Cyborg Soldiers (as seen in Star Wars, Robocop, Cyborg)
We may never see cyborgs like Darth Vader and Robocop greasing their hinges at Starbucks like the Tin Man, but there has been progress fusing man with machine. The Augmented Cognition programs run by the U.S. Army and DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) aim to extend a person’s mental abilities and clarity through technology implanted in a soldier’s body. Chips installed in the brain could, in theory, allow a computer to do things like process data and calculate depth, distance, and rate of speed after analyzing information sent from the human eye.
Another DARPA project is the “Brain Interface Program,” which seeks to allow soldiers to use mind control to manipulate machines such as tanks, planes, and computers. The slightly sinister organization is also researching tech that will enable soldiers to block out intense pain and continue to fight with severe injuries and exhaustion. Essentially, they’re out to create Captain America. Not surprisingly, the Department of Defense doesn’t offer many updates on the project.
