have such a transponder
\nsurgically implanted, says the \"potential of the implant is
\nenormous\". It could for instance be used to replace credit and
\nbank cards. Businesses could use it to register employees in and
\nout of their offices automatically.<\/p>\n
But he warns that it has shades of writer George Orwell's
\nnovel Nineteen Eighty-Four: \"With an implant a machine will know
\nwhere an individual is in a building at all times. They might not
\neven be able to pay a visit to the toilet without a machine
\nknowing about it. Is this what we want?\".<\/p>\n
-- London Press Service<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/silicon-implant-turns-professor-into-cyborg-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }