Lemma Soft Forums

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/20 ... tists.html

Just found out about this. Dmitry Itskov is basically planning on researching how to implant a human brain into a robotic body and make it possible to live forever.

It's pretty interesting to think about this being possible in just 30-40 years. Might be a little bit farfetched/impossible, but still interesting. Just curious, how do you guys all feel about this? :v

I'd definitely be on board if they ever managed to get that to work

Would be interesting, however; the question is whether we will still be "alive" when they transfer our brains into those bodies. If it's something similar to the Matrix (as in, the original bodies remain in suspended animation and control it whilsts still alive) or they'll literally transplant our brains after we're dead, in which case we're left to ask the philisophical question as to whether our "soul" will also return with the body.
EDIT: Read the image, now I'm not too set for this. We may be able to bring back the person, but as I said above, would we bring back the "soul" as well? (Of course, I mean soul in the way that signifiews "what makes me different from you or anyone else")

@redeyesblackpanda: I'd totally be on board too, lool.

@hijiri: Seeing how the image talks about transplanting a brain/human personality, it kinda sounds like giving birth to a new person who's exactly like you, but you wouldn't be in them. x:
But then again, it says that it'll be transplanted at the end of one's life, which is kinda like putting your brain to sleep right before you die, and then waking it back up once it's transferred over. I doubt that Itskov planned to just have duplicates of people(but wouldn't really seem like duplicates if you're just talking to them since they act like themselves and thinks that they're there, but they aren't?) and actually wants to put one's soul into another body. x:

While I'm all for science scooping out my brain and putting it in a robot (preferably this one), but I'm failing to see how just copy-pastaing my personality would result in anything other than a (possibly evil) clone of myself. On the other hand, after reading the article...

"I read a sci-fi novel involving disembodied live brains once. It didn't turn out well"

If it didn't work out in a fiction story book, maybe we just shouldn't bother...

Oh my god. Whenever I feel depressed about mortality I just make a joke about the robot body I'm gonna get in the future. That is so rad. ;D

I think it would be a good (but kind of dangerous ) idea!

I also will hop on board if this one is working. I should be still alive and kicking (though a little bit old) at 2030/2040.

BTW, I'm quite surprised that people like the idea of immortality here, since in other forums, people don't like it (other than me, of course). For them, immortality is a curse... that or they're just not being honest to themselves.

The people here are creative they can find the beauty and possibilities in life.  Perhaps that is why immortality would be accepted more gratefully here.

Personally I'd like something similar to Avatar B. Just keep replacing parts until all that is left is a central nervous system, which could also have enhancements.

Maybe it's because I haven't looked through their site for long enough, but I did my best to scan it for 5 minutes, and I can't find any concrete science that would back up their plans for the project?

Their ETAs for avatars B, C, and D are way too early. For B: in 15 years we'll develop enough tech to emulate major sensory organs, enough so that people won't feel tortured when put into a vat? Seems dubious.

For C: Brain emulation is one of the serious routes considered by transhumanists, but as far as I know their estimate is more like...by the end of the century. Seems like 25 years is a significantly optimistic.

For D: I can't tell what they mean by "holographic avatar".

EDIT: Read the image, now I'm not too set for this. We may be able to bring back the person, but as I said above, would we bring back the "soul" as well? (Of course, I mean soul in the way that signifiews "what makes me different from you or anyone else")

If you're interested you should do a bit of research on that yourself. I'm not going to offer the full explanation here, since it'll probably take too long, but I'll just report that...yes, if you're talking about brain emulation, that is scanning every physical aspect of the brain and then emulating it in a computer, then yes by all common criteria it would be the "same soul" (in the sense you used it).

So the general concept is not in question here. It's the practical application of technologies.

By the way, if you're just talking about immortality, then "artificial body" isn't the only route:

One alternative is to halt and/or reverse ageing in the biological body. Estimates on this seem also to point towards the end of this century. (google Audrey de Grey and his research)

The other is a temporary solution: cryonics. If you don't think you'll live long enough to benefit from any possible immortality tech, consider preserving yourself. As far as we can tell the current methods of preservation works.

And yes, note that there are very zealous opponents to any type of immortality project.

Considering how very little we know and understand about the human brain I think their timeline is ambitious at best. I think the research going into this should have some good side effect inventions though.

I'm one of the guys who thinks Immortality isn't something that should be sought after. Everything has a beginning and an end for a reason.

I disapprove, but I'm proud of the fact the human race is nearing that place with technology. Although, it really is only a handful of people who are still creative and inventive, most people these days are pretty dull and unmotivated to do anything.

The whole thing makes me very nervous (certain stories from GE999 are coming to mind).
Then again, I'm young, have a functioning body, and my whole life ahead of me to spend creating...

Ask me about this again when I'm old, my body is falling apart, and I have 5 billion stories yet to write.

The standard answer to human life span development is that there's a good chance there are people alive today who will have a practically unlimited one, due to advances in medicine, biotechnology and gene therapy. The biggest obstacles and problems so far seem to be moral and ethic considerations. Which is kinda fortunate for storytellers - at the end of a day, the important question remains "What is a human?"

Honestly, if I were to become immortal, I'd rather keep my own body.

Also, for doubters: http://www.cracked.com/article_18964_5- ... ortal.html

And yes, they have citations. Cracked does their research. Of course, the unsettling truth is that at some point, an age cap would have to be established. And no one would be safe... well, except for those with money, I suppose.