Humans could become immortal cyborgs with super powers within 20 years, a respected scientist has predicted.
American inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil says that technologies are growing at such a rapid rate that we could replace all our organs — and even our blood cells — with robotic replacements.
"I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogramme our bodies' stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, ageing," Mr Kerzweil wrote in The Sun.
"Then nanotechnology will let us live forever.
"Ultimately, nanobots will replace blood cells and do their work thousands of times more effectively."
The author, who Forbes magazine once named "the ultimate thinking machine", said humans would be able to pull off amazing physical and mental feats with the aid of mechanical upgrades.
"Within 25 years we will be able to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath, or go scuba-diving for four hours without oxygen," Mr Kurzweil said.
"Nanotechnology will extend our mental capacities to such an extent we will be able to write books within minutes."
"Heart-attack victims – who haven't taken advantage of widely available bionic hearts – will calmly drive to the doctors for a minor operation as their blood bots keep them alive."
And while Mr Kurzweil's futuristic world sounds mind-boggling in itself, he also predicts that virtual reality computers will be in-built into our brains to offer an unparalleled world of escapism.
"If we want to go into virtual-reality mode, nanobots will shut down brain signals and take us wherever we want to go," he said.
"Virtual sex will become commonplace.
And in our daily lives, hologram like figures will pop in our brain to explain what is happening."
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