Since half a century, bionic humans appear in science fiction movies and literature promising superhuman powers. However, the past few decades have shown that from a technological point of view it is very challenging to integrate the human body with engineered devices. Nevertheless, technology is applied to humans more and more to improve the body, to recover malfunctions, or to replace or reconnect missing or impaired body parts.

In this lecture, Professor Van der Helm will show us the implications of pushing the boundaries on merging humans and machines. Are there any limits? Will the true bionic human become a reality?