Cyborgs

Becoming part man and part machine may seem like something from a science fiction film, but cyborgs are moving among us in Scotland today. People who have had body parts replaced or enhanced are living in every community. In this programme we'll be exploring the benefits of becoming bionic, and asking how much has to be replaced before we stop being human. A researcher shares the stories she's gathered from people living with cardiac implants. A pioneer of Scottish engineering talks about the challenges involved in creating the bionic hand, then we visit a research facility in Livingston to see what the future holds for limb replacement. A teenage bionic man shows us how the technology works day to day, and we speak to the biohacker who is upgrading her body through operations carried out at her kitchen table. The world's first cyborg, Professor Kevin Warwick, explains the pros and cons of getting chipped. Then we step into a virtual world where smells and sounds can be seen with our eyes.