A man who has said he became a 'cyborg' has revealed the shocking steps he's taken to get there.
While some of you might think it's cool to become a 'cyborg', the likes of RoboCop and Justice League have shown how having your fleshy human body fused with robotic parts doesn't exactly look like a pleasant experience. As for the most famous cyborg ever, Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader after being left as a charred stump that needed mechanical apparatus to breathe.
Cyborgs aren't just limited to science fiction, with one man explaining his painful experience of becoming a real-life 'human' cyborg.
Scott Cohen co-founded Cyborg Nest in 2016 and aimed to enhance human perception by creating extra senses. It was around this time that he had two titanium rods inserted into his chest with the goal of being able to 'sense' north. Yes, Cohen spent $300 to have a NorthSense device placed in his body to become a living compass.
Advert
His journey is documented in a new Apple TV+ documentary, titled My Husband, the Cyborg.
Discussing what it was like becoming a cyborg with The Times, Cohen explained: "I’ve thought about this a lot. Apart from me having a sex change, this was the biggest shock to a relationship imaginable."
As for how his wife remembers it, Susanna Cappellaro says it was more of an announcement: “It was as if he was going to the shop to buy grapes and, on the way out, asked me what colour I’d like."
Measuring 3 x 2.5cm, the silicone-encased circuit board was placed into Cohen's chest, with the interview explaining it might look like Tony Stark's Arc Reactor from the Iron Man movies.
Expanding on why he underwent the procedure, Cohen added: "People assume cyborgs are less human but I wanted to be more human, to augment the senses I already had.
“And just as migrating birds and whales and sharks are attuned to magnetic north, I thought I’d start with acquiring that new sense for myself."
It wasn’t all sci-fi frolics though, and as reported by The Sun, Cohen says: "It was years of pain...There was never a moment when it didn’t hurt." With his body rejecting the implant, even a hug could bring him to tears as his chest constantly bled and 'oozed'.
Despite the increasing costs and multiple operations, it seems the idea of becoming a cyborg is infectious. Cappellaro followed in her husband's footsteps in 2018, and after attending an 'implant party', she had a magnet fitted in one of her fingers that allowed her to pick up small metal objects.
The pair also met Kevin Warwick and his wife Irena, who became the world's first 'cyborg couple' when their nervous systems were electronically linked for 24 hours in 2002.
Despite both Scott and Susanna having had their cyborg devices removed (for now), he isn't letting his experience with cyborgification put him off. Cohen apparently has grand plans for 'mind cloning' where he'll be able to download his consciousness into a virtual platform when his aging body eventually fails him.
Before he gets to living eternally in a machine, Cohen sees more day-to-day practical uses: "Think of all the apps you use on your smartphone today. For communication. For payment. For geolocation. How much better if you import them into yourself and become a cyborg."
As for what Cappellaro thinks of it all, she concluded: "You do feel special when you have a superpower. Even if that superpower is only being able to pick up a paperclip."