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Our Human Future

Human Augmentation

Phantom Neuro begins CYBORG limb implantation.

Phantom Neuro announced on 20 October that the first participants in its CYBORG early feasibility study had received Phantom X implants at Cabrini Health in Melbourne.

By Our Human Future Research Desk

Evidence: Emerging· Early evidence; may change

Phantom Neuro prosthetic limb
Image: https://phantomneuro.com/news

Phantom Neuro announced on 20 October that the first participants in its CYBORG early feasibility study had received Phantom X implants at Cabrini Health in Melbourne. The device sits beneath the skin over residual-limb muscles and is intended to translate attempted hand and wrist movements into commands for a compatible prosthesis. It is not an implant in the brain. [s1]

Restoring useful movement can serve human freedom. Phantom Neuro's first implantations should be judged by that purpose, not recruited into a story in which technological integration becomes humanity's next compulsory stage.

Phantom Neuro announced on 20 October that the first participants in its CYBORG early feasibility study had received Phantom X implants at Cabrini Health in Melbourne. The device sits beneath the skin over residual-limb muscles and is intended to translate attempted hand and wrist movements into commands for a compatible prosthesis. It is not an implant in the brain. [s1]

The company describes outpatient procedures lasting about an hour without general anesthesia. Those procedural observations do not establish long-term safety, improved daily function or superiority to existing prosthetic control. The release explicitly describes the technology as investigational and not commercially approved. [s1]

An implant changes the relationship between a person and a product provider. Maintenance, replacement, support and compatibility can become conditions of continued use. Patients deserve a clear account of those dependencies before a promise of restored control becomes a long-term commercial tie.

An anti-transhumanist perspective need not reject compassionate prosthetic care. It rejects the inference that bodily difference diminishes human worth, or that everyone should be improved through integration with machines. Success here means more practical agency for the participant, on terms the participant can understand and continue to choose.

What we do not know

  • Q: Does first implantation establish long-term functional benefit? A: No. The early feasibility milestone should be followed by safety, daily-use performance and participant-reported outcomes over time.
  • Q: At what point does cyborg enhancement for disability morph into optional cyborg enhancement without a medical reason?

Sources

Interests and disclosures

Parties identified in the article Other interest
Phantom Neuro develops and finances the investigational product.

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