Biomechatronics

Story

Year 2025:

Jacob’s best friend Noah is an amputee that lost his left arm in an accident. Noah was having a hard time adjusting to normal life without his arm and basic prosthetics didn’t have enough control for him to comfortably complete everyday tasks like driving and cooking. In an effort to help eliminate his disability and be able to function like he did before the accident Noah got a biomechatronic left arm surgically implanted. The implant responds to his thoughts as if it were the arm he was born with, but comes with the added benefits of being stronger and having different attachments and tools, such as a peeler and knife to help with cooking, various tools like screwdrivers and wrenches, it even replaces his cell phone allowing him to send messages and take calls. In addition to this the arm keeps track of Noah’s health and notifies him when to see a doctor. Noah and Jacob now joke about how Noah has become a real life cyborg.

Out of curiosity of his friends’ new arm, Jacob decides to do some research on biomechatronics to learn more about the field. In his research he finds there are many different types of biomechatronics, but they serve two main purposes, to eliminate disability and to improve functions of the human body. He had no idea that people without a medical need for biomechatronics could still get implants. At first he’s taken aback, why would people put robotic parts into their body if they don’t need it, but then he remembered all of the features of Noah’s new arm. It did much more than his arm ever could. And so he started looking at biomechatronics that might interest him.

Fast Forward 10 Years

The year is 2035, Jacob and Noah are getting lunch at a diner. Once they finished their meals and paid they made their way to the exit. Before Noah can reach for the door Jason holds out his arm as his hand extends forward from the wrist revealing his newest addition to his body’s biomechatronics.

“Another one? How many do you need to get before you’re not human?” Noah asks concerned. Ever since Noah got his new arm Jacob has been getting more biomechatronics. Jacob now has an implant that indicates true north, a visual implant to refine his sight, and a RFID chip. None are visible, but Noah worries his friend will never be satisfied with the implants he gets and will always want more.

Jacob is aware of Noah’s concern, but he doesn’t see a problem, what’s wrong with improving one’s senses and functions to live a better life. Isn’t that what the technology was created for? He replies to Noah nonselauntly walking out the diner door, “If being a cyborg is wrong, I don’t want to be right.”

What is Biomechatronics?

Biomechatronics is the integration of mechanical and electrical technology with biological organisms in an effort to improve and/or expand biological functions. The growing field currently has two main objectives: to use robotics in order to eliminate a disability and to expand the capabilities of the human body. Biomechatronics designed to eliminate disabilities include devices to help people who are paralysed or have cerebral palsy be able to move around, as well as high grade prosthetics. On the other hand biomechatronics have been developed that allow people to see in multiple spectrums, detect atmospheric pressure, and even gauge radiation levels.

Discussion Questions

Click the + on the right of a question to view related perspectives and potential starting points for considering these ethical concerns.

Will the government have to regulate biomechatronics like the FDA regulates food and drugs? [4, 15]

“In 2016 together with electronic civil rights and civil liberties researcher and activist Rich MacKinnon, a list of Cyborg Civil Rights were proposed at SXSW. The rights exposed the redefinition and defence of cyborg civil liberties and the sanctity of cyborg bodies. It also foresaw a battle for the ownership, licensing, and control of augmented, alternative, and synthetic anatomies; the communication, data and telemetry produced by them; and the very definition of what it means to be human.” [4]
“Next week,” Herr said, “I’m going to present to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and I’m going to try to convince CMS to grant the appropriate code language and pricing so that this technology can be made available to the patients who need it.” [15]

Should Noah’s new arm be covered by insurance?

“The BiOM is one of the costlier prosthetics on the market – until January of this year insurance companies reimbursed physicians anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 for the devices, according to BiOM. Although the device is covered by the U.S. Defense Dept., the Veterans Affairs Dept., and various private worker’s compensation plans, the device remains in reimbursement limbo at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).” [15]

Is there such a thing as going ‘too far’ with a biomechatronic implant? [22]

“I feel like a lot of robotics is developing systems because we can, not because we should. With the biomechatronics, it’s a great application because we are satisfying that interest and that need to build these systems, but it’s definitely for a good purpose, to end disability.” [22]

As more people get biomecatronic implants could a new form of discrimination appear? [24]

“After a long battle with the UK authorities, Harbisson’s passport now carries a photo of him wearing his eyeborg, making him the world’s first government-recognised cyborg.” [24]

How will Noah having biomechatronics affect his opportunities? For example, will he be allowed to play competitive sports?

“Herr is in no doubt that this is where the technology is heading and his ambitions for it are huge. He says: “I envisage a world in which the technology is so advanced and the human/machine interaction so profound that we can rid the world of disability… and that’s the goal: an end to disability.” [10]

Would having many biomechatronic implants make Jacob a different type of human or even another species? [10, 18, 23]

“All of these advances derive, claims Herr, from a concentrated effort to understand the human body better and to emulate it. He says: “Building a bionic limb that has the profound versatility of the human limb is incredibly hard. Right now when you open up your closet, you see lots of shoes. When I open up my closet, I see lots of legs. I have a leg for running, I have a leg for climbing – I have about eight pairs. It’s a challenge to build all that capability into a single limb. The human leg is so adaptable and versatile.” [10]
“Pau Prats is a cyborg-artist from Barcelona, and he can perceive ultraviolet radiation. What initially began as basic research for his final year of high school, has become an artistic journey into the frontiers of future human evolution. The 18 year old Catalan is a member of Transpecies Society, an interdisciplinary collective and social project that explores new senses and organs while advocating for non-human identities. It is through their guidance that Prats became a cyborg.” [18]

How will biomechatronics change how we interact with technology? [3, 8]

“Unfortunately, technological progress means my chip is already relatively behind the current technology and it will take a surgical procedure to upgrade it, albeit minor.” [3]
“UA medical student Ben Conner is part of a team that studies the use of robotic exoskeletons. Kids with the disorder wear a wireless control system around their waists and the exoskeleton works with muscles in the legs to propel the body forward and create a more normal walking pattern.” [8]

Should biomechatronics be something that everyone learns about? [17]

“Biomechatronics offers many opportunities for our students at Markham Woods that will appeal to many of our families. Because Biomechatronics combines biology, mechanics, and electronics, it gives us a way to provide students with skills and knowledge that can be used many different ways.” [17]

Themes

Learn more

(Primary) Identity, Human Rights, Human Control of Technology, Fairness and Non-discrimination, Government

(Secondary) Accountability, Safety and Security, Professional Responsibility, Transparency and Explainability

Resources

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Image Credit

Title: “In the biomechatronics lab for a workshop on personal health technologies”
Creator: “Mike Lee”—https://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouslee/
Source: “In the biomechatronics lab for a workshop on personal health technologies”—https://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouslee/5619459040/
License: “CC BY-NC-ND 2.0”—https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/