Meet Rex, the $1.6m bionic man

Meet Rex, the $1.6m bionic man

LONDON - A bionic man, complete with artificial organs, synthetic blood, functioning limbs and artificial intelligence, went on display at a museum in central London yesterday.

The artificial human named Rex was implanted with some of the latest advances in mechanical limbs, as well as a functional blood circulatory system, Sky News reported.

Covered with artificial skin, the 2m-tall machine has a pair of retinal implants behind its brown irises, to allow it to sense objects in front of it, as well as cochlear implants to allow him to hear.

It can even understand simple statements and respond to questions.

All of its components could theoretically be welded to a human body to replace missing or worn-out parts, according to the report. Rex, which cost almost £640,000 (S$1.6 million) to build, was modelled after Swiss psychologist Bertolt Meyer, who was born without a left hand and has a bionic arm.

Ms Clare Matterson, of the Wellcome Trust, which is supporting the Science Museum exhibition, was quoted as saying by Sky News: "Science is making aspirations and even fantasy ever more possible. We only have to look back at last summer's Paralympics to see how transforming technology has become."


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