Week 13: Bionics

Would you support the development of a bionic person?

I would be concerned about the consequences of any culture having the power to create a bionic person. But when I think of a bionic person of course the first thing that I think of is the various androids or human-android chimeras of well known science fiction movies. I think of movies like Alien, the Battelstar Galactica series and the Terminator films. I know it seems juvenile that these are the first images conjured up in my mind, but I think there are good lessons to take from these films.

First of all, take the character “Ash” from Alien. He seems to be a focused scientist doing research work. Legitimate and inscrutable in his position as a researcher aboard the ship, he is easily overlooked when things begin to unravel. But he is in fact an android who has been programed to follow through with a mission that leaves him divest of any human attachments or regard for the lives of his colleagues.

In both the Battlestar Galactica series and the Terminator films you have a similar theme of the robots as bioengineered beings used primarily for battle and slave services. Because these androids and android-like creatures actually posses a sense of self, they begin to rebel and war between real humans and robots unfold.

Ok, the probability of such a scenario actually occuring in real life is very slim. But what concerns me is the immediate assumption that bionic abilities should be put to ‘good use’, meaning that often times the medical applications are overlooked in favor of technological advancement specifically in regard to warfare.

That said, I fully support bionic components for those who need them. If you are missing limbs or have been paralyzed in some fashion, having bionic limbs seems to be the most effective and reasonable intervention. I also like the prospect of nanotechnology helping type 1 diabetics by basically substituting the pancreas with a capsule that exctretes insulin but keeps out antibodies.