- Paperback: 312 pages
- Publisher: University of Illinois Press; Reprint edition (30 Oct 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0252072154
- ISBN-13: 978-0252072154
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 16.1 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
1,680,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #69 in Books > Biography > Theatre & Performance Art > Circus
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This title records what happened when, in February 2002, the author and then his wife had computer chips placed into their nervous systems, linked to a computer. Can their emotions and experiences be read and recorded and beamed back into the chips so that feelings can be re-experienced?
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From the Publisher
The account by Britain’s – and the world’s – leading expert in cybernetics of his groundbreaking experiment, when for the first time ever artificial intelligence will be implanted in a human – himself.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
I WAS BORN human. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
I WAS BORN human. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My Review:
A very inspiring book indeed! I was a bit cautious to buy this after reading some of the reviews given by other amazon users however it turned out to be brilliant. The author does a good job of describing the technology to the average reader without the need for them to have knowledge in academic subjects. It also reads like a story which again is very important for the average reader.
This book reads a bit like a biography discussing the inspirations and progress that lead to the experimetns discussed. What is actually being done in the experiment is discussed along with concerns and what they could achieve in future. I would recommend this if you are interested in the progress made towards the field of Cybernetics BY Warwick. (I'd like to point this out as a previous reviewer claimed that he had hoped it would give an idea of 'what the current state of play is within the field of robotics.') However, the book also contains brief descriptions of other experiments that you could consider similar in order to express how unique the experiments described were.
Response to Negative Reviews:
I disagree strongly with the reviews given by the other reviewers who spoke of this book so negatively. Mainly because I did'nt find any evidence in the book to back up most of these claims and also because it seems that people have forgotten the years of these experiments being carried out. Particularly I would like to point out the question raised of 'What is so wonderful about transmitting muscle signals across the internet' by the reviewer 'alphix.' Which with no dis-respect to him of course, is a rather silly question given that the experiment took place I believe in either 1996 or 1997. I'd like to point out that google was founded in 1998 (To give an idea on the state of the internet during that time) and that now in 2009 the first device to interact with the nervous system has be developed, this gives an idea of how ground breaking these experiments were.
Also the criticisms about the technology not being described is rather weak also. For starters the book is clearly not suppose to be a detailed description on the devices as it is to be readable to the average reader, it can't therefore really be criticized unless it led you to believe that this what it was in fact about. To understand the technology you would need to have a knowledge of mathematics, materials, biology and electronics at least so in essence the author does a good job of portraying the technology to the average reader.
Give the book a read for yourself and decided for yourself!
A very inspiring book indeed! I was a bit cautious to buy this after reading some of the reviews given by other amazon users however it turned out to be brilliant. The author does a good job of describing the technology to the average reader without the need for them to have knowledge in academic subjects. It also reads like a story which again is very important for the average reader.
This book reads a bit like a biography discussing the inspirations and progress that lead to the experimetns discussed. What is actually being done in the experiment is discussed along with concerns and what they could achieve in future. I would recommend this if you are interested in the progress made towards the field of Cybernetics BY Warwick. (I'd like to point this out as a previous reviewer claimed that he had hoped it would give an idea of 'what the current state of play is within the field of robotics.') However, the book also contains brief descriptions of other experiments that you could consider similar in order to express how unique the experiments described were.
Response to Negative Reviews:
I disagree strongly with the reviews given by the other reviewers who spoke of this book so negatively. Mainly because I did'nt find any evidence in the book to back up most of these claims and also because it seems that people have forgotten the years of these experiments being carried out. Particularly I would like to point out the question raised of 'What is so wonderful about transmitting muscle signals across the internet' by the reviewer 'alphix.' Which with no dis-respect to him of course, is a rather silly question given that the experiment took place I believe in either 1996 or 1997. I'd like to point out that google was founded in 1998 (To give an idea on the state of the internet during that time) and that now in 2009 the first device to interact with the nervous system has be developed, this gives an idea of how ground breaking these experiments were.
Also the criticisms about the technology not being described is rather weak also. For starters the book is clearly not suppose to be a detailed description on the devices as it is to be readable to the average reader, it can't therefore really be criticized unless it led you to believe that this what it was in fact about. To understand the technology you would need to have a knowledge of mathematics, materials, biology and electronics at least so in essence the author does a good job of portraying the technology to the average reader.
