'World's First Cyborg' Dies at 64

A British scientist who became the "world's first cyborg" has died at 64.

Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan was determined not to accept his fate after being diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2017 and tried to push the boundaries of science by becoming fully robotic in an effort to extend his life. His condition began to deteriorate earlier this year, and on Wednesday his family confirmed his death on Twitter.

"To Peter’s amazing rebel supporters: With a broken heart, I’m letting you all know that Peter passed peacefully, surrounded by his family, and those closest to him," a tweet shared on his Twitter account read. "He was incredibly proud of all of you who supported him, and his vision of changing the way people see disability."

Scott-Morgan had to undergo a series of complex and risky operations during his transition into the world's first full cyborg, which he achieved in 2019, according to the Daily Mail. 

One of his remarkable developments was the building of a life-like avatar of his face before losing any of the muscles used to create expressions. By using artificial intelligent body language, Embody Digital was able to design the avatar, which allowed Scott-Morgan to express emotions. 

The roboticist also explored eye-tracking technology to enable him to control multiple computers using only his eyes. Additionally, he underwent pioneering surgery to insert a feeding tube directly into his stomach, a catheter directly into his bladder and a colostomy bag directly onto his colon, Daily Mail noted.

The final procedure in his robot transition was trading his voice for potentially decades of life via a laryngectomy, which helped him to avoid the danger of saliva entering his lungs due to his condition. He made use of a voice box with his pre-recorded speech to communicate. 

Scott-Morgan called his transition Peter 2.0.

"When I say 'Peter 2.0', I mean 'a Cyborg,' " he wrote in a blog post cited by Daily Mail. "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. Almost everything about me is going to be irreversibly changed — body and brain."

He added, "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."

• As Workers Age, Robots Take on More Job
• From Baristas to Inspectors: Singapore's Robots Plug Labor Gaps