The French armed forces were given the go-ahead to start research on developing “enhanced soldiers.”
A report laid out conditions where work on implants and other technologies designed to improve battlefield performance should be carried out in the future.
The report stresses other nations are exploring such possibilities, and that France must keep up.
Defense Minister Florence Parly emphasized the need to look ahead, adding, “Ways to maintain our operational superiority without turning our backs on our values” must be explored.
The report mentioned research on implants that could “improve cerebral capacity” or help soldiers tell enemy from ally. These could also allow commanders to locate them or read their vital signs from a distance.
This year, Elon Musk unveiled a pig called Gertrude with a coin-sized computer chip in her brain, to demonstrate his ambitious plans to create a working brain-to-machine interface.