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Rich Lee is an American Biohacker and transhumanist. Lee is known for his experiments in sensory augmentation, DIY implanted cybernetic devices, and self experimentation with gene therapy. He has magnets and near-field communication (NFC) chips in his fingers which can link to websites or open car doors and he has a biotherm chip in his arm to monitor his body temperature.
Rich Lee was featured in Huffington Post in 2013 after he implanted headphones in his ears as a part of a series of cyborg audio experiments. The implants are magnets in each tragus, which, when he wears a coil around his neck amplified with a 9-volt battery, vibrate the magnets and allow him to hear music in his ears. Worried he will go blind, Lee came up with the idea for the headphones to create an ultrasonic rangefinder, allowing him to move through his environment much like a bat.
In 2016, Rich Lee implanted polymerfoam tubes into his shins which could withstand the full force of a baseball bat swing. His stitches burst and caused him discomfort and Lee finally removed the tubes.
In 2015, Lee developed the Lovetron9000, which would be a small motor embedded in the layer of pubic fat above a man's penis. The motor would act like a standard vibrator, featuring multiple pulses and rhythms, and working to enhance the shared pleasure of a sexual encounter. The device would be implanted in less than 15 minutes, ready to use after two weeks and would use a wireless inductive charger to provide power and would need 20 minutes to charge for 30 minutes of use.
In 2016 Lee's biohacking activities were used to justify removing custody of his two children. After viewing a video of Lee's shin implant, his ex-wife refused to return his children to him; they had previously had split custody after their divorce and the removal led to a custody trial.
In 2017, the courts determined that Lee's involvement in biohacking was not a determining factor in it's decision to remove custody. The judge cited bolts in his ankles from a motorcycle accident, plastic surgery and other mainstream modifications as reasons why biohacking should not impact the overall trial.
