Seriously...

Meet the Cyborgs


Listen Later

Frank Swain can hear Wi-Fi.

Diagnosed with early deafness aged 25, Frank decided to turn his misfortune to his advantage by modifying his hearing aids to create a new sense. He documented the start of his journey three years ago on Radio 4 in 'Hack My Hearing'.

Since then, Frank has worked with sound artist Daniel Jones to detect and sonify Wi-Fi connections around him. He joins a community around the world who are extending their experience beyond human limitations.

In 'Meet the Cyborgs' Frank sets out to meet other people who are hacking their bodies. Neil Harbisson and Moon Rebus run The Cyborg Foundation in Barcelona, which welcomes like-minded body hackers from around the world. Their goal is not just to use or wear technology, but to re-engineer their bodies.

Frank meets the creators of Cyborg Nest, a company promising to make anyone a cyborg. They have recently launched their first product - The North Sense - a computer chip anchored to body piercings in the chest, which vibrates when it faces north.

"I'm a 51 year old bald guy, with no tattoos or piercings" says co-founder Scott Cohen. "This was never a place I thought I'd end up in. Everyone's talking about machine learning, but what we're trying to do is make our brains smarter."

Of course, the marriage of technology and biology is commonplace in medicine, from pacemakers to IUDs. But now 'citizen hackers' are modifying their medical equipment to add new functions. Dana Lewis from Seattle has created her own 'artificial pancreas' to help manage her Type 1 diabetes and released the code online.

But should limits be placed on self-experimentation? And will cybernetic implants eventually become as ubiquitous as smart phones?

Features music composed for The North Sense by Andy Dragazis.

Presenter: Frank Swain

Producer: Michelle Martin.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Seriously...By BBC Radio 4

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

257 ratings


More shows like Seriously...

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,697 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,063 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,541 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,797 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,881 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,763 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,036 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,102 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,922 Listeners

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4

Comedy of the Week

485 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,015 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

498 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

576 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

110 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

48 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

308 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

843 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

82 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

53 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,167 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,003 Listeners

Life Changing by BBC Radio 4

Life Changing

112 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

120 Listeners

When It Hits the Fan by BBC Radio 4

When It Hits the Fan

41 Listeners

Young Again by BBC Radio 4

Young Again

50 Listeners