Grinders are people who apply the hacker ethic
to improve their own bodies with do it yourself
cybernetic devices or introducing chemicals
into the body to enhance or change their bodies'
functionality.
Many grinders identify with the biopunk movement,
open-source transhumanism, and techno-progressivism.
The Grinder movement is strongly associated
with the body modification movement and practices
actual implantation of cybernetic devices
in organic bodies as a method of working towards
transhumanism, such as designing and installing
do-it-yourself body-enhancements such as magnetic
implants.
Biohacking emerged in a growing trend of non-institutional
science and technology development.According
to Biohack.me, "Grinders are passionate individuals
who believe the tools and knowledge of science
belong to everyone.
Grinders practice functional extreme body
modification in an effort to improve the human
condition.
[Grinders] hack [them]selves with electronic
hardware to extend and improve human capacities.
Grinders believe in action, [thei]r bodies
the experiment.""Biohacking" can also refer
to managing one's own biology using a combination
of medical, nutritional and electronic techniques.
This may include the use of nootropics, non-toxic
substances, and/or cybernetic devices for
recording biometric data (as in the Quantified
Self movement).
== Ideology ==
Grinders largely identify with transhumanist
and biopunk ideologies.
Transhumanism is the belief that it is both
possible and desirable to so fundamentally
alter the human condition through the use
of technologies as to inaugurate a superior
post-human being.
Kara Platoni categorizes such technological
modifications as "hard" biohacking, noting
the desire to expand the boundaries of human
perception and even create "new senses".Biopunk
is a techno-progressive cultural and intellectual
movement which advocates open access to genetic
information and espouses the liberating potential
of truly democratic technological development.
Like other punk movements, Biopunk encourages
the DIY ethic.
"Grinders" adhere to an anarchist strain of
biopunk that emphasizes non-hierarchical science
and DIY.Cyborgs and cyborg theory strongly
influence techno-progressivism and transhumanism
and are thus influential to both the DIY-bio
movement and grinder movement in general.
Some biohackers such as Grinders and the British
professor of cybernetics Kevin Warwick actively
design and implement technologies which are
integrated directly into the organic body.
Examples of this include DIY magnetic fingertip
implants or Warwick’s "Project Cyborg".
Cyborg theory was kickstarted in 1985 with
the publication of Donna Haraway’s influential
"Cyborg Manifesto" but can be traced back
all the way to Manfred Clynes and Nathan Klines’
article, "Cyborgs and Space".
This body of theory criticizes the rigidity
of ontological boundaries and attempts to
denaturalize artificial dichotomies.
== Notable persons ==
Kevin Warwick is a British scientist and professor
of cybernetics who has been instrumental in
advancing and popularizing cyborg technology
and biohacking through his self-experiments.
Steve Mann is a professor of electrical and
computer engineering who has dedicated his
career to inventing, implementing, and researching
cyborg technologies, in particular, wearable
computing technologies.
Amal Graafstra is known for implanting an
RFID chip in 2005 and developing human-friendly
chips including the first ever implantable
NFC chip.
In 2013, he founded the biotech startup company
Dangerous Things.
He is also the author of RFID Toys and speaker
on biohacking topics including a TEDx talk.
He has also built a smartgun which is activated
by his implants.
He has also created an implantable cryptographic
processor called VivoKey for personal identity
and cryptography applications.
Lepht Anonym is a biohacker and transhumanist
known for self-surgeries and material implementation
of transhumanist ideologies.
Winslow Strong is a mathematician and physicist.
Tim Cannon is a software developer, entrepreneur,
and co-founder of biotech startup company
Grindhouse Wetware.
Jeffrey Tibbetts is the organiser of the Grindfest
events at his lab in California.
He is a biohacking researcher whose work has
been featured in a number of sources, such
as Gizmodo.
Alex Smith is a well known biohacker for his
work developing new implants, such as the
Firefly implants.
He has spoken at various conferences including
DEFCON and been featured in news articles,
such as NBC Chicago.
Rich Lee is known for implanting headphones
in his tragi in 2013, as well as for his work
on a vibrating pelvic implant called the Lovetron9000.
His biohacking activities were used as a justification
to remove his parental custody rights in 2016.
Brian Hanley is an American microbiologist
who became known for being one of the first
biohackers to engineer their own DNA using
gene therapy for human enhancement and life
extension.
Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow implanted
a microchip used for the Opal card in Sydney,
Australia, though he was subsequently fined
$220 for failing to comply with existing transit
laws.
He also ran against Barnaby Joyce in the Division
of New England.
Kai Castledine, creator of KSEC.
Launched the first distributor of Dangerous
Things LLC And Vivokey products in the UK
called KSEC Solutions.
KSEC also started the worldwide transition
of moving microchip implant installations
to require a professional.
This was through a worldwide partner network
called KSEC Cyborg Centers
Pinchy - Owner of Voodoo body piercing is
a renowned piercer in the UK, with 15 years
of experience in the industry.
Started Installing microchips such as the
xNT in 2013.
Since December 2018 he started working with
KSEC Solutions to ensure microchip installations
are done by professionals only.
This was achieved under the KSEC Cyborg center
partnership, which aims to bring products
like Vivokey to the masses.
Josiah Zayner attempted a full fecal microbiota
transplant on himself in February 2016
== Groups and organizations ==
Grindhouse Wetware, biotechnology startup
company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
KSEC Solutions, worldwide distributor and
consultancy based in the United_Kingdom.
== See also ==
Neurohacking
Do-it-yourself biology
== 
Notes and references ==
== 
External links ==
Grinder Resource Library
Biopunk directory
=== 
Videos ===
Richard Thieme, "Hacking, biohacking and the
future of humanity"
"Biohackers: a journey into cyborg America"
Kevin Warwick, "The last remaining hurdles
to cyborg technology"
Kevin Warwick, "Implants and technology — the
future of healthcare?"
Kevin Warwick, "Cyborg interfaces"
