Part 1
Understanding human
augmentation
In its broadest sense, human augmentation has been practiced since the dawn of
humankind. Humans have adorned themselves with decorative garments to increase
their social standing, or concocted substances to boost their physical performance or
alter their emotional state. They have fashioned weapons to increase their prowess in
combat and armour to protect themselves.
The ability to enhance one’s physical, psychological or social capability and resilience
has been a source of influence and power throughout history. The paradox of war is
that people are central to it, but they are also its weakest link. We want ‘war fighters’
- whether they be cyber specialists, drone pilots or infantry soldiers – to be stronger,
faster, more intelligent, more resilient and mobile to overcome the environment and the
adversary. We have therefore designed technologies to enhance lethality, survivability
and mobility. As technology has become more sophisticated, our scientists have focused
on machines rather than people, but this is beginning to change. Recent advances in
the life sciences have led to the emergence of the interdisciplinary field known as human
augmentation, which has the potential to disrupt every aspect of our lives.
Six million years of evolution to where we are today and now we have the tools in
our hands to decide how our continued evolution should be shaped