Elon Musk’s ‘Neuralink’, a telepathic brain chip, may be implanted into a human being for the first time in 2022. Indiatimes.com reported that the brain-computer interface tech company was founded by the Tesla boss in 2016. In 2021, Neuralink was tried on a monkey. The monkey was able to play MindPong just by thinking its moves, with the help of the brain chip. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit, Musk expressed confidence in the functioning of Neuralink. Stating that it works well on monkeys, he said that a lot of testing is being conducted in order to make sure that it is safe, reliable and can be removed safely. There would be, in Musk’s terms, a “profound” significance to the device as it could help rehabilitate people who have suffered spinal cord injuries. It could help them perform various physical tasks.
“We hope to have this in our first humans — which will be people that have severe spinal-cord injuries like tetraplegics, quadriplegics — next year, pending FDA approval,” AfroTech quoted Musk as saying. However, one should exercise caution in rooting for the Neuralink this year, because earlier, Musk had planned to start human implants in 2021, which didn’t end up happening. Earlier, Neuralink had also made claims of treating problems like depression and addiction.
Neuralink is working super hard to ensure implant safety & is in close communication with the FDA. If things go well, we might be able to do initial human trials later this year.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 1, 2021
On the lighter side of things, Neuralink in 2020 said it was working on an interface that will allow the wearers to stream music directly to the brain. On Twitter, Musk had responded to a query and said that Neuralink’s technology would allow people to “listen to music directly from the chips.”
Musk had said the technology could help cure mental problems like depression and addiction and Parkinson’s. However, Musk said, the aim of the Neuralink is to allow humans to compete with artificial intelligence. To insert the device in the brain will require removing part of the skull and the device with its electrode threads will be fitted in the brain, according to reports.
The Neuralink website states: “We’re designing the first neural implant that will let you control a computer or mobile device anywhere you go.” It explains that the tech works by inserting Micron-scale threads into areas of the brain that control movement. “Each thread contains many electrodes and connects them to an implant, the Link,” it adds.
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