Futurologist Dr Ian Pearson believes humans will one day be hooked up to external machines while alive to boost intelligence.

Such technology could also improve memory and sensory capacity, he added.

And the former cybernetics engineer contends that when you die, 99 per cent of "you" will still be running on a machine.

It has led the former rocket scientist to emphatically claim humans will be attending their own funerals in less than 32 years.

Dr Pearson wrote on his blog, Futurizon: "Most of my blogs about immortality have been about the technology mechanism – adding external IT capability to your brain, improving your intelligence or memory or senses by using external IT connected seamlessly to your brain so that it feels exactly the same.

"Until maybe, by around 2050, 99% of your mind is running on external IT rather than in the meat-ware in your head."