Neil Harbisson, the first cyborg in history: “I can walk into a bank and tell if the alarms are on”
Neil Harbisson decided upon an unconventional solution to his medical condition.
Diagnosed with achromatopsia, a condition that leaves him seeing the world only in black and white, Neil Harbisson opted for an unconventional solution.
Doctors implanted an antenna into his skull that quite literally changes colours into sound, effectively becoming the world’s first cyborg. It sounds like the plot of a bad movie but it’s true: his antenna works by converting colours into distinct auditory tones, meaning that Harbisson can “hear” colours.
But he didn’t stop there. The device allows access to a wider spectrum: he claims to perceive both infrared and ultraviolet light, realms outside the scope of typical human vision.
The world's first cyborg artist can “hear” colors.
— GiGadgets (@gigadgets_) April 21, 2023
Neil Harbisson was born with the inability to see colors. Using the sensor implanted in his head, he was able to “hear” colors for the last 17 years.#gigadgets #cyborg #sensor #artistlife #colorstudy pic.twitter.com/eyuo2emYIx
“I can link my head to NASA’s International Space Station”
One of the more striking anecdotes from his recent interview is how he uses these capabilities in ordinary venues. “I can walk into a shop or a bank and tell you whether the alarms are on or off,” he explains.
“If I detect infrared, that means they’re on,” Harbisson adds. “If I detect high levels of ultraviolet,” he adds, “I stay out of the sun, because it’s a colour that can pass through your skin and harm you."
Harbisson even reports that his antenna now has internet connectivity. He says he can link the device online to receive colour data from remote locations: “I can connect the antenna to the internet and perceive colours that aren’t physically in front of me. For example, I can link my head to NASA’s International Space Station and experience colour from space.”
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For better or for worse, he cannot turn off his sensory antenna, saying that the goal was “for the brain to gradually adapt to this new sense. If it worked with an on-off system, the brain would struggle to accept it, so I designed it to give me a constant stimulus."
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