Elon Musk continues to amaze, and with Neuralink, he aims to transform people’s everyday lives and open up entirely new possibilities for them. By connecting human brain activity with technology, the entrepreneur is attempting to do what once seemed unimaginable. In this article, we will explore the broader concept of this business.
What is Neuralink?
Neuralink is a neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk, which is developing an implantable brain-computer interface called “The Link.” The company was founded in 2016, and its main goal is to help people immobilized by paralysis regain lost communication skills with its neural device in the future.
Additionally, it aims to restore motor, sensory, and visual functions and treat neurological disorders.
The Link is a coin-sized brain chip that can record and decode neural signals and then transmit information back to the brain using electrical stimulation.
The device is surgically implanted under the skull, where it receives information from neural threads that control motor skills in different parts of the brain.
The Neuralink chip uses thin, flexible threads equipped with 1,024 electrodes that record the activity of neurons. The transmission of information between the brain chip and digital devices happens via Bluetooth.
Surgical robots meticulously weave these threads into the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for the brain’s higher-level processes like learning and emotion, to ensure precise placement of the electrodes. The robot is used because the surgeon cannot physically work with such thin threads.
Implant Specifications
The Neuralink implant consists of a hermetically sealed, biologically compatible casing, which withstands much harsher physiological conditions than the human body. There is also a battery, which can be wirelessly charged via an induction charger.
It integrates low-power chips and electronics. The threads are highly flexible and extremely thin.
When Neuralink could be rolled out
In May 2023, the company received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct a clinical trial with humans. Since then, employees have been hired.
On January 29, 2024, Noland Arbaugh became the first patient to receive the Neuralink implant. Later, it was reported that after the surgery, the patient successfully used his implant to control his laptop while lying in bed, though some threads were retracted from his brain, but the situation later stabilized.
The second person, Alex, also had an implant to play the first-person shooter game Counter-Strike 2, being able to simultaneously control a mouse and keyboard to perform more seamless gameplay. The third is Brad. All three of these individuals cannot move their arms or legs. The first two due to spinal cord injury, and the third due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Final Thoughts
However, such early trials require time to conduct various studies to check the device’s effectiveness, safety, resolve emerging challenges, and address ethical concerns. Therefore, we probably cannot expect such technology to appear in the mass market anytime soon.
Nevertheless, the first fairly successful trials indicate that the Neuralink technology is promising and holds great potential in the future for addressing various health disorders and bringing humanity incredibly close to the possibilities of artificial intelligence.
If you are interested in this topic, we suggest you check our articles:
- 10 Best Sought-After Applications of Neuralinkv
- Humanoid Robots Arrive – Elon Musk’s Vision for The Near Future
- Tesla Cybercab and Robovan Release: The Evolution of AI Continues
- Elon Musk Launches Grok 3 – is This the New AI Market Leader?
Sources: BuiltIn, Capitol Technology University, Neuralink, PCMag
