World-Famous Cyborgs Who Implant Devices Into Their Bodies - II

In the first article, we mostly met iconic artists and pioneers from the classic biohacking scene. But in the last few years, the idea of a cyborg has shifted into something much more concrete. It is no longer only about attaching a gadget to the body. It is about creating a real connection between the nervous system and the digital world. In this sequel, you will see new-wave examples ranging from brain computer interfaces to RFID and NFC microchips and bionic limbs.

Noland Arbaugh

One of the most talked-about cyborg stories of the new era. In January 2024, he became known as the first human to receive Neuralink’s brain implant. The concept is simple and wild: the implant reads neural signals linked to movement intention and translates them into computer commands. Arbaugh’s demos made that idea feel real. He could move a cursor by thinking, play chess on a laptop, and do “mouse control” without any physical motion. What makes this a true cyborg story is that there is no external joystick or controller. His brain is directly connected to a digital interface.

Philip O’Keefe

He is remembered for the “tweet by thought” moment. Philip O’Keefe received Synchron’s Stentrode implant and was presented in late 2021 as the first person to post on social media using intention-based control. The key difference is how the device is implanted. Instead of open brain surgery, it is delivered through blood vessels with a stent-like approach. No skull opening. The outcome was very clear: he could convert intention into text and post a message like “Hello, world” on Twitter. It became an important proof that brain computer interfaces can exist in forms that are less invasive than people assume.

Gert Jan Oskam

One of the strongest examples if you want to feel what “cyborg” really means. In a 2023 study, a system built for Oskam works like a wireless digital bridge between the brain and the spinal cord. A brain implant decodes the intention to walk. A spinal implant then stimulates circuits below the injury to trigger leg movement again. In other words, the “walk command” is injected back into the body. That is why his videos are so striking: standing, walking, climbing stairs, and regaining control that looks closer to natural movement. One of the most surprising details is that even with the system off, some voluntary movement can remain, suggesting the solution is not only mechanical assistance but may also support relearning and reconnection inside the nervous system.

Amal Graafstra

In 2005, he implanted a grain-of-rice sized RFID chip into the webbing between his thumb and index finger. The chip works like a contactless card, except it lives under the skin and is always with you. Graafstra uses it to open doors with RFID-enabled locks by simply bringing his hand close to a reader. Similar setups can handle login and automation triggers as well. His story is the cleanest “daily cyborg” example: fewer keys, fewer cards, fewer passwords, and the body becomes a security and access interface.

Hannes Sjöblad

Based in Sweden, he implanted an NFC microchip in his hand. NFC runs on the same family of technology used in contactless systems, and his angle is practicality, not sci-fi powers. Think office access where you tap your hand instead of a badge. He is also strongly associated with Sweden’s “biochip party” culture, where the procedure is performed quickly by a professional and the implant becomes a card-like tool that you literally do not forget at home.

Hugh Herr

In 1982, a climbing accident led to the amputation of both legs below the knee. Today, he leads the Biomechatronics group at MIT Media Lab and lives with bionic legs he helped design. Herr’s legs are not passive prosthetics. They include motors, sensors, and onboard computing. The ankle actively pushes during walking, adapts automatically on stairs, and returns energy during running, behaving more like an active limb than a substitute. He also created specialized legs for different activities, including climbing-focused designs. The most mind-bending direction is neural control: by reconnecting nerve endings and muscle targets, newer methods aim for prosthetics that can be controlled by intention and even restore a sense of limb position, pushing cyborg tech directly into the space between biology and engineering.

Nigel Ackland

In 2006, he lost his right forearm in an industrial accident and was amputated below the elbow. After years of trying different prosthetics that were not truly usable day to day, he received a bebionic3 bionic hand in 2012. The hand reads muscle signals from the upper arm and uses motors to produce multiple grip patterns. The difference is not abstract. It is daily life: holding a phone, typing, cracking an egg, driving, even tying shoelaces. Ackland often embraces the visible metal design instead of hiding it, turning the bionic hand into a public identity, not something to disguise.

Angel Giuffria

She was born without her left hand and forearm. At four months old, she became one of the youngest recorded users of a myoelectric prosthetic hand. Today she is an actress, model, and self-described “cyborg.” Her bebionic arm uses electrical signals from muscle activity. When her brain sends a movement command, muscle activation generates signals that trigger motors in the hand, enabling many grip positions for tasks like holding keys, cups, pens, or typing. What makes her perspective unique is that she never experienced “losing” a biological hand. For her, the bionic limb is not a replacement story. It is a choice and a form of identity, showing how cyborg culture is not only medical but also personal and cultural.

Across these stories, one theme stays constant: the body is no longer only biology. With sensors, chips, motors, and software, it becomes an expandable interface. For some people that means independence. For others it means performance, curiosity, or an early entry into the future.