BIOMEDevice San Jose to Welcome Cyborg Foundation Co-founder Neil Harbisson as 2016 Keynote Speaker

November 28, 2016

BIOMEDevice San Jose, collocated with Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) Silicon Valley to bring together the engineering and medtech industries, unveiled that Neil Harbisson, cyborg activist and Cyborg Foundation co-founder, will take the keynote stage to deliver a presentation surrounding biological evolution via cybernetic technology.

BIOMEDevice San Jose and ESC Silicon Valley will take place Dec. 6-8 at the San Jose (Calif.) Convention Center.

Harbisson is the co-founder of the Cyborg Foundation, an international organization that promotes the use of cybernetics as a body part to extend human senses and perception and aims to help humans become cyborgs, defend cyborg rights and promote cyborgism as a social and artistic movement.

He is best known for having an antenna implanted in his skull that allows him to perceive colors that are outside human vision such as infrareds and ultraviolets, and is the first person to be officially recognized as a human cyborg by the government.

Harbisson’s artworks investigate the relationship between color and sound, experiment the boundaries of human perception, and explore the use of artistic expression via sensory extensions. 

His keynote presentation, The Art and Science of Extending Perception through Cybernetic Technology, will explore how taking an active part in our own biological evolution is no longer a theory, but an option.

Harbisson will touch on how becoming technology, instead of using or wearing technology, opens up the possibility of having additional organs and senses beyond the ones confined to our species.

 ccording to Harbisson, by merging ourselves with technology we can become the designers of our own body and perception, thereby increasing our survival possibilities in earth and outer space, which poses the question:  Are we witnessing the renaissance of our species?

"We're thrilled to welcome a professional as dedicated and knowledgeable about bio technology as Neil," said Nina Brown, vice president of Events for the Advanced Manufacturing Portfolio, UBM. "His work is constantly pushing industry boundaries and inviting the world to explore different ideas and perspectives related to how our bodies work and evolve. Our attendees will be hearing from a true industry pioneer who has dedicated his life to advancing the human body."

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