A BRITISH scientist who became the world’s first full “cyborg” has died.
Pioneering Dr Peter Scott-Morgan passed away after a five-year battle with motor neurone disease (MND) at the age of 64.
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Confirming his death on Twitter, his spokesperson said: “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.
“He was incredibly proud of all of you who supported him, and his vision of changing the way people see disability.”
The author, from Torquay, Devon, was diagnosed with MND in 2017 and was given just two years to live.
But he was desperate to push the boundaries of science so set out to extend his life by becoming fully robotic.
He underwent a series of complex operations, including the “re-plumbing” of his stomach with a feeding tube and a colostomy bag for his bowels.
He also had a laryngectomy to separate his oesophagus and trachea to reduce his risk of fatal pneumonia, which meant he would never speak again.
However, before going under the knife, Peter recorded tens of thousands of words and sentences which he could then trigger using his eyes.
He also underwent laser eye surgery to optimise his sight at 70cm – the distance from his face to his computer screen.
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And he developed a life-like avatar of his face, designed to respond using artificially intelligent body language.
Peter later declared he had fully completed his transition into the first full cyborg in the world – called Peter 2.0.
And he went on to star in Channel 4 documentary Peter: The Human Cyborg, during which he broke down in tears as he heard his future robotic voice for the first time.
Holly Willoughby was also moved to tears when Peter appeared on This Morning in 2021 to talk about his “hopes and dreams”.
He told the telly host: “Our mission is to completely re-write the future of disability.
“As a transitioning human cyborg my overall quality of life is exceptional.
“I have love, I have fun, I have hope, I have dreams, I have purpose.”
Tributes have flooded in for the disability campaigner, who died from the same disease that killed Stephen Hawking.
Jan Warren, Motor Neurone Disease Association trustee vice chair, said: “So enormously sad to hear of the passing of a dear friend and MND warrior Peter Scott Morgan.
“His enthusiasm and zest for life was so awe inspiring and he truly taught the world that you could thrive with MND.
“My love to Francis and the whole family from a true admirer.”
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