Cyber-Physical Humans at the Intersection of Digital Twins, Immersive Internet and Telepresence

The digital transformation is ongoing and affects all aspects of our professional and personal life. This paper sketches three transformations and introduces the concept of Cyber-Physical Humans as an inevitable result of their merger. Cyber-Physical Humans connect the cyberspace (back) with the physical space and derive their value in their capability to interact directly, or indirectly, with the physical world. This means that in the real world, we can encounter representations of people present in cyberspace for instance as holographic projection or as robotic avatar. Emerging technologies allow us to be present in the real world, in a digital world, in a remote world, or in multiple worlds at the same time. It is no longer hypothetical to be in the real world and talk with one colleague who is present through a holographic projection from the metaverse and another who is present through a robotic avatar operated in telepresence from a remote control station. These digital transformations will blur the lines between the real, the virtual, and the remote world with potentially huge consequences for the way we live, work and communicate. This predictably comes with great opportunities and risks amongst others health risks (isolation, problematic use, cyber sickness), and security & privacy risks (deep-fakes, alternate presentations, spoofing, identity theft). It is important to address these risks to ensure that the benefits of Cyber-Physical Humans are maximized while minimizing the negative consequences.