The thought of humans having wings, tentacles or an extra arm may all seem rather unlikely.
But these scenarios could actually become reality in the next few decades, thanks to leaps in human augmentation.
Researchers have already designed a ‘Third Thumb’ controlled by foot movements, which allows the wearer to unscrew a bottle, peel a banana or thread a needle using just one hand.
Now, experts believe the thumb is just a first step towards larger, more dramatic additions to the human body.
Tamar Makin, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at Cambridge University, said the brain’s ability to adapt to an extra limb was ‘extraordinary’.
But scaling the design up to larger augmentation devices comes with its own hurdles.
‘The big question is how do you control a body part that you’ve never had before?’ she said.
‘When we work with technology for substitution, like prosthetic limbs, the aim is pretty straightforward.
‘But, in augmentation, I want you to continue to use your body to its fullest capacity and on top of that, give you an extra body part.
