Human ICT Implants: From Invasive to Pervasive

Abstract

While considered by many to be within the realm of science fiction, for several decades information and communication technology (ICT) has been implanted into the human body. Advanced medical devices such as cochlear implants and deep brain stimulators are commonplace and research into new ways to invasively interface with the human body are opening up new application areas such as retinal implants and sensate prosthetics. It is apparent that as these implantable medical technologies continue to advance their potential for human enhancement, i.e. enabling abilities over and above those which humans normally possess, will become increasingly attractive. In the first instance, this may be giving a person with a deficient sense a device that enables them to function on a vastly superior level. However, it is clear that healthy people will look to implantable technology to augment what we would consider their ‘normal’ abilities. Technology enthusiasts have already begun to realise the potential of simple implantable technologies, with people opting to have passive silicon devices surgically implanted to facilitate identification. It is equally foreseeable that the application of implantable technology, developed initially in a medical context, will be repurposed to augment the abilities of healthy humans. Such developments are beginning to redefine our relationship with technology. The changes are not just technological—they are driving changes in cultural and social paradigms, and further empowering people to seek new experiences and employ new services. It is evident that we need to address the incipient technical, legal, ethical and social issues that the development of human ICT implant devices may bring. This chapter gives an overview of the landscape of issues surrounding human ICT implants, and explains how the following chapters in this book serve to address these key areas in more depth.