Neil Harbisson
Spanish-Irish musician, artist and cyborg
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Key Takeaways
- Neil Harbisson (27 July 1982) is a Catalan-raised British-Irish cyborg artist and cyborg rights advocate who has been widely portrayed as the world's first cyborg.
- His artistic and activist work centres on expanded perception, the development of artificial senses and the rights of people with technologically extended bodies.
- The device can also receive images, colour data, and signals from external sources, including the internet.
- In 2017, he co-founded the Transpecies Society, which advocates for self-design and recognition of individuals with non-human identities or sensory systems.
- He was born with achromat vision.
Neil Harbisson (27 July 1982) is a Catalan-raised British-Irish cyborg artist and cyborg rights advocate who has been widely portrayed as the world's first cyborg. International attention grew after he received permission to appear in his UK passport photo with an antenna implanted in his skull, a device he considers a new sensory organ. His artistic and activist work centres on expanded perception, the development of artificial senses and the rights of people with technologically extended bodies.
Since 2004, Harbisson has used his antenna to perceive colour—including infrared and ultraviolet—through audible vibrations transmitted via bone conduction. The device can also receive images, colour data, and signals from external sources, including the internet.
In 2010, he co-founded the Cyborg Foundation, an organisation dedicated to defending cyborg rights, supporting people seeking to extend their senses, and promoting cyborg art. In 2017, he co-founded the Transpecies Society, which advocates for self-design and recognition of individuals with non-human identities or sensory systems.
Early life
Harbisson was born to a Spanish mother and a Northern Irish father. He was born with achromat vision. Raised in Barcelona where he studied piano and began composing at the age of 11. During his secondary studies he obtained permission to complete all visual coursework in black and white.
As a teenager, he became involved in environmental activism, notably participating in a tree-protection campaign that drew significant community support. At the age of 19, he moved to England to study composition at Dartington College of Arts.
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