Hybrid Humans

Dispatches from the Frontiers of Man and Machine
Our ever-increasing intimacy with technology is changing our bodies and our brains. What can those at the frontiers tell us about what it means to be in a body now?
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 BARBELLION PRIZE*As heard on BBC Radio 4 Book of the WeekAs seen on Sky Arts Book Club with Elizabeth Day and Andi OliverAn eye-opening account of disability, identity and how robotics and AI are altering our understanding of what it means to be human - from the bestselling author of Anatomy of a SoldierHarry Parker's life changed overnight when he lost his legs to an IED in Afghanistan. His rehabilitation took him into an often surprising landscape of a very human kind of hacking, and he wondered - are all humans becoming hybrids? Whether it's putting on contact lenses every day or DIY biohackers tinkering in garages, Parker introduces us to the exhilarating breadth of human invention - and intervention. Grappling with his own new identity and disability, he discovers the latest robotics, tech and implants that might lead us to powerful, liberating possibilities for what a body can be."I loved Hybrid Humans. It is modest, wise . and a way of looking at the future without nostalgia for the past" - Jeanette Winterson"This may be a tour of the scientific avant garde, but the focus is always on the human heart and mind" - Observer, Book of the Day"Harry Parker has explored the cutting edge of interaction between humanity, computing and AI . a captivating and cautionary travel guide to a new world" - Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being