Certainly there seems to be no Last Man in the social order of our time, an idea of whom so revolting that it was conjured to pull people out of their continual, comfortable stupor. The man bereft of the infinite possibilities of his dreams – warm and satisfied. But ours is a society of passion, transcendence and intensity, of men marching down new roads, both philosophers and poets and where science has come to take the place of God. Counter-intuitive ideas are treated just as fairly as any other and the baton is being passed from matter to the mind side of science. With the further telescoping of our evolutionary paradigm, we are set to witness the changes manifested within our lifetime, our generation.

This is where the simple idea of survival turns a page. On this cusp lies a highly ambitious mega project, the “2045” initiative founded by Dmitry Itskov in partnership with leading Russian scientists. The multidisciplinary project is aimed at radical extension of human life by means of cybernetic technology. The need for immediate evolution has been agitating visionaries for very long. For the feeble, the idea of silicon colonies being clustered all around the much elder [sic] carbon can be a little unnerving and this is precisely what this project aspires to. It plans to create an artificial human body controlled by a neurointerface by the year 2045.

In the pioneer’s own words, the roadmap for the project goes like this. First, the creation of a human-like robot dubbed “Avatar A,” and a state-of-the-art brain-computer interface system to link the mind with it. Next, a life support system is created for the human brain, in case of irreversibly damaged or worn out bodies with intact brain vitality which connects to the “Avatar A”, turning into “Avatar B.” The third step, named “Avatar C”, is developing an artificial brain carrier in which to transfer one’s individual consciousness with the goal of achieving cybernetic immortality and this is where the project completely leaves the realm of the real and enters the fourth phase, substance independent minds, a hologram-like avatar, “Avatar D”.

The timeline seems a little too aggressive with the first phase slotted for 2020, second phase for 2025, third phase for 2035 and the immortality in full handed out to you by 2045.

The 2045 website opens addressing the members of the Forbes’ richest list and with the simple bait that human life is unique and priceless. The project has already earned a few supporters with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama backing the young magnate. It is in need of massive funding for its successful fruition.

This mad race for human replacement/enhancement has been on DARPA’s charts too and a few months ago, their plans of creating a militarized project to substitute soldiers for the mechanical androids saw the light of the day. According the agency, “the Avatar program will develop interfaces and algorithms to enable a soldier to effectively partner with a semi-autonomous bi-pedal machine and allow it to act as the soldier’s surrogate.”

If this anthropomorphic robotics takes off the way it is set out, it will be the first fully orchestrated evolution in human history and it will create a friendly artificial intelligence and expand human capabilities in ways only a human heart can dream.

It is up to time to decide whether we combat the natural cycle of death and decay as a cloud of computation or give in to the naturalized fear of change.

source: 2045.com

Embers of a dying fire smouldered at the head of the cavern. The hot flashes of brilliant orange and fiery red provided for the bleak illumination. The cavern walls were pocked with fissures, and an adder lay coiled in a crevice. Had it been present somewhere else, the distinctive markings and the menacing forked tongue would have evoked a wild spasm of fear, but here it blended perfectly into the rest of the cave. Outside, the aspens rustled in the wind that carried with it the chill that comes naturally blowing over snow-capped peaks. The creatures of the night skittered around, making their nightly rounds, and the momentary glint of their lithe movements tore through the darkness.

The silence was stifling which could make one gulp hard and the only feeling that arose in the benumbed mind was to hide oneself and be as inconspicuous as possible. It wasn’t the fear of the beasts or the darkness but of the unknown, a behemoth spirit encompassing in itself all its devices and rising above its victims; commanding complete submission. Suddenly, a violent shriek punctured the silence and obliterated it, which had a moment ago been so oppressive and overpowering. The source, a human figure, her head thrown back in defiance and lips curled derisively and this went in sharp contrast with the beauty and her frail and bruised structure which could hardly support itself and was trembling all over; evidently exhausted by the effort. She was crouching in a corner and did not stay in the same position for long. She brought her chin close to her knees and pressed it hard against them. Her gimlet-eyed stare was fixed on something, but whether she was looking at it, past it, or right through it, it was difficult to tell. She wore a school uniform and her dress was frayed at the edges. It was very likely that she had come wandering off to the place and had lost her group. She moved her fingers over her forehead in an attempt to set her hair aside. She suddenly pulled herself together and sat bolt upright. Something had caught her eye, and she strained to look in that direction. Her eyes narrowed to slits, she looked hard and saw it again. A flash – a beast dashing off in that direction. It was like a trigger and all the energy in her came back, concentrated. Grabbing a stone, she set forth in the direction, in pursuit.