Understanding future human cybernetic integration: A framework to map enhancement technologies

Technology advancements have enabled humans to go beyond restauration leading to a new reality where human enhancement is no longer fiction. Besides the major societal impacts they will have, these evolutions of technology are also raising complex philosophical and ethical questions. Notwithstanding the widespread interest for augmentation technologies, there are few frameworks available to categorise and compare the varied variety of existing and prospective technologies in this field. A structured framework is needed to harness the full potential of sensory technologies while facilitating the discussion and management of potential risks and challenges. This article presents a framework that aims to bridge the gap between technologies designed for compensating disabilities, enhancing human perception beyond the abilities of individuals without disabilities, and those intended for entertainment purposes. Furthermore, in the past, research on sensory perception tended to isolate sensory modalities based on the stimuli to which they are most sensitive. This new proposed framework allows for the analysis of technologies on a continuum ranging from unimodality to transmodality and to take in account the degree of integration with biological system. In addition, this framework answers the need to classify these technologies based on the crucial aspect of social acceptability, specifically by taking into consideration their varying degrees of invasiveness. All of these elements included into the suggested framework will enable researchers to map and analyse not just existing technologies, but also those that have not even been invented yet.