A man decided to grow a ear out of his arm. Here's the real reason why he did it.
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#1 He is a professor and a performance artist
Stelios Arcadious, a Cypriot born, eccentric, artist decided to grow a "third year" on his arm. He goes by the stage name of Stelarc for his performance acts. He first thought about the idea of a "third ear" in 1996.
#2 Searching for a surgeon who was willing to perform the controversial operation
The artist said, "As a performance artist I am particularly interested in that idea of the post-human, that idea of the cyborg," "What it means to be human will not be determined any longer merely by your biological structure but perhaps also determined largely by all of the technology that's plugged or inserted into you."
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#3 After 10 years he found a willing surgeon
The surgeon performed the operation in 2006. The ear is made up of a scaffold of bio-compatible material which is mostly used in plastic surgery. At first, Stelarc orginally decided to have the year implanted behind one his ears but then decided to have it on his arm since the skin would be able to stretch without the need for the "ear" to be inflated. In six months his blood vessels grew around the implant and became a permanent part of his anatomy.
#4 The next step is to make the ear more realistic by adding a ear lobe from his stem cells.
After the lobe Stelarc plans to add a miniature microphone that will would be connected to the internet. This will enable his fans to listen in to the remote listening device for his conversations, concerts and even GPS location.