- Science Of Stupid

Magnetic Touch

Biohacking doesn’t have to alter DNA or genetic material. It can also combine technology with the biological along the lines of Kevin Warwick’s vision. The people that do it are called “grinders.” One of the first examples of this was the insertion of magnets into a person’s fingertips. Not surprisingly, it’s a rather underground movement, and it’s usually done in places like body modification shops and piercing parlors. The movement is catching on. Take Pittsburgh’s underground Grindhouse Wetwares, run by an electrical engineer and a software developer. The name comes from the idea that there are three different elements in what they’re doing—the computers and the machinery are the hardware, the programs are the software, and the humans? They’re the wetware.

Implanting magnets in someone’s fingertips isn’t just about using them to pick things up. According to those that have it done, the human body gradually adapts to having the magnet in place and starts to read the signals it receives as though it’s just another biological part of the body. They liken it to wearing glasses and your body adjusting to them while your senses are heightened. Just what kind of impact modifications like these will have on those that get them remains to be seen. While some claim to be able to use the magnets implanted in their bodies like an extra sense, others claim that the feeling fades within a few weeks, and you’re just left with the neat party trick of being able to use the Force on a very small scale.