Project: Cyborg : an examination by: GF Willmetts
The origins of the development of a government agent cyborg was originally created by Martin Caiden in his book ‘Cyborg’ and three successive novels that took place with little comparison to what became the TV series ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ and its sister show, ‘The Bionic Woman’. The success of which made the word ‘bionic’, meaning ‘like life’, a common word to the general public that the media uses it for any replacement limb for amputees. Strictly speaking, it’s mostly for arm or parts there of which are powered to supplement nerve and sometimes tendon controls to give limited movement which is improving with every generation.
Of course, they are nothing like the three cyborgs created by the Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI) nor as costly. In their reality, presumably the OSI was set up as an adjacent American intelligence organisation using scientific equipment. It should be appointed out that although the limb and, in two cases, replacement senses have an estimate of six million adjusted dollars, the actual surgery and such cost a lot less than that. The cost includes training and maintenance/replacements for a six year period. Considering the number of successful missions two of these cyborgs accomplished, said costs probably extended beyond that point.
The amount of surgery actually done was probably closer to the book than the TV series which tends to suggest that the arm and legs were pinned onto the existing skeletal frame. In fact, the pelvis and shoulders had to be replaced and give sufficient support for the bionic limbs. Unlike traditional amputee limb replacements, the surgery was primarily for these cyborgs to resemble human as possible with a nuclear-based power source to exceed human running speed. As both legs also had a system of springs, the ability to high and long jump was also extended. Without having to depend on the human respiratory system, let alone get tired, the limitations depended on how fast the cyborg needed to go. The arm strength mostly didn’t exceed human levels too much for short periods of time, mostly because of the shoulder support. The legs would be a different proposition simply because of replacement pelvis being able to support the wear and tear of speed. In that time, any muscles wrapped around the limbs were not functioning. The real strength and limitations coming from the metallic bones. The nuclear power was to ensure continuous use than a need for a daily recharge and not to take the limbs off at night.
Looking forward fifty years, just how viable are cyborgs today? We certainly have a lot more examples. Leg replacements are more like spring attachments that allow their users a little more speed when they look less like tradition legs and more like gazelle limbs and hops than normal running. These act with more bounce, limited by the user.
The arm, especially the hand, has a lot more elaborate movements which makes connecting the nerve endings and tendons a lot harder. Currently, these limbs can react to the real upper arm tendon movement than direct connection so artificial arms are not permanently connected yet. Will it ever happen? The way advances are going, especially considering hands can be made on 3D printers making them effectively cheaper, work can be done in other functions. At present, these artificial arms are more like sheathes on the stump but it wouldn’t surprise me if we had a full permanent connection at some point, at least for adults. For children and young adults, it’s more a question of age and body maturity before anything permanent could be fitted. I doubt if it would ever have anything beyond dexterity, even in a complete arm replacement although, again, it wouldn’t surprise me if a few manipulations couldn’t be added like being able to rotate nuts and bolts.
Would there ever be a need to create a cyborg similar to Steve Austin or Jaime Sommers?
The OSI’s plan wasn’t totally misguided. Creating a cyborg that looked human but possessing a little, shall we say, extra would allow one individual to do more than a team could do. A lot of it would also depend on having an available amputee or recently gone that way with the right mental attitude, hopefully with military training or security clearance, although both would also be trained and cleared. In Caiden’s book, he was dealing with a prototype with adjustments made along the way. Probably the most significant point being that both legs are not quite the same length and the difference is what maintains the balance.
We must also look at the qualities of what is left of the organic body. Certainly, original author Martin Caiden pointed out in his novel. With only one arm left to support, Steve Austin could hold his breath underwater longer than a normal human. With me looking further than this, with conventional running, the organic body is not making any exertion so would be less prone to tiredness, ergo the cyborg would continue running without tiring. Regardless of the actual speed, he might not reach or exceed 60mph but from an endurance point of view would be faster than a conventional human and more like a fast marathon runner. Whether it would be possible to slow down, stop or turn on the hoof still remains to be seen.
The arm’s strength stems from its bones than anything resembling muscles. As a human body would be supporting it, you would need a light but strong bone set, probably titanium than steel. As we have seen from the currently available advanced prothesis, there is limited movement with grip improving with every generation. Obviously, an advanced expensive arm and hand would improve on that. If there is variable grip and the human user can distinguish the difference than it is entirely possible to pre-program certain manoeuvres and even duplicate Austin’s party trick of undoing and doing up the nuts securing a wheel to a car could be achieved depending on the available grip required. The amount of strength is really dependent on how much the arm assembly can be supported by the organic body it is connected to. In many respects, Barney Hiller lacking both arms would be stronger since the assembly would be across his body, like the legs, but supported by a re-enforced spine. It should be pointed out that Austin’s spine was also re-enforced. Any training would be for the cyborg to gauge its own limitations on weights. It is likely that it would exceed an average human and probably a trained weightlifter but certainly not capable of lifting anything close to a hundredweight.
One of the real problems is where the mechanised limbs connect to the body and the problems of chaffing. That is, the inorganic rubbing against the human flesh and skin. Caiden’s book describes the connection between the two with scars but not how he got around the problem. With what we have today, it is possible to grow skin and the limbs could be coated with this which would make the connections easier. If that could be equipped with nerve endings then it would enable an extended touch, especially in the fingertips where it really counts. The cyborg would still have to be careful not to damage his skin because with touch there is likely to be pain feedback. Obviously, with computerised orientation, such feeling could be turned off at its limits protecting the cyborg.
Although it is possible for a bionic ear to function, a bionic eye is still beyond our technology and any resolution would still be blocky which would limit telescopic and infra-red vision. With unlimited funding, one could suppose something could be made. After all, we do have effective cameras at eyeball size, the real problem is ignoring the optic nerve and direct connection to the brain. Something similar to the blueprints shown at the opening of the TV series. I suspect there would be enough volunteers to develop an eye.
Where a real-life cyborg could differ from an average human would be the concealment of equipment and even weapons. In his book, Caiden had Austin equipped with an oxygen supply in his legs for an underwater mission. One of his bionic fingers could also act as a gun barrel to shoot bullets. With mechanised limbs, it would be a simple matter to adjust their needs for certain assignments and concealing things although how they could walk through airport security unchallenged was never revealed.
A cyborg is likely to be the nearest thing we could have to a real-life super-human. The only real limitation is the aging of the organic parts. Financially, it would be extremely expensive to build a battalion of cyborgs so I doubt if they would be used in a war.
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