If you were given the opportunity to have your physical or mental ability enhanced by computerized surgical implants, would you do it?

An interesting thought... probably never possible. A similar question might be, "would you every genetically engineer your children?"

This is an odd subject. However; I have always thought it would be kind of neat if you could instantly access any part of your brain/memory in a fraction of a second accurately. So when someone says "Give me a specific time when I have done that" You can actually take 1 second, and replay every word they said, to the letter. This would also be useful for other things, like driving. You could plug your brain into your car as you were driving, for instance. Instead of worrying about accelerating and braking, your subconscious would take care of that just as if you were breathing (the computer chip could add anything and extract anything from the 'involuntary action' section of your brain). Then you could drink a nice hot cup of coffee, maybe finish up that report you needed at work that day but had fallen asleep the night before trying to do. Anything. So many possibilities, I would probably pay up to 20,000 to do that, as long as the improvements were dramatic and the method was absolutely error free (I wouldn't want to think 2+2 and see smoke coming from my ears). Sounds like a good idea to me.

It really depends. Would I have computerized eyes installed? In a heartbeat. Would I have parts of my brain converted to a 'hard drive'? I dunno. Would I install an implant which floods my system with hormones and endorphins and turned me into a short-term berserker, ensuring I could win any fight? Never. I guess it boils down to this: if it truly is just an enhancement of existing abilities and desires, then maybe I'd do it. And physical enhancements would be much less of a dilemma. We don't understand much about the brain and consciousness, so tinkering with it is a pretty sketchy experiment. Too much of what "I" am is encoded in my brain for me to alter it lightly.

It really would depend on so many factors- I'm not 'morally opposed,' but nor am I actively tempted. It's rather a matter of degree. In a way, getting a piercing could be considered plastic surgery- or rather, surgery to change or enhance your appearence. If there were surgery of that level of intrusion, maybe. Could it correct a true need (say an electronic sensor to measure strain on a knee and stimulate the muscles accordingly to strengthen a problem joint? maybe. could it give my breasts artificial intelligence so that based on how sexualized or professional a particular circumstance was they could grow or shrink? hmmm.... Deap brain work seems right out of the question to me in my understanding of what we know about the brain, but by the time I'm a crotchety old woman, who knows where we'll be.

I would do it, but it would probably have to be, for example, paid for by my employer or something. I can't see spending money on something like that until I saw a clear use for it, beyond just playing. I mean, I'd certainly get a computer-controlled pace-maker, for example, if it were necessary to my health. But I don't think we're going to have brain-interfaces be common enough for me to face that decision within my lifetime. I'd like to have an internal digital camera and be able to take pictures of the things I've seen.

It would rule. Already I take medication to keep my brain working-- why not automate it? In fact, sign me up for Permutation City right now!

I don't believe that it will be possible to make a sufficiently large improvement in anything to make it worth the pain, hassle, and risk of surgery in my lifetime. But if it were, I'd be totally psyched. To have a calculator and a reliable memory neurally accessible--that would be awesome.

I am lobillus of Borg, prepare to be assimilated!

don't worry, be happy

I wouldn't do it. I still don't know exactly what I'm capable without implants and if I got them, I never would know ...

I thought for quite a little while before answering (i.e. good question), and realized that I don't think I'd end up doing it. I'm happy enough with who I am. The way I though about it that made up my mind was, would I want my girlfriend to do it and would she want me to. I concluded that both of those answers would be no, we wouldn't want each other to change.

I would do it providing that long-term (and short-term) side-effects were well-known. ("Yeah, my implant's pretty cool but I lost all feeling in the left side of my body when my nerves dissolved ten years later...")

as long as Microsoft is not involved.

i think that God made you as you are for a reason

darn tootin. naturally, it would depend on the enhancements. Eg, a chip/device that makes my bowling bame perfect wouldnt be worth it to me - i bowl infrequently an donly to play, not to have the best score.

I don't know for sure. It would depend on so many things... Life-enhancing, most likely (as in, improved versions of for example a knee replacement or some such). Pacemaker. Y'know. Other stuff, I dunno. I think I'm too paranoid.

do I have to trade off my height in the process? question skew seems rather to the negative side here. *** Lorax - in what way is an implant substantially different from using a computer or car or other similar tool?

I am ready- jack me in!

I'd be skeptical of its safety. Routine surgery can result in a staph infection, and adding the unreliability of computers wouldn't exactly ease my mind.

i'd obviously want to be sure it was safe, and didn't have annoying bugs (sorry, you just erased the memory file for last may...), but, if satisfied, there are several enhancements i would like

I do like the idea of renting skills for the weekend, like you rent a sander or a weed cutter - 'and if you sign up now, we'll rent you the piano at half price!'

This is too complex... So many would and would nots.... It would all depend on the situation, but most likely no I wouldn't, unless it was a lifesaving procedure

Too general, I'd need a lot more specifics to decide this one. (It would, however, add a whole new meaning to "Blue Screen of Death.")

I don't believe in surgery unless it is necessary. If it would be available via nanotech (like in an injection) I would consider it.

I would wait until the technology was mature, which helps explain answering both 'I would do it' and 'I don't like the direction in which this would lead our society'.

Would it mean I would have a brand emblem on my forehead cause I got neuro-enhancement? A great big Nike logo? "Think Fast, Nike"

I don't know whether I would do it or not. I think all the time that I would like to be wired to the internet all the time, with the ability for parts of my brain to constantly be reading, surfing, exploring, cataloging and I also think it would be great to have my memory stored (securely encrypted of course ) in a manner that I could search and have some confidence that results would be returned...

I checked "would do it", with the caveat "...if there are no negative side-effects." As for "will never be possible," we do it already! Or don't you count prosthetics?

It would depend a lot on what the implant was supposed to do. If it's something I can already do with external aids, probably not. (Although the idea of having my Palm Pilot implanted in my brain is strangely attractive...)