Body hacking is the application of the hacker ethic to improve their own bodies with do it yourself cybernetic devices or introducing Biochemicals into the body to enhance or change their bodies' functionality. It is also known as biohacking, although this term also has other meanings. People engaged in this activity are called grinders. Many grinders identify with the biopunk movement, open-source transhumanism, and techno-progressivism. The Grinder movement is strongly associated with the body modification movement and practices actual implantation of cybernetic devices in organic bodies as a method of working towards transhumanism, such as designing and installing do-it-yourself body-enhancements such as magnetic implants. Biohacking emerged in a growing trend of non-institutional science and technology development.
According to Biohack.me, "Grinders are passionate individuals who believe the tools and knowledge of science belong to everyone. Grinders practice functional extreme body modification in an effort to improve the human condition. [Grinders] hack [them]selves with electronic hardware to extend and improve human capacities. Grinders believe in action, [thei]r bodies the experiment."
"Biohacking" can also refer to managing one's own biology using a combination of medical, nutritional and electronic techniques. This may include the use of nootropics, non-toxic substances, and/or cybernetic devices for recording biometric data (as in the Quantified Self movement).
History
1984 - The 1984 Novel Neuromancer by William Gibson is often attributed as the cause in the rise of transhumanism culture popularity in modern times, and for coining terminology and ideas that form the basis of modern Cyberpunk and body hacking culture.
Ideology
Grinders largely identify with transhumanist and biopunk ideologies. Transhumanism is the belief that it is both possible and desirable to so fundamentally alter the human condition through the use of technologies as to inaugurate a superior post-human being. Kara Platoni categorizes such technological modifications as "hard" biohacking, noting the desire to expand the boundaries of human perception and even create "new senses".
Biopunk is a techno-progressive cultural and intellectual movement which advocates open access to genetic information and espouses the liberating potential of truly democratic technological development. Like other punk movements, Biopunk encourages the DIY ethic. "Grinders" adhere to an anarchist strain of biopunk that emphasizes non-hierarchical science and DIY.
Cyborgs and cyborg theory strongly influence techno-progressivism and transhumanism and are thus influential to both the DIY-bio movement and grinder movement in general. Some biohackers such as Grinders and the British professor of cybernetics Kevin Warwick actively design and implement technologies which are integrated directly into the organic body. Examples of this include DIY magnetic fingertip implants, which allows the cyborg to feel the electromagnetic pull of nearby objects in their fingers, or Warwick’s "Project Cyborg". Cyborg theory was kickstarted in 1985 with the publication of Donna Haraway’s influential "Cyborg Manifesto" but can be traced back all the way to Manfred Clynes and Nathan Klines’ 1960 article, "Cyborgs and Space". This body of theory criticizes the rigidity of ontological boundaries and attempts to denaturalize artificial dichotomies.
Notable persons
- Kevin Warwick is a British scientist and professor of cybernetics who has been instrumental in advancing and popularizing cyborg technology and biohacking through his self-experiments.
- Steve Mann is a professor of electrical and computer engineering who has dedicated his career to inventing, implementing, and researching cyborg technologies, in particular, wearable computing technologies.
- Amal Graafstra is known for implanting an RFID chip in 2005 and developing human-friendly chips including the first ever implantable NFC chip. In 2013, he founded the biotech startup company Dangerous Things. He is also the author of RFID Toys and speaker on biohacking topics including a TEDx talk. He has also built a smartgun which is activated by his implants. He has also created an implantable cryptographic processor called VivoKey for personal identity and cryptography applications.
- Lepht Anonym is a biohacker and transhumanist known for self-surgeries and material implementation of transhumanist ideologies.
- Winslow Strong is a mathematician and physicist.
- Tim Cannon is a software developer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of biotech startup company Grindhouse Wetware.
- Jeffrey Tibbetts is the organiser of the Grindfest events at his lab in California. He is a biohacking researcher whose work has been featured in a number of sources, such as Gizmodo.
- Alex Smith is a well known biohacker for his work developing new implants, such as the Firefly implants. He has spoken at various conferences including DEFCON and been featured in news articles, such as NBC Chicago.
- Rich Lee is known for implanting headphones in his tragi in 2013, as well as for his work on a vibrating pelvic implant called the Lovetron9000. His biohacking activities were used as a justification to remove his parental custody rights in 2016.
- Brian Hanley is an American microbiologist who became known for being one of the first biohackers to engineer their own DNA using gene therapy for human enhancement and life extension.
- Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow implanted a microchip used for the Opal card in Sydney, Australia, though he was subsequently fined $220 for failing to comply with existing transit laws. He also ran against Barnaby Joyce in the Division of New England.
- Kai Castledine, creator of KSEC Launched the first distributor of Dangerous Things LLC And Vivokey products in the UK called KSEC Solutions. KSEC also started the worldwide transition of moving microchip implant installations to require a professional. This was through a worldwide partner network called KSEC Cyborg Centers
- Pinchy, a UK piercer with 15 years of experience in the industry started installing microchips in 2013. Since December 2018 he’s worked with KSEC Solutions to ensure microchip installations are done by professionals only. This was achieved under the KSEC Cyborg center partnership, which aims to bring products like the Vivokey to the wider public.
- Josiah Zayner attempted a full fecal microbiota transplant on himself in February 2016.
- Dave Asprey is an American entrepreneur and author and founded Bulletproof 360, Inc. in 2013. Asprey is a biohacker and has written five books regarding the same. Asprey has said that he expects to live to age 180. As of 2019, Asprey said he had spent at least $1 million "hacking his own biology," including having his own stem cells injected into him, taking 100 daily supplements, following a strict diet, bathing in infrared light, using a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, and wearing special lenses when flying.
Popular usage
- Neural implant
- Neuroprosthetics (also called neural prosthetics)
- Subdermal implants
- Microchip implant
- Magnetic implant
In Popular culture
2014 Novel Red Rising by Pierce Brown and following series "Red Rising Saga" discuss themes of body hacking.
Groups and organizations
- Grindhouse Wetware, biotechnology startup company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- KSEC Solutions, worldwide distributor and consultancy based in the United Kingdom.
