Don't be surprised if you didn't recognize the title of this column. The word isn't in dictionaries yet. But it may be soon. Or some other word like it, coined to describe the symbiosis that is currently developing between human beings and machines. Humachines. A few examples:

A Canadian teenager begins tinkering with imaging and computing systems that can be worn on his body. His first effort is a burdensome rig that blisters his feet when he wears it-and causes people to cross the street when they see him coming. Later he comes to MIT. Nicholas Negroponte, director of the Media Lab, recognizes the young man's inspiration and lets him earn a doctorate in "wearable computing." Today, Steve Mann, a professor at the University of Toronto, having worn computing gear of his own design virtually every day for the last 15 years, is hankering to assemble a community of human-machines, who will share perceptions and thoughts. "Cyborgs" he calls them, using a word from the early history of computing. We'd say humachines.