In a scene that has been portrayed by many futuristic movies, Russian scientists claim human immortality will exist by 2045.
Russian Scientists Claim Human Immortality Will Exist by 2045 - photo by Flickr
According to CBC News, 31-year-old Dmitry Itskov put together a team of leading Russian scientists intent on creating fully functional holographic human avatars that house artificial brains which contain a person’s complete consciousness, otherwise known as a humanoid robot. The team has laid out an ambitious plan that would include a human brain transplant into an artificial body within seven years. Itskov is currently seeking funding for the project from the world’s wealthiest people, offering them an avatar of their own in exchange. In an open letter to members of the Forbes World’s Billionaires List, Itskov wrote, “I urge you to take note of the vital importance of funding scientific development in the field of cybernetic immortality and the artificial body. Such research has the potential to free you, as well as the majority of all people on our planet, from disease, old age and even death.”
In the letter, Itskov invites skeptics of his project to meet with his team of “world leading scientists” to discuss viability of the concept of cybernetic immortality.
While Itskov may seem far-fetched to many, according to Popular Science Magazine, phase one of Itskov’s plan is almost near completion as creating a robot controlled by a human brain is already well within reach. Clay Dillow of Popular Science Magazine points out that, “DARPA is already working on it via a program called “Avatar” (which, incidentally, is also the name of Itskov’s project) through which the Pentagon hopes to create a brain-machine interface that will allow soldiers to control bipedal human surrogate machines remotely with their minds. And of course there are all the ongoing medical prosthesis projects that have shown that the human nervous system can interface with prosthetic enhancements, manipulating them via thought. Itskov draws a clear arc from what we have now to the consciousness-containing holograms that he envisions. All we have to do is attack the technological obstacles in between, one at a time, until we get there.”
However, many prominent experts in the scientific and robotic field remain skeptical of Itskov claim as the technology necessary for such a feat is far from being in existence.
Russian Scientists Claim Human Immortality Will Exist by 2045.
