C.K. Lawrence
Closed Account
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/02/dmitry-itskov/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiedrummond/2012/07/19/dmitry-itskov-avatar/Russian Mogul to 'Forbes' Billionaires: Limitless Lifespans Can Be Yours
A Russian media mogul has a message for those elite members of the Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List: By uploading your brain into a robotic avatar, I can help you live forever.
Dmitry Itskov, a 31-year-old Russian media mogul, is the man behind that uber-sci-fi plot. I first broke the news of Itskov’s life-extension plan in February of this year, for a story at Wired.com. “This project is leading down the road to immortality,” he told me at the time. “Nobody wants to die.”
In a nutshell, Itskov’s initiative — called “Avatar” — would work in four phases.
First up is the development of robots that can be controlled by the human mind. After that, and ideally within 10 years, Itskov wants to develop robots that can actually host a flesh-and-***** human brain, via surgical transplant. In twenty years time, things get even more interesting: Itskov anticipates “uploading” the contents of the human brain into a robot, yielding eternal life via artificial body. By 2045, he’d like to replace those ‘bots entirely — with holograms.
Since February, Itskov has stayed plenty busy working on his “Avatar” plan, which is described in extensive detail on his website. With a lab of scientists reportedly already working on the program in Russia, Itskov has now branched out to the U.S, with plans to open a San Francisco office this summer and host a futurity conference — called Global Future Congress — in New York later this year. He’s even met with the Dalai Lama to discuss the implications of the “Avatar” plot.
His next step: Itskov has published an open letter to the world’s richest people, urging them to back the initiative — and consider volunteering themselves as potential avatars. “I urge you to take note of the vital importance of funding scientific development in the field of cybernetic immortality and the artificial body,” Itskov writes in the letter, first spotted by PopSci.com. “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.”
Itskov goes on to note that the venture could be a profitable one for business-minded folk, emphasizing the potential for “a new and vibrant industry for immortality.”
I met Itskov earlier this year, and have no doubt that his intentions for the “Avatar” venture are legitimate and sincere. He’s even investing plenty of his own money to kickstart the necessary research. But, of course, the breadth and pace of scientific inquiry that’ll be required to see “Avatar” succeed is nothing short of astounding — and possibly entirely prohibitive.
Take DARPA, the U.S. military’s blue-sky research agency, as an example. They’ve got their own “Avatar” program, with the ambitious goal of creating robots to operate as mind-controlled surrogates for human soldiers. Emerging research suggests that such a venture might one day succeed, given that scientists are making impressive strides towards brain-mediated limbs and exoskeletons, as well as robots able to respond to human vocal cues and movements. Itskov’s ideas (at least, stages two through four), however, essentially eclipse even the most cutting-edge elements of that ongoing research.
His appeal to global billionaires, though, suggests that Itskov has no qualms about the challenges he’s confronting. In fact, he’s even offering the “Avatar” procedure gratis to interested parties. “I will also be willing to coordinate your personal immortality project entirely free of charge,” Itskov writes. “For the sake of speeding up the development of these technologies.”
I’ve reached out to Itksov to find out more about the current status of his project. For the billionaires among us, any takers?
Immortal! :banger:
