A head transplant seems impossible now, but that will change in the future if it is up to a new start-up. Sort of, Frankenstein, Face/Off or Altered Carbon in real life.
Imagine it: a head you can transplant from one body to another. It sounds like something from movies and series like Frankenstein, Wednesday, Face/Off or Altered Carbon, but it should really be possible within a decade by a robot and AI.
At least, if it’s up to BrainBridge. The start-up has shared a video showing how this should be possible with a robot and AI. The result, however, is terrifying.
Frankenstein in real life: a transplant of a head
Head transplants have been considered for years. This should allow a person’s head to be placed on another body, after which the whole body functions as well.
In 2017, controversial Italian doctor Sergio Canavero reportedly succeeded for the first time. His nickname isn’t Doctor Frankenstein for nothing. However, that seems to be an urban myth, as no one seems to believe the Italian. Indeed, science thinks it will never be possible at all, even with a robot.
Yet the start-up BrainBridge thinks otherwise. They think it is possible with a special robot, which no doctor has yet succeeded in doing. A Frankenstein robot, in other words.
Can a robot with AI really transplant a head?
The man behind the company is Hashem Al-Ghaili, a filmmaker and molecular biologist. He also creates various concepts such as a flying hotel and an artificial womb. So his robot that can perform a head transplant through AI seems to be one of his new ideas.
So given Al-Ghaili’s background, it seems to be mostly dreams, with no real scientific basis. According to him, the Frankenstein robot and AI would ensure that the degradation of brain cells is prevented and that the head can fit seamlessly on another body. AI should ensure that the connections of the spinal cord, nerves and blood vessels are effortless.
To get it done, the company is looking for scientists for this project, as it hopes to perform the first operation within eight years.
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So although the Frankenstein AI robot seems mostly a monkey sandwich, the idea behind it is quite fascinating. By separating the head from a body, various medical conditions could be remedied with a head transplant. Consider, for example, paralysis.
