Humanoid Robots, or Robotic Humans? (part 4)

With all the developments in robotic technology and the many applications towards human improvement, we haven't stopped to ask ourselves how much is too much? Implanted chips that improve brainpower and raise IQ's, enhanced bionics that exceed normal human functional ranges, electronic skin that could possibly replace our own and regulate or even delete pain signals—it all sounds impressive but where do we stop? The companies that produce these “upgrades” will understandably follow the usual business models, and consumers will pay for this technology if they can afford it. Someday, there may be a distinct upper-class of bionic humans or cyborgs—people that have chosen to extend their lives or surpass common human limitations by upgrading their bodies. What will happen to the rest of us who might not be able to afford these changes, or who decide we want to be more human than machine? Perhaps the robot apocalypse won't occur as overtly as we've suspected with man fighting against machines in a great war—perhaps there will be a slow erosion of our humanity, piece by piece, until all that we are, all that is left, are robots.