Ep. 10 - Kevin Warwick on Project Cyborg
In this episode of the Future Grind podcast, host Ryan O'Shea sits down with Kevin Warwick, the researcher blurring the line between academia and biohacking. Warwick pioneered RFID implants in the 1990s. He is perhaps best known for his BrainGate experiments, a technology which could lead to brain-to-brain communication.
We're posting in two forms, an audio podcast and a video podcast. Please subscribe to both our YouTube channel and iTunes feed as we have some exclusive content that is not posted on both channels. You can also find us on Facebook.
- View and share on Facebook.
- Listen to this podcast on iTunes (subscribe, download, review)
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “download as"
- Watch this episode on YouTube (subscribe, like, comment)
Show Notes
- Life between hacker and academic [1:13]
- The source of Warwick’s interest in technological augmentation [1:55]
- How Warwick become an RFID implant pioneer [4:04]
- The dangers & ethical concerns of augmentative implants [5:48]
- Risks and ethical approval [6:04]
- BrainGate & Working with the human nervous system [7:40]
- Terminology & practical vs. philosophical transhumanism [10:31]
- What is a cyborg? [12:39]
- Any implants now? [15:37]
- Warwick’s thoughts on biohackers working outside of academia [16:14]
- Publishing & collaboration between academics & biohackers [20:11]
- Gene editing vs. technological augmentation [24:54]
- Work with magnets & extrasensory perception [28:44]
- The difficulty of getting biohacking research published [32:56]
- Alternative methods of getting published & spreading science [37:56]
- Why has progress been so slow? [40:00]
- Leveraging predictive AI for use with deep brain stimulation [42:46]
- A biohackers view of academia [47:35]
- BrainGate’s possibility for brain to brain communication [48:24]
- The commercial potential of this tech [52:24]
- Culturing brain cells for use in robotics [55:39]
- Questions of consciousness [58:12]
- Where to find Warwick online [59:23]
Mentioned
Grindhouse Wetware
Ian Harrison's magnet implant research
Sam Harris
Tipu Aziz's deep brain stimulation work
Behaivior
Carnegie Mellon University
Steve Potter's embodied cultured networks at Georgia Tech
John Searle
Please like, comment, rate, and share this podcast to spread the word. Ryan O'Shea is on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and we'd love to hear what you thought and what you want to see going forward.
If you have any questions or are interested in supporting or advertising with Future Grind, you can reach us at hello@futuregrind.org.