Rex is the world’s first bionic man, comprising artificial organs, synthetic blood, robotic limbs and a human face. And as if that’s not enough, he can speak and listen, too. In science fiction books or films, a bionic person is someone who has special powers, such as being exceptionally strong or having exceptionally good sight, because parts of their body have been replaced by electronic machinery.
Unveiled at London’s Science Museum as part of the “How Much of You Can Be Rebuilt”? exhibition, the artificial human is valued at a whopping $1 million. Researchers say they wanted to test scientific boundaries and demonstrate how modern science is beginning to catch up with sci-fi in the race to replace body parts with man-made alternatives.
Rex’s 6’5″ ‘body’ built with currently available bionic and prosthetic technology, includes a prosthetic face, hands, hips, knees and feet as well as cochlear implants which enable him to hear and retinal implants that allow him to sense objects in front of him. Speech synthesis technology means Rex can make sense of simple statements and even respond to some questions. Artificial blood pumps through his artificial organs, which include a heart, kidney and pancreas. He also has a spleen and trachea.
Picture Credit : Google
