Poles show a strong interest in technological body modifications, from health-focused tools such as microscopic "nanorobots" to more speculative ideas such as infrared vision, according to researchers at SWPS University, a private Polish university known for research in social sciences.
The study, led by social psychologist Konrad Maj, head of the university’s HumanTech Center for Social and Technological Innovation, examined attitudes toward "cyborgization," meaning adding technology to the human body to restore health, boost abilities beyond typical human limits, or introduce more invasive enhancements.
Maj said he was surprised by the overall level of acceptance.
"It surprised me that we clearly think in terms of great interest, because acceptance for this type of technology ranges from 25 to 67 percent,” he said in an interview with Polish state news agency PAP.
“That means we are rather inclined to accept these kinds of solutions," he added.
Respondents were more comfortable with health-related technologies than aesthetic ones, Maj said.
They were less enthusiastic about appearance-focused options such as LED tattoos, while showing greater approval for noninvasive medical concepts such as nanorobots that could help repair the body from within.
The research, conducted by Maj with Sylwia Lipińska and Przemysław Marcowski, demonstrated clear differences by age and gender.
Men were more likely to support such technologies, and younger people were far more open than older respondents.
Maj argued this may matter for the future as today’s younger generations age and seek new health and life-extending options.
Maj described the research as a warning that public interest may outpace public policy, and stressed that it was not intended as a "marketing survey" to identify future products.
“If there is such great interest, and we can say there is, then perhaps we need to get to work on regulations, and education, very quickly” he said.
He added that the findings raise questions society should confront early, including ethical boundaries, privacy risks, and the potential for widening social inequalities if expensive enhancements become available mainly to the wealthy.
Maj compared the moment to the early days of social media, arguing that regulation arrived late, after consequences became visible.
Researchers also asked who should decide what is acceptable.
Maj said responses were split between individuals and the scientific community, with little support from religious institutions.
One result that stood out to Maj involved technologies that remain largely abstract for most people, such as the ability to see in infrared or in the dark using one’s own eyes.
He said 30 percent of respondents supported that possibility.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP