ABSTRACT
The physical, cognitive, and social integration of a neuroprosthetic device into a person’s being is referred to as “cyborgization,” which places new restrictions on a person’s life while also creating opportunities for novel experiences. By developing an ontology of the neuroprosthesis as a tool that determines how its human host interacts with and experiences evolving post humanized digital-physical environments, this article investigates the limitations of this qualitatively unique kind of being. In this context, a neuroprosthetic device may serve in one of four major functions, which are covered by the ontology. In the first place, a neuroprosthesis may be used to augment humans by altering their physical and intellectual abilities. Second, it can manipulate the information generated or used by its human host, including its content. Third, a neuroprosthesis may alter how its host interacts with their physical and digital bodies as well as their surroundings. Finally, a neuroprosthesis may control the independent agency that its host experiences. The creation and application of such an ontology may help researchers fully appreciate the physiological, social, and ethical implications of such technologies. It may also assist designers of neuroprosthetic systems and the digital-physical ecosystems in which their human hosts live in formulating rules for planning and managing such environments in a way that minimizes risks and maximizes benefits for those who live there with neuroprosthetic enhancements.
