We’ve all watched and read a ton of Cyberpunk media from comics, novels, games and even movies. One of the major staples of the Cyberpunk genre is the idea that technology and humanity will be entwined in a way that seems indistinguishable. Basically, cyborgs. And although we’re a little too early to witness the birth of the machine, we’re now seeing the first steps in biological augmentation with small-time hacker’s bio-modifying themselves. In a step that may change the way we look at human-machine integration, 61-year-old Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan has decided to take things to the next level and turn himself into a full-fledged cyborg.
https://twitter.com/DrScottMorgan/status/1181946826410340354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A little background on this topic first. Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Latera Sclerosis (ALS). The disease affects the motor neurons and causes weakness and atrophy in the muscles as the patient slowly wilts away. There is no cure for ALS. Scott-Morgan was diagnosed with the disease in 2018 and was given till 2019 to live. But, he’s got the perfect solution to his problem. Have all his biological organs replaces with machines. It sounds far-fetched but put yourself in Scott-Morgan’s shoes. It’s a tough decision but one that has to be made if Scott-Morgan is to live longer than 2019.
His first step towards being a full cyborg was to remove his voicebox. He also has a feeding tube that is directly inserted into his stomach and a catheter into his bladder. With these modifications, Scott-Morgan will no longer need to use his muscles for eating or relieving himself.
Scott-Morgan went a step further and created a digital replica of himself. This model will allow Scott-Morgan to communicate with the outside world after he loses control of his facial muscles. Scott-Morgan will also be using eye-tracking technology that will allow him to control various devices using only his eyes. He calls himself Peter 2.0!
This seems like a drastic step to take but in the case of Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan, this seems like the only step to take. If successful, this will mark a turning point in the merging of robotics and medicine.
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