Peter and his quest to be a ‘human cyborg’

Defined as ‘a person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body’, cyborgs have been dreamt, written and spoke about for decades.

Nevertheless, the part human, part machines are not an everyday reality just yet. But is all that about to change?

In 2017, 59-year-old scientist Dr Peter Scott-Morgan was told he had the muscle-wasting motor neurone disease. Instead of accepting the diagnosis as a death sentence, Peter saw it as an opportunity to “upgrade”, and he began a journey to become the world’s first full cyborg.

Scott-Morgan of Torquay, Devon, said he wanted to push the boundaries of what science can achieve and by doing so, extend his life. The world-renowned roboticist underwent a series of incredibly complex and risky operations, including developing a remarkably life-like avatar of his face before he lost any muscle.

Peter has also explored eye-tracking technology to enable him to control multiple computers using only his eyes and control his own electronic bed and hoist. In addition, he has undergone 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.

In October last year, he announced the final procedure in his transition when he traded his voice for potentially decades of life.

He underwent a laryngectomy, meaning he lost his physical voice, but in doing so, avoided the added danger of saliva potentially entering his lungs.

Dr Scott-Morgan marked this final procedure with a post on Twitter: “This is my last post as Peter 1.0.

“Tomorrow I trade my voice for potentially decades of life as we complete the final medical procedure for my transition to Full Cyborg, the month I was told statistically I would be dead. I’m not dying, I’m transforming. Oh, how I love science.”

His silence was broken in mid-November when a post appeared on Dr Scott-Morgan’s account saying: “Just home from 24 days in Intensive Care. All medical procedures now complete and a huge success. My mini-ventilator keeping me breathing is a LOT quieter than Darth Vader’s. All speech is synthetic but at last sounds like me again.”

With unprecedented access to Peter and an international group of doctors, scientists, engineers and designers, this fascinating documentary covers 18 months of one of the most audacious transitions ever undertaken.

It explains how, throughout his career, Dr Scott-Morgan was granted unparalleled confidential access to government organisations, banks and major corporations, and he has used this expertise to make the transition to Peter 2.0.

Scott-Morgan remains positive and often humorous, seeing his situation as a chance to explore what it means to be human and truly embrace scientific capabilities.

At the heart of it all is the inspiring story of a remarkable man and his family taking huge risks and fighting for a better future for all of us. And tonight we’ll also get to see how The Scott-Morgan Foundation, which Peter set up with his husband, Francis, seeks to use artificial intelligence, robotics and other high-technology systems to transform the lives of those “restricted by age, ill-health, disability, or other physical or mental disadvantage.”

“Thanks to HiTech – I will talk again,” he said last year. 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.

“Over time, more and more with MND, with extreme disability, with old age, with a passion simply to break free from their physical straight-jacket, will choose to stand beside me.

“And we will all stand tall. And we will stand proud. And we will stand unbowed. And we will keep standing, year after year after year after year after year. Because we refuse simply to ‘Stay Alive’. We choose to thrive.”

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