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The Compass: Futureproof Yourself: Flesh is Weak, so Upgrade

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eLegs Exoskeleton

18/07/2018 GMT

Flesh is Weak, so Upgrade

Futureproof Yourself

BBC World Service - The Compass, Futureproof Yourself, Flesh is Weak, so Upgrade

How do we hack our own biology to counteract the effects of ageing, pain and ill health?

We all only get one body, and that has to see us through our entire lives. The idea of failing health is a very visceral fear for the majority of people in the world. It is inevitable, is it not? But with advances in medicine and technology the future might not involve simply growing old gracefully. We might upgrade in order to level up our natural abilities, extend our lives or consign pain and infirmity to history.
 
Aleks Krotoski and Ben Hammersley find out how to future proof our actual selves, clambering into exoskeletons that could give us all inhuman strength, investigating how far we could hack our own biology, and discover if we will upgrade purely because we want to enjoy our lives to the fullest, or whether it will be necessary to keep up with the demands of future society.

(Photo: Ted Kilroy uses eLegs - artificially intelligent, bionic exoskeletons that give wheelchair users the freedom to stand and take independent steps. Credit: Getty Images)

The Compass: Futureproof Yourself

Practical advice on how to stop yourself going out of date.

In Futureproof Yourself, Aleks Krotoski and Ben Hammersley discover how to prepare for the social, economic and technological changes that are coming in the next few decades so we can all thrive in the future.

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