At first glance, it’s a great new product for hearing impaired people. At second glance, it’s the first mass-market cyborg enhancement: technology that penetrates our bodies and enhances our abilities.
Today Apple and Cochlear, an Australian hearing assistance company, announced the Nucleus 7, which connects to an iPhone to stream sound directly to a surgically embedded sound processor.
We’ve seen the early examples of embedded technology … the sometimes icky, bloody, and amateur efforts at integrating technology into the human body. Things like a camera in place of a missing eye. An RIFD chip inserted into a hand to auto-log into a computer or open a door. A chip implanted into your body, allowing you to control a robotic arm.