U.S., scientists have unveiled their vision for a bionic man, where biology is merged with electronics to make limbs, organs and senses ‘better, stronger, faster’.

Details of the latest research were released at the ‘Experimental Biology 2006’ conference in San Francisco recently. The vision calls for developments such as a robotic arm that can play the piano, a bionic eye with video camera and microchip implant, and a powerful ‘external skeleton’ that confers superhuman strength.

Bionics, a word that merges biology with electronics, means replacing or enhancing anatomical structures or physiological processes with electronic or mechanical components. According to a spokesperson for the ‘Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’, "Unlike prostheses, the bionic implant actually mimics the original function, sometimes surpassing the power of the original organ or other body part."

Daniel Palanker of Stanford University in California led a team that designed a bionic eye with a tiny light-sensitive chip implanted in the retina to detect images. The chip receives signals from a video camera mounted on a pair of goggles, which can even see in infra-red, making night vision a possibility. Dr Palanker said the ultimate aim was to produce a bionic eye that allows blind people to distinguish faces and read large print.