Would you hack your own body?

At a trendy east London bar, a group of body hackers are putting forward their reasons for human augmentation to a packed audience of mainly under-35s, many of whom are sporting piercings and tattoos.

Putting a chip under your skin is not so very different from getting a piercing or tattoo, argued one of the panellists - except there was often less blood.

For some, transhumanism - the theory that the human race can evolve beyond its physical and mental limitations with the help of technology - is a crucial part of the advancement of society.

Bio-hacker Lepht Anonym has nine implants and strongly believes what she does will benefit humankind as well as her own curiosity.

But she admits it can be painful.
"The magnets in my fingers really, really hurt. They hurt so much that your vision goes white for a bit. Really, really painful."
The magnets allow her to sense electromagnetic radiation so she can tell if a device is on or off, whether a microwave is running and identify where power lines are. All of which, she admits, is "not hugely useful".

She also has a chip under her skin that lets her interact with her phone and unlock doors.

She hopes that the "primitive results" she has achieved can be used by other, more skilled people, to build something better.
"The bio-hacking community is a co-operative. It is about improving the quality of life for people but in a practical way."

BBC News