You might call it a kind of social movement: They call themselves, futurists.
Futurists say they look at life with a perspective that they consider to be 5 to 10 years ahead of the rest of us. Obviously they're fascinated by the cutting edges of technology. But many of them are fascinated by the idea of bridging technology and the human body.
"I'm essentially living in the future," says Anders Sandberg -- a research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University. "I'm trying to think ahead. But prediction is really hard. The interesting questions is: Can we learn what we are actually able to predict and which areas we should give up on?"
Some futurists go one step further. They experiment on themselves.
"We are not the endpoint of evolution. We should enhance ourselves," says Dr. Andrew Vladimirov. Based in the United Kingdom, Vladimirov conducts research on himself and others using a device that shoots an infrared laser beam through the skull into the prefrontal cortex of the brain. The device is designed to learn more about "what our brainwaves are for and what is consciousness," Vladimirov says.
Then there's Neil Harbisson -- a self-described human cyborg who had a doctor surgically implant an antenna into his skull in 2004. Based in Catalonia, Spain, Harbisson says the antenna allows him to hear colors. For example, blue sounds like the musical note C, or C sharp, he says.
What's a futurist? Depends on who you ask. Vladimirov says futurists are basically trying to alter the course of events at least 10 years ahead or more.
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