# Research material for a cyborg?



## theoddone (Jan 15, 2015)

For the novel I am working on, I want to create a character who is a cyborg. This character was born a normal human boy. He was experimented on so that he could obtain supernatural abilities; the scientists believed making him a cyborg would make it easier to control him. I'm not very knowledgeable on cyborgs, so maybe someone has good articles I should look into? These are some aspects I am stuck on:

1) The main method they want to utilize to control him is to use a software that can allow them to take control of his body from a remote location; so, would it make the best sense if his brain was no longer natural? Although, I struggle with this decision because he still needs his brain to be mostly human AND to retain his supernatural abilities.

2) He would still be mostly human, but have a different method of "eating"; I haven't decided this yet, but I liked the idea of him not eating normal food, but eating something unique they designed, and, of course, not eating through the mouth... What would be a good way to go about this? Of course, I want him to be mostly human, so only so many organs can be replaced...

...maybe I'm just pushing this a little too far....


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## Morkonan (Jan 16, 2015)

theoddone said:


> ...1) The main method they want to utilize to control him is to use a software that can allow them to take control of his body from a remote location; so, would it make the best sense if his brain was no longer natural? Although, I struggle with this decision because he still needs his brain to be mostly human AND to retain his supernatural abilities.



Actually, it's not necessary that his brain be "natural." All that is necessary is that they have access to it, electronically. For instance, by placing electrodes or, by this time, by manipulating certain fields, they could stimulate any region of the brain they wanted.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130910142334.htm 

(Sciencedaily is an excellent resource. Click around to find many more articles about stimulating the brain to elicit behavior.)



> 2) He would still be mostly human, but have a different method of "eating"; I haven't decided this yet, but I liked the idea of him not eating normal food, but eating something unique they designed, and, of course, not eating through the mouth... What would be a good way to go about this? Of course, I want him to be mostly human, so only so many organs can be replaced...
> 
> ...maybe I'm just pushing this a little too far....



No, you're not pushing this too far. You're a writer - You are supposed to push far! 

The subject of the "man-machine interface" is a hot-topic, these days. It's popular because it's coming close to being a reality. http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/neural_interfaces/ In some cases, it is a reality. (Prosthetics) How much longer until we can not only supplant the need for some natural organs, but can improve them artificially? Not long... http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/brain-computer_interfaces/ 

So, what would power someone who was partially artificial?

Well, their own movements could do that: http://www.popularmechanics.com/sci...organs-could-power-implanted-devices-16405636
You could even charge internal devices without having to directly connect to them: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innov...plants-use-bodys-own-tissue-charge-180951612/
Body heat could be used: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080110161823.htm

In short - Your cyborg might be able to exist on normal human food.

But, if you didn't want that, then you could have your cyborg outfitted with implants that extracted certain chemical compounds from the stomach, for instance.

A biofuel cell that uses sugars: http://news.discovery.com/tech/glucose-biofuel-cells-electricity-pacemakers.htm
Biofuel cells that use enzymes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzymatic_biofuel_cell

So, your cyborg could eat normal food and, during the meal, supplement that food with a syrupy sugary drink full of enzymes that helped keep their internal power cells fueled to support some of their hardware components.

There is no reason that the cyborg couldn't eat normally - Toxic compounds aren't necessary in order to fuel artificial components. They could even just stand in a rotating magnetic field, or walk through one, in order to get a bit of a recharge. Sure, you can have them have to ingest something other than "orally", but it's not necessary, given what we know today.


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## K.S. Crooks (Jan 17, 2015)

I think you need to decide what aspect of the character's behaviour you want to be controlled at the beginning and research the brain. Have computer chips or film or new type of device inserted into the sections of the brain that controls those areas. The brain can also rewire itself to compensate for areas that have been damaged, perhaps to allow him/her to regain control over themselves.

Some aspects you may want to consider: Do you want what the cyborg sense (sees, hears, smells, feels, tastes) observed by the people in control? do you want the cyborg to be able to improvise or only follow instructions? How human does the cyborg look? Can they pass for a normal person? What percentage of the physique will be machine? How much stronger, faster, smarter, etc. will the character be than a normal person? Does the cyborg have memories of being a normal boy or of being experiment on?

For the food aspect you could have them need both human and something for the machine parts. Perhaps when he/she is on the run they need to break into a auto shop or hardware store. The cyborg could be fully electrical and only need to recharge or run on hydrogen fuel cells. You could also create a type of hybrid food that the character is given by the people in control.

Other aspects are what time period is the story set. If it is the present or close to now then you need to consider what level of technology is believable. If the story is set in the future then anything goes. Is the main character the only cyborg? How do the people that created the cyborg plan to stop him/her? Are there any fail safes they have built in to their program or mechanics?
Hope this sparks a few ideas.


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