Human augmentation: re-inventing embodiment

International audienceHuman augmentation technology for physical abilities via robotic systems is no longer a dream for a future age. It is happening now and it seems promising on many respects. What are the consequences if our body becomes partly biological, partly artificial? Andy Clark (2007, p. 263) claims that thanks to human augmentation, we shall become “brand new integrated agents”, both mind and body being extended. However, in what sense is the augmented body an intrinsically different body? The question then becomes whether information about the artificial system is processed in the same manner as information about one’s own biological body part. Embodiment has often been suggested as the ideal for an amputee to achieve if she is to be satisfied with her prosthetic limb, and to regularly wear it. But is this ideal feasible in the case of augmentation technologies? And is it even desirable