Applauding cyborgs?

Sandra yawns and stirs under her warm duvet. If only she did not have to get out of bed! If only she did not have to get to her desk and start writing her essay! But then she remembers: thanks to her neuralRelating to the nerves. implant, she only has to think about it. So she lies back while her computer bleeps into action: "Bananas are vital to EcuadorA country in South America.'s economy because..."

This fantasy could become reality after Elon MuskA South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal. He now controls Twitter, renamed 'X'.'s latest announcement. On Monday night he tweeted that a neural microchipA very small piece of material containing electric circuits that hold lots of information. named Telepathy had been successfully implanted. It would, he said, "enable control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking".¹

"Dawn of the cyborg" read Metro's headline yesterday. "Cyborg" is a combination of the words "cyber" and "organism." It was coined in the 1960s to denote someone who or something which is partly human and partly a machine.

Neurons are cells in the brain which send signals to other parts of the body, such as the muscles and the nerves. Telepathy, which is designed to read these signals, is placed in the part of the brain that plans movements, so that someone can operate a computer or smartphone simply by intending to move.

Here are some reasons why cyborgs may be a good thing:

Paralysis panacea Once implanted in the brains of paralysed people, Telepathy should allow them to move their bodies using their thoughts.

Mental massage Implants could be used to combat mental-health problems such as schizophreniaA mental illness often accompanied by delusions and hallucinations. The term derives from two Greek words meaning "divided" and "mind"..

Data delivery Mass collection of data from people's brains will contribute hugely to medical and scientific innovations. For example, it could give a much better understanding of the ageing process and what might be done to prolong healthy life.²

Hands-free happiness Using implants to control devices would mean not having to carry a laptop around or run the risk of being mugged for your mobile phone.

Communication innovation Implants might actually make telepathy possible, meaning that people could communicate without using a phone or even speaking.

Rehabilitating robots Countries with a shrinking workforce need robots to make up for the labour shortage.³ But there are instinctive worries about robots taking humans' jobs. Cyborgs, having the appearance of humans but the efficiency of robots, would solve this problem.

Should we be glad?

Yes: This could be the start of a medical revolution. Telepathy offers hope to people whose conditions have seemed incurable up until now - including those who cannot move and those who cannot see.

No: Our human identity is the most precious thing we have and should not be compromised by mixing it with machines. Neural implants could be hijacked to allow other people to control our bodies.  

Or... To some extent we are already cyborgs, since we use many inorganic things to help our bodies, from spectacles to artificial limbs. Telepathy is simply the next step in this direction.