£640k bionic man at Science Museum
Costing almost £640,000 (€743,000), it is cheaper than the Six Million Dollar Man from the cult 1970s TV series, but the 6ft 6in humanoid shares quite a bit in common with Steve Austin, the original “bionic man”.
The artificial man was assembled by a team of leading roboticists for a new Channel 4 documentary How To Build A Bionic Man.
It incorporates some of the latest advances in prosthetic technology, as well as an artificial pancreas, kidney, spleen and trachea, and a functional blood circulatory system.
The Science Museum exhibit will explore changing perceptions of human identity against the background of rapid progress in bionics.
In the documentary, to be screened at 9pm on Thursday, experts talk to Swiss social psychologist Bertolt Meyer. Meyer was born without a left hand and has a £30,000 (€35,000) bionic replacement with the ability to grip and twist.
But although his hand is the most advanced on the market, it could soon be obsolete. In the programme Meyer tries out the much more advanced modular prosthetic limb, which teaches itself how to recognise tiny control signals from the upper arm. He also meets teams of British scientists who are restoring sight to the blind by implanting microchips in their retinas, and building artificial organs to replace failing lungs, kidneys, pancreases and spleens.
“I’ve looked around for new bionic technologies, out of personal interest, for a very long time and I think that until five or six years ago nothing much was happening,” said Meyer. “Then suddenly we are at a point where we can build a body that is great and beautiful in its own special way.”
David Glover, senior commissioning editor for Channel 4 Factual, said: “Following Bertolt Meyer as he investigates the reality of building a bionic human takes this brilliantly made documentary into new territory. If what scientists can do now is jaw-dropping, the future is mind-boggling.”
The project is supported by a Wellcome Trust People Award which aims to help the public explore biomedical science. The trust’s Clare Matterson said: “Throughout history people have always sought to enhance themselves to overcome disabilities or to become ‘bigger, better, stronger and faster’. Science is making aspirations and even fantasy ever more possible.”
