Peter 2.0 by Peter Scott-Morgan

Author:Peter Scott-Morgan [Scott-Morgan, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780241447116
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2021-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Wild Ideas

‘I think I’ll need to have a partial exoskeleton …’

‘There you go again! You’ll scare people saying that. They’ll think it’s all science fiction. Or they’ll find it intimidating.’

‘But it’s not science fiction, or at least it doesn’t have to be. Without some way of moving my limbs, they’ll never move. And worse, I’ll never feel anything again. Never touch anything. So, I’ll need some form of exoskeleton arms and gauntlets with gaps for my fingertips and palms so I can touch surfaces and distinguish textures. Because otherwise it’s insane that I’ll keep all my sense of touch and never use it. I want to be able to touch things. I want to be able to reach out and touch you!’

‘So long as you don’t accidentally knock me out!’

‘You know, already people don’t touch me any more.’

‘I touch you!’

‘Yes, of course you do. But I’ve noticed most people don’t. They’ll shake hands with you, even give you a hug, and then they’ll turn to me and give a funny wave.’

‘I don’t think they quite know what to do. Whether it’s right to invade your space. No one teaches us at school how to touch people in wheelchairs. Especially when they are unable to move …’ he gave a slight pause but his blue eyes didn’t flicker, ‘… like you will be.’

‘Well, there, that’s exactly my point, that’s one of the reasons I need to be able to move, to hold out my arm to send the signal that I want to shake hands. And, by the way, I’ll also need an exoskeleton neck that’s capable of turning and nodding my head so I can at least look around. I mean, how frustrating would it be to only ever look forward?’

‘You mean like everyone else with MND?’

‘And tetraplegics, yes. But – there’s a theme here – for even this partial exoskeleton to work, it needs sophisticated AI to allow me to control it through instructions using only my eyes. So, as ever, I’m visualizing being offered options – exactly as when I’m in immersive VR. In fact – what am I saying? – it really will be exactly as when I’m in cyberspace because they will be the same options. Think about it: why should it feel any different in the physical world?’

‘Because the physical world is real!’

‘Yes, I know, but whether I’m turning a handle to open the door, or coordinating movement between both my arms or reaching out and touching someone I love, I will do them all in exactly the same way in cyber-reality as in space–time reality. Do you see? Both will become my expanded reality.’

‘Jay’s Grave!’

Francis braked to a crawl. I’d almost missed it, on the driver’s side, at a crossroad chosen long ago so that Kitty Jay’s ghost wouldn’t know which way to go to reach the village. Her ancient grave – necessarily on unsanctified land as befitted someone who’d hanged herself – still had fresh yellow flowers on it, just as it had every time we’d checked ever since that first week I’d moved down to live with Francis.

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