Give the book a read for yourself and decided for yourself!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Basically I agree with Matthew N Palmers review. I agree that the author doesn't paint a particularly good picture of himself. I also found the scientific info presented was fairly lacking, so I didn't have a clear picture of what was actually going on in some of the experiments. However, whilst I was a bit disappointed with the lack of depth on the science side of things, the book was interesting as an autobiographical text and also as a reminder that "cybernetic"/AI/robotic technologies (not just specifically implant - which in itself isn't a new technology) are "on their way" from science fiction, well into the here and now.
A specific point I'd make is: The author says in the book how frustrated he got with people saying he hadn't really achieved anything. Yet in 300 pages, I personally felt he hadn't countered this argument very well. Implant technology exists and ops take place routinely, radio transmission technology exists, internets and data acquisition by computer are old technologies. The author bolted them together and tested to see if they worked. Of course they worked. Why wouldn't they? It seems to me (perhaps I'm mistaken) that the only novel technology here is the nerve interface (in human) and then the novel data was that info recorded via the interface.
A lot of the other stuff detracted or confused what was being achieved. There was a lot of old science incorporated into this book..... Once the transducer has got the signal from the neuron, then it's just the same as any electrical signal. You don't need to perform an experiment to see if the transducer can control a light, a wheelchair etc. because you know the answer to this already. This stuff was more about demonstration than experimentation. I'm not saying that these demonstrations weren't valuable, I just think that they actually clouded the more experimental science done which was : The capture (and interpretation) of nerve signal information by means of a direct electrical interface into a nerve.
As I said, whilst the author doesn't come across as the sort of person you'd want to be down the pub with, I did enjoy reading his about his drive and his frustrations achieving his goal so as an interesting biog rather than an informing science book, I'd give it 3 stars.
A specific point I'd make is: The author says in the book how frustrated he got with people saying he hadn't really achieved anything. Yet in 300 pages, I personally felt he hadn't countered this argument very well. Implant technology exists and ops take place routinely, radio transmission technology exists, internets and data acquisition by computer are old technologies. The author bolted them together and tested to see if they worked. Of course they worked. Why wouldn't they? It seems to me (perhaps I'm mistaken) that the only novel technology here is the nerve interface (in human) and then the novel data was that info recorded via the interface.
A lot of the other stuff detracted or confused what was being achieved. There was a lot of old science incorporated into this book..... Once the transducer has got the signal from the neuron, then it's just the same as any electrical signal. You don't need to perform an experiment to see if the transducer can control a light, a wheelchair etc. because you know the answer to this already. This stuff was more about demonstration than experimentation. I'm not saying that these demonstrations weren't valuable, I just think that they actually clouded the more experimental science done which was : The capture (and interpretation) of nerve signal information by means of a direct electrical interface into a nerve.
As I said, whilst the author doesn't come across as the sort of person you'd want to be down the pub with, I did enjoy reading his about his drive and his frustrations achieving his goal so as an interesting biog rather than an informing science book, I'd give it 3 stars.
23 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book says very little of any consequence about the technology or the social dimensions of this intriguing subject (human - machine direct interfacing), but rather spends most of the time on how Mr. Warwick managed the media and publicity machine that accompanied his recent cyborg experiments.
His comments on being continuously spied upon by a Big Brother system are naive beyond belief (It's OK, because we'd use it for nice things rather than nasty things) - no serious discussion of how these technologies impact on privacy, or of other technologies with which they could be combined to ensure anonymity and privacy, such as cryptosystems, zero knowledge proofs, etc. etc.
The technology itself is barely described, and no framework is developed for thinking about the cyborgisation (if that's the correct word to use) of humanity, either as it stands right now or how it may develop into the future.
An ultimately unsatisfying, self serving, and disappointing book from someone who is living at the frontier of this technology. A missed opportunity.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't waste your time or money
I wish I could give this book no stars. As a programmer I was hoping this book would tell me what the current state of play is within the field of robotics. Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2004 by alphix
I, Cyborg.
I found this book very boring. It did tell a story but it was a tired one. It did not go into enough detail about the implant etc. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2003
Amazing!!
An enlightening account of Professor Warwick's journey from mere human to omnipotent cyborg -- starting with his childhood inspirations and concluding with a cute piece of fiction... Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2002 by Rebekha Dewey
I Cyborg first review
I Cyborg by Prof Kevin Warick is a fasinating insight into real world research that sounds more like science fiction. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2002 by Tom Berman
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