Cybernetic organism

In the field of cybernetics, a cyborg (short for cybernetic organism), or cybernetic lifeform, was a biological lifeform who had been cybernetically augmented. This augmentation, which might extend physical abilities beyond normal limitations, might be achieved through installation of bionic or cybernetic components. Cybernetic lifeforms could not survive without their organic components. ()
Cyborgs were thus distinct from artificial lifeforms, who had no organic components, and augments, a term reserved for those enhanced through genetic means.
The Bynars had extensively embraced the integration of technology in their society, replacing their parietal lobe swith synaptic processors and installing cybernetic components into their bodies. ()
The Borg mostly consisted of a collective of cybernetic lifeforms. (; ; ) Borg was actually short for cyborg. ()
Sometime before 2256, Lieutenant Commander Airiam was extensively augmented with artificial parts following a shuttle accident which claimed the life of her husband Stephen while coming back from their honeymoon. ()
Following the Battle of the Binary Stars, Lieutenant Keyla Detmer was fitted with cranial and ocular implants. ()
In 2327, Jean-Luc Picard received an artificial heart after he was stabbed by a Nausicaan during a bar brawl. () When Kestra Troi-Riker pointed a bow and arrow at Picard following his arrival on Nepenthe in 2399, Picard said that since his artificial heart was made of solid duritanium, it would probably be better if she aimed it at his head instead of his chest. ()
In 2372, Ensign Harry Kim observed that Automated Unit 3947 was not a cyborg. ()
By 2373, Geordi La Forge had received ocular implants with electric blue irises, which served as replacements for his VISOR. ()
At some point prior to 2380, Cadet Sam Rutherford forcibly received a cybernetic implant from two mysterious individuals at the behest of Lieutenant Commander Les Buenamigo. () The implant had a variety of functions, such as a tactical computer and a recording device. () The implant was believed to be of Vulcan design, and initially attempted to suppress Rutherford's emotions against his will, though this issue was seemingly resolved. () The implant's programming could be updated with a manual restart, which he preferred to perform before going to sleep. During a covert mission in 2380, Ensign Rutherford's implant was rebooted while he was awake, causing him to black out. Upon regaining consciousness, Rutherford surmised that-based on the evidence he gathered-his implant took control of his body. () Rutherford lost his implant later that same year, when Lieutenant Shaxs ripped it off his head in order to get the ensign to safety. It was later discovered that removing Rutherford's implant caused him to lose a portion of his long-term memory, including his memories of Ensign D'Vana Tendi. () By 2381, Rutherford's implant had been replaced, though his memory was still damaged. () Later that year, Rutherford's implant began displaying an error message that impeded his vision. Lieutenant Commander Andy Billups determined that Rutherford had been receiving the error message because his implant's data storage capacity was at its limit. Rutherford admitted that he had been saving three backup copies of each of his memories containing Ensign Tendi, as he did not want to forget her again. However, he ultimately decided to delete his backup memories in order to make new ones, though he briefly experienced a flashback with a mysterious figure saying that "he [would] think [the implant] was elective." ()
== External link ==
* 
Category:Artificial lifeforms
Category:Lifeform classifications