A bionic man, composed of bio-artificial organs and mechanical parts fused together into a modern Frankenstein creation has made his first television appearanch on England's Channel 4 recently, and has now moved to the Science Museum in London. His creators--more his fabricators-- have named him Rex.
He was built out of "spare parts" at a cost of about $1 million, a bargain compared to the fictional Six Million Dollar Man of TV fame in the 1970s.
But as primitive as Rex is now, his development raises some serious medical and legal ethical issues that may come later. As pointed out by Hayley Dixon in the London Telegraph:
First, what if, as the technology of bio-artifical organs progresses, someone decides they'd like to get rid of their existing natural organ and replace it by a more advanced genetically engineered specimen? Would that be ethical? Would it be legal? My thought it it probably would be legal, now . . . as there are probably no laws in place yet.
Second, what if, in some yet unforeseen way, the "bionics" develop into a new kind of species . . . creatures who are not necessarily our friends?
(Hmm! Until I reread the above, I honestly did not see the direct analogue to my technothriller, A REMEDY FOR DEATH. Honest. Even though I am not at all averse to giving REMEDY a plug now and then!)
(For a somewhat different take on the perils of artificial intelligence, I highly recommend the novel/thriller, THE FEAR INDEX, by Robert Harris, which I just finished. It's intelligent yet also spooky. Phenomenal story, well-told.)
And back to our bionic friend, Rex, here's an article from the London Independent
Here's a link to still another on Rex, including a kind of television interview with him, also in the London Telegraph, "My close encounter with the bionic man."