There are two types of cloning; biological clones of a plant or animal, and digital copies of data, programs, or even an entire system. Microsoft has just announced a breakthrough – digitally cloning your brain.

But the vision for this new service goes far beyond just making a backup of your memories, in case you become forgetful. They want to energize your personal robotic assistant with a digital copy of you.

Think of it as a full-size Mini Me. A humanoid robot with artificial intelligence, that knows everything you know. And it’s kept up to date with a real-time neurolink.

The benefits of having a roboClone are obvious; you can send it to a status meeting while you enjoy a game of golf, or get your clone to do all the drudge work while you hone your creative skills. Isn’t that what robots, I mean ‘assistants’, are for?

And because it knows everything you know, it’s easy to ask it things like: “What’s the name of that nanotech CEO I met at the business breakfast last week?” Your clone doesn’t mind being your alter ego.

In fact, you could say it’s a mutually dependent, symbiotic relationship. Your electronic Mini Me can’t exist without you, and you’d be half the person without the invaluable assistance of another you. Two heads are truly better than one!

This kind of personal augmentation raises all sorts of ethical and legal issues. Can your roboClone make decisions and sign contracts on your behalf? Will your employer or client accept work done entirely by clone? What if there’s a malfunction or misunderstanding? Whatever the outcome, you’ll never be alone – with a clone.