Technology is making major leaps in the department of health. And now it has helped a terminally ill British scientist to turn into a cyborg.
Peter Scott-Morgan
In case you didn't know, a cyborg in layman's terms means a cybernetic organism whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body.
61-year old Peter Scot-Morgan was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2017. This disease severely impacts a human's motor skills due to the effect it has on the brain and nerves. This means the patient loses control over moving parts in the body.
He underwent a series of surgeries to help him live a normal life like inserting a feeding tube right into a stomach, a catheter right into the bladder and a colostomy bag on to his colon to collect stools -- something that he says that is a really risky procedure.
He also underwent a laryngectomy which was to prevent saliva from entering his lungs. This surgery also meant he had to lose his ability to speak. However, he developed a synthetic speech device as well as a life-like avatar of his face that responds to body language using AI. The latter will become helpful when he loses motion in his face
Moreover, he is also developing an eye-tracking technology that helps him to control the computer by undergoing laser surgery that will give him better vision when sitting near a computer screen.?
Dr Scott-Morgan was told by experts that he would probably won't survive this year, said last month, "I'm not dying, I'm transforming. Oh, how I love science."
Peter Scott-Morgan
He further said in a statement, "It goes without saying that all my physical interaction with the world will become robotic. And naturally, my existing five senses are going to be enhanced. But far more importantly, part of my brain and all of my external persona will soon be electronic - totally synthetic. From then on, I'll be part hardware/part wetware, part digital/part analogue."
He plans to bring more upgrades to his arrangement in the near future.