Neil Harbisson, better known in the world as a half-man half-robot, came to the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai, UAE. Neil Harbisson, the first person on the planet to have a photograph in his passport demonstrating that he is a real cyborg, attended the World Government Summit in Dubai.
Neil Harbisson, a 33-year-old artist from Catalonia, wears an iBorg - a cyborgized eye on his head. Color-blind artist claims that the iborg allows him to distinguish colors, and he wants to help other cyborgs like him get more rights.
Harbisson claims that his body has adapted to the device, and now he considers the artificial eye an integral part of himself. Harbisson was born with a disorder called achromatopsia, so he sees the whole world in gray tones. For example, he often cannot correctly respond to safety signals like a traffic light, but it is much more important for him that, as an artist, he cannot fully show his talent, although he perfectly understands how aesthetics affect the mood and behavior of people. So almost ten years ago, Harbisson decided to "improve" himself in order to understand how other people see the world.
As a result, he sees like no other. Ayborg converts colors into sound waves that are transmitted to his inner ear through a vibration mechanism at the back of his head - in fact, Harbisson does not see colors, but hears and feels. Each color has a specific frequency: for example, the sound corresponding to the infrared color is the lowest, and ultraviolet the highest. Moreover, some faces and buildings have become “music” for the artist - their combination of tones create melodies that Harbisson finds pleasant.
Harbisson’s plans are to find a way to recharge the device using the energy of his own body, for example, through blood circulation or kinetic energy. In addition, he believes that all people, regardless of whether they wear any implants or not, have the right to uphold their political beliefs, so he founded the Cyborg Foundation to help other people with implants fight for their rights.
