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‘I’m not dying, I’m transforming’: Doctor diagnosed with lethal motor neuron disease aspires to become the world’s first true cyborg

By Kristina Ivanova
'I'm not dying, I'm transforming': Doctor diagnosed with lethal motor neuron disease aspires to become the world's first true cyborg

A dying scientist is taking radical steps to become the world’s first true cyborg.

The 61-year-old Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan, from Torquay, Devon, is diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2017. He was told that he would die within only two years. This couldn’t break his spirit. Instead of giving up and accepting his fate, he decided to challenge his human form. He is now working on the developing of what he calls Peter 2.0.

Peter 2.0 would be the doctor’s cyborg form. He is going to create that by replacing his bodily functions one by one with machinery.

Until now he has an electric wheelchair that enables him to stand upright, and to be sitting or laying down. He has also banked his voice on a computer and had his voicebox removed. What is more, the doctor is now fed through a tube and has a catheter and colostomy bag attached, so he doesn’t eat or excrete.

The latest modification of Dr. Scott-Morgan was creating a digital avatar of his face, designed to look like him, before the illness. The avatar is controlled with artificial intelligence. Besides, the doctor adjusted various machines, so he can control them only with the movement of his eyes.

Last week, Dr. Scott-Morgan announced the last step of his transformation into a cyborg. He digitalized his voice and gave it potentially decades of life. He lost his physical voice by undergoing a laryngectomy. This helped him eliminating the danger of saliva entering his lungs and suffocating him.

This final procedure was the metaphorical end of Peter 1.0 as the doctor claimed in a Twitter post, saying:

“This is my last post as Peter 1.0.”

Dr. Scott-Morgan declared that on Oct 10, by trading his real voice, he would be completing the final procedure, before becoming a full cyborg. The intriguing part is, this is happening the same month he was told he was going to die.

“I’m not dying, I’m transforming. Oh, how I love science.”

Throughout his career, the doctor has been granted ‘unparalleled confidential access’ to government organizations, banks, and major corporations. This allowed him to use this scientific expertise to work with cutting-edge technology experts. The main point is evolving into Peter 2.0. Talking about his project, he shares:

“I‘m about to be turned into Peter 2.0. And when I say ‘Peter 2.0’, I mean ‘a Cyborg’.

And when I say ‘Cyborg’, I don’t just mean any old cyborg, you understand, but by far the most advanced human cybernetic organism ever created in 13.8 billion years.

I’m scheduled to become the world’s very first full Cyborg.”

According to the doctor, almost everything about him is going to be irreversibly transformed. Including his body and brain. All of his physical interactions will become robotic. His senses, his brain, and his external persona are going to be entirely synthetic. He wants to achieve a full metamorphosis.

What the scientist has also been exploring is eye-tracking technology. By this type of machinery, he would be able to control multiple computers only with his eyes.

Although this technology is going to highly improve his functioning, he had to undergo another surgery. As he could no longer wear contact lenses, he went through a medical procedure that gave him perfect vision at 70cm – the exact distance from his computer screen.

Even though there are still risks of operation and terminal illness, Dr. Scott-Morgan believes that it is not surviving that he’s seeking, but thriving. He takes his situation as a chance to truly embrace the scientific capabilities.

As a matter of fact, he founded ‘The Scott-Morgan Foundation’ with his husband Francis. The purpose of this foundation is to use artificial intelligence, robotics, and other high-technology systems to transform the lives of those restricted by age, disability, or other physical or mental disadvantage. The scientist shares:

“MND[motor neuron disease] hasn’t even begun to bring me to my knees. And even long after I’m locked In, I will still be standing tall. Thanks to HiTech – I will talk again. I will convey Emotion and Personality. And I’ll reach out and touch the people I love. And I will not be the only one.”

Dr. Scott-Morgan believes that with time, more and more people in the same condition will choose to stand beside him. “Because we refuse simply to ‘Stay Alive’. We choose to thrive.“

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