In 2004, Neil convinced a doctor to implant into his skull an antenna that detects and transposes colors into corresponding tones — allowing him to hear color through bone conduction. He considers it a new body part.

“This is an implant, so it’s permanently attached,” Neil says. “There’s no way of removing it.”

As co-founder of the Cyborg Foundation and one of several known cyborgs on this planet, Neil expects humans to be more open to the idea of implanting technology into their bodies in the near future.