Harvard creates cyborg flesh that’s half man, half machine

This is interesting research but I winced at the off the cuff analysis at the end.<p>Cory Doctorow wrote <i>0wnz0red</i> back in 2002 (<a href="http://www.salon.com/2002/08/28/0wnz0red/" rel="nofollow">http://www.salon.com/2002/08/28/0wnz0red/</a> ) which revolves around literally hacking biology (and is a great read).<p>Falling in line with Doctorow's piece of fiction, the author of this article seems to be under the impression that once you integrate circuits with cells, you can treat biological systems as if they were software or hardware systems.<p>We may get to that point some day, but biology is complicated, and cells signal each other in so many interesting chemical ways that it's going to be a long time and a lot of work between us and being able to do anything resembling the sorts of I/O we do with computers.<p>So please, when you read articles like this, think sensor networks, not programmable biology.

When I read things like this, I can't help but conclude that ultimately we will become <i>one</i> with our machines: "as far as the cells are concerned, they’re just normal cells that behave normally — but the electronic side actually acts as a sensor network, allowing a computer to interface directly with the cells."

My bet is the goal of this research is to repair spinal cords. I'm sure much more will come from it but, I bet that is why it was undertaken. This is a perfect fit for spinal reconstruction.

<i>[T]hese cyborg tissues could be used to create very accurate organs-on-a-chip — lab-grown human organs that are encased within computer chips and then used to test drugs or substance toxicity, without harming a single bunny or bonobo.</i><p>That's the real story here - making a better OoaC. Organ on a Chip leads to faster testing.

I can't help but think of the movie Virus[1], which <i>scared the living shit</i> out of my 10-year-old self.<p>---<p>[1] <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120458/" rel="nofollow">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120458/</a>

What would be really great would be the ability to penetrate existing tissue with nanowire sensors.

It's only a matter of time until one of these things kills a person.

<i>If you need a quick jolt of adrenaline, you would simply tap a button on your smartphone</i><p>If you can have cyborg flesh implants, I don't think you would bother with a smartphone.