Human enhancement through the lens of experimental and speculative neurotechnologies

Abstract

Human enhancement deals with improving on and overcoming limitations of the human body and mind. Pharmaceutical compounds that alter consciousness and cognitive performance have been used and discussed for a long time. The prospect of neurotechnological applications such as brain‐steered devices or using invasive and noninvasive electromagnetic stimulations of the human brain, however, has received less attention—especially outside of therapeutic practices—and remains relatively unexplored. Reflection and debates about neurotechnology for human enhancement are limited and remain predominantly with neurotech engineers, science‐fiction enthusiasts and a small circle of academics in the field of neuroethics. It is well known, and described as the Collingridge dilemma, that at an early stage of development, changes can easily be enacted, but the need for changes can hardly be foreseen. Once the technology is entrenched, opportunities and risks start to materialize, and the need to adapt and change is clearly visible. However, carrying out these changes at such a late stage, in turn, becomes very difficult, tremendously expensive, and sometimes practically impossible. In this manuscript, we compile and categorize an overview of existing experimental and speculative applications of neurotechnologies, with the aim to find out, if these real or diegetic prototypes could be used to better understand the paths these applications are forging. In particular, we will investigate what kind of tools, motivations, and normative goals underpin experimental implementations by neurohackers, speculative designers and artists.

Pioneering neurohackers: between egocentric human enhancement and altruistic sacrifice

“…There is a growing number of people, who are involved in a number of research and development activities in the field of neurotechnologies (NT), inside and outside the academic and institutional context, to build such devices for themselves or others. Whole new contexts of utilization are being created, often with the aim to make life easier and better, but also to explore the potentiality of NT enhanced human body and mind ( Teunisse et al, 2019 ). Human enhancement, sometimes called human augmentation, has increasingly become a topic of interest at the intersection of biological, genetic, neurological and technological innovations and advancements, also sparking a wave of attention by regulators, policy makers, commercial and grassroots interests.…”

“…Scientific and engineering advances make NT more and more accessible, not only for medical applications such as prostheses ( Dubljevic et al, 2014 ; Wexler, 2016 ), but also for non-medical, even do-it-yourself (DIY) use ( Wexler, 2016 ; 2017 ) and human enhancement ( Egner and Gruzelier, 2003 ; Fregni et al, 2005 ; Dockery et al, 2009 ; Meinzer et al, 2014 ). The reduction in cost and increased availability of materials, software and ways to implant devices into the human body makes NT more accessible for the do-it-yourself (DIY) community and neurohackers ( Wexler, 2016 ; Teunisse et al, 2019 ). While some researchers have attempted to engage with NT user groups to improve, e.g., BCI tools ( Stahl et al, 2017 ) the DIY community is different from user groups as they have their own (research) goals.…”

Varieties of Artifacts: Embodied, Perceptual, Cognitive, and Affective

“…At this stage, they are mainly developed for people with disorders, and are thus largely assistive technologies, but some (particularly BCIs) are also used by people who are not disabled. Whether such agents will choose to use neuroprosthetics to enhance how they act on the world, perceive the world, and regulate their affect remains to be seen (Teunisse, Youssef, & Schmidt, 2019).…”

Neurochips: Considerations from a neurosurgeon’s standpoint

“…For example, cochlear implants for partial restoration of hearing can under specific circumstances, such as in a very noisy environment, endow the patient with better than human hearing capabilities, when the microphone and software of the cochlear implant can filter out human voices from background noise; bionic eyes for retinitis pigmentosa to partially restore vision. [ 16 , 22 , 39 ] Some controversial uses of implants are to obtain new sensory perceptions such are the cases of the cyborg artist Neil Harbisson and the dancer Moon Ribas. [ 12 , 18 ] Harbisson was born completely color blind, but with an antenna implanted in his skull translates colors to sounds; but also he perceives infrared and ultraviolet light that are not part of the human visual spectrum.…”

“…Nowadays, it was used to treat some difficulties in learning; in other cases are simply used to experiment new experiences, or even to obtain pleasure, for example, increasing erotic experiences. [ 9 , 12 , 18 , 21 , 35 , 36 , 39 , 43 ] A promising and exciting field of TMS is the medical application of personalized drug release responding to external commands (magnetic fields, temperature, or biochemical signals) for the management of oncological or metabolic diseases. [ 5 , 10 ] Particular attention should be paid to a research that is being performed in animals connecting the brain of rats through the network.…”