Bionic Age Begins

Oscar Pistorius, who was born without the tibia bones in his lower legs, is causing quite a stir in the track and field world as the Beijing Olympics approach. Pistorius is recording race times that no other disabled athlete has ever achieved and is primed to compete for a spot on the Olympic team.

His performance has prompted claims that the prosthetic blades he uses to run give him an unfair advantage over his competitors. The blades, they say, provide stronger propulsion than a natural human ankle. An MIT study disputed this claim and so the granddaddy of track and field adjudicating bodies gave Pistorius the okay to compete.

And so the bionic era is upon us. We've seen it coming for years. Genetic engineering. Digital implants. Steroids. Human growth hormone. And now an amputee with prosthetic legs may be superior to an athlete with "only" natural parts.

Science fiction has played this angle for decades, from Darth Vader to the Borg, from Steve Austin to Gattaca's genetic perfection, from HAL to The Matrix. All portrayed humans interacting with technology to integrate man and machine. Bigger, faster, stronger, indeed.

We're integrating our bodies with technology at the same time we're integrating our minds with technology. I've posted a couple items in this space about people's relationship with Facebook ... Who is the real you? What is the difference these days between real and digital?

How long will it be before kids are implanting chips in their brains that allow them to play video games using only their minds - no hand-eye coordination required? Or enter a virtual reality where they might be the person they've always wanted to be instead of the person they are? Second Life is just such an experience for millions of online users.

So, the next decade or two is going to be interesting. Technology and processing power may create a whole new being that makes us mere homo sapiens feel oh so inferior.