In 1987 the movie “Robocop” was a huge hit. The movie is about a half human half machine cop who has super powers and fight crime. At that time it looked like another super power fictional cyborg, but nowadays, and after more than 20 years it might not be fiction after all.
In 2010 Martin Aircraft Company (Link) introduced the Martin Jetpack as the world’s first practical Jetpack and announced that its going to the commercial market. According to the company`s website there is strong demand from wide range of markets including Military, Civil defense and recreation.
Martin Jetpack
So, what was just an idea in a science fiction movies such as super half machine cop or flying super hero like Iron man is actually becoming a scientific reality.
The term Cyborg itself is still controversial, some scholars such as Dani Cavallario, think that any artificial part to enhance the body make the person using it a cyborg, however, that not the case because many problems aroused with Cyborg. For example, the double amputee South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius is competing and sometimes winning with “able body” athletes because of what the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) calls “superior mechanical legs”. That’s led to the argument that is it right to someone with super enhanced legs to compete against normal able-body athletes! Link.
Oscar Pistorius
Other problems with Cybrog is not yet here but it`s coming. Since Martin Jetpack is going commercial that’s mean people would be flying around and that need some system, special human airlines so they don`t crash. It doesn`t seem serious now but 20 years ago flying people was just a myth.
According to Roger Clarke in his paper The challenge of Cyborg Rights: The term Cyborg Rights defines them to be “legal, social or moral freedom to act or refrain from acting, or entitlements to be acted upon or not acted upon” Link. Clarke talked about the rights in details and outlined some of the grounds for it like religion or philosophy. He argued that it`s time for Cyborg to be debated and regulated.
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