Elon Musk’s Neuralink. Cyborg brain or medical endeavor?
Elon Musk and his plan to offer internet connectivity directly through your brain are fascinating, to begin with. The possibilities could be endless and its real-world implementation could see enormous leaps in the medical field right from the start. It would not be the first time that Musk has announced a ground breaking device that could change the world as we know it. And we must admit that some of them have found real success.
First of all, it’s not the Robocop-Frankenstein idea that people first thought upon hearing that your brain could be connected over the internet to an AI.
It is, in essence, a brain-computer interface or BCI. Something, that the medical world has been experimenting with for a long time now, albeit apparently more in touch with your brain. Neuralink describes its technology as “ultra-high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers.”
Musk, who is, of course, the CEO of Neuralink, and company co-founder Max Hodak, have spoken just recently about the projects short term goals as being something to improve the lives of people with brain disabilities or various brain disorders like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.
The next step in the Neuralink endeavor will be to directly link the brain of healthy patients to an AI and create a permanent wireless link over a small chip that once inserted into the brain will have a lifespan of years to decades. It will actually ‘preserve and enhance your own brain’ as the billionaire entrepreneur has put it. He also mentioned that the Company is seeking FDA approval for human trials as soon as possible but warned that it could be a lengthy process.
That could prove a major obstacle as Neuralink will use a custom-built robot directed by a neurosurgeon capable of reducing the risks of performing procedures. The robot will drill a hole into the patient’s skull and insert implants for transferring thoughts to control devices. Those implants will in turn connect to a computer and therefore be more easily accessible for software updates via wireless technology.
The company seems to be well on its way and apparently, tests have been conducted on rats and Musk claims that Neuralink build chips were able to record brain activity. But as we know, there is a big gap from rats to humans.
With Musk investing large sums into the company and with the help of some of the world's leading neuroscientists, this may very well be the next big thing when it comes to science and technology.
A world where the human mind can access an AI and get instant access to any information, over an implanted wireless chip seems very futuristic.
On the other hand, some critics underline the fact that any brain procedure, no matter how small is invasive enough to seriously harm the patient. Others doubt the technology is really here yet. Like Philipp Heiler, physician and founder of Neurofeedback Neuroboost, who told Business Insider: "In the field of brain-machine interfaces, many companies are making a lot of big claims but I don't think BCIs will become accessible to healthy people that quickly."
At the moment non-invasive BCI’s are used for therapeutical purposes. They use electrode caps that influence software by using brainwaves. But the control is still very much imprecise and it’s years behind yielding its intended results. Will Neuralink’s idea change all that?
Neuralink is exactly the kind of fantastic technology-driven project that could come only from Elon Musk. It could spell the first direct connection between a human brain and an AI. But we will have to wait for a while and it could see non-invasive technology developing at such a rate, as to cover most of the relevant applicability without the need for an implant. We will just have to wait and see.
But what is Neuralink?
First of all, it’s not the Robocop-Frankenstein idea that people first thought upon hearing that your brain could be connected over the internet to an AI.
It is, in essence, a brain-computer interface or BCI. Something, that the medical world has been experimenting with for a long time now, albeit apparently more in touch with your brain. Neuralink describes its technology as “ultra-high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers.”
Musk, who is, of course, the CEO of Neuralink, and company co-founder Max Hodak, have spoken