Biohackers can empower the body with networking capabilities with the help of tattoo needles, scalpels, injection devices, microchips, or a variety of wiring. The real limit of the biohacker's hunger is no longer the human body, but the idea, and the way the technology is utilized. Biohackers look at the specific ways in which technology can be used and then develop the abilities that the user wants to have.
The top six body hacking technologies that allow people to perceive the world around them in new ways are:
1. Magnetic implants let you sense magnetic fields and pick up tiny metal objects
Magnets are often implanted in the palm or fingers of the hand, allowing the user to sense magnetic fields, subways, and microwaves nearby.
Tim Cannon is one of the founders of the biohacking group GrindhouseWetwares, whose slogan is "What do you want to be today?" He once told the online magazine Slate that he could not only tell where an electric current was coming from, but he could also distinguish between alternating current and direct current. A friend even dubbed him "The Laptop Whisperer" because he could diagnose battery problems with his bare hands.
2. Magnetism also transmits sound and more
Biohacker Rich Lee implanted magnets into his ears to act as invisible headphones, which allow him to listen to music as long as he receives signals from magnetic coils connected to a music player. He told ExtremeTech that he plans to connect the implanted magnets to his cell phone's GPS system, which would send location information directly to his head. If connected to a microphone, he could even use the implanted magnets as a listening device or cell phone.
3. Temporary digital tattoos can send important health information
Biohackers have shown great caution in transmitting health information -- most don't want their work to be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as medical technology. That's one of the reasons they can't use anesthesia when implanting various components in their own bodies. But biohacking research has spawned a kind of temporary tattoos that can assess key data about the human body. Some can monitor sweat for physical activity, while others can monitor data such as electrical activity and heartbeat and transmit it to computers and mobile devices.
4. RFID chips make it possible for the human body to interact with electronic devices in a variety of ways
For some people, this can make it easier to open the door to a room, a computer, or other device. One researcher even used a chip implanted in the body to spread a computer virus. This can also be linked to payment and security systems, and act as a communication tool that extends to even more functions.
5. Harbison "listens" to the colors around him through his biochemical eye
Harbison has a small antenna fixed to his head that recognizes the colors of the world around him, including the ultraviolet and infrared spectrums, and emits a distinctive tone that only he hears, allowing him to determine the colors of the world around him. --he has been unable to distinguish colors since birth. It will take a while for the average person to learn this color-discriminating ability of Harbison's, but you can still make your own biochemical eye at home by downloading the appropriate software.
Harbison said that because he is a self-described cyborg, he founded the CyborgFoundation, which is dedicated to helping people expand their sensory abilities through technology and defending their right to do so. "I think we're now entering an era of excess to cyborgs." He told BI, "I believe that in the future when we meet and ask each other 'What extra senses do you have?' will become the norm."
6. Biohacking implant technology could give you the Spiderman-like ability to sense the various movements of things around you
Different devices could accomplish this in different ways. Rich Lee said he connected a magnet implanted in his ear to a rangefinder and gained echolocation abilities, allowing him to know when an object was approaching him. The Cyborg Foundation also has a program called "360 Degree Sensory Expansion," which allows you to feel a vibration if someone approaches you from behind. Of course, with the right adjustments, the same ability is available in all directions of the body.
GrindhouseWetwares has a program called Bottlenose that captures sonar, ultraviolet, WiFi, and heat data and transmits information about these various fields, which are invisible to the naked eye, to magnets implanted in the body. They have acquired a great deal of knowledge to help disabled people regain some physical function, and now they will also use this knowledge to enhance human body and brain function. Humans no longer have to be limited by the traditional "five senses" of form, sound, smell, taste and touch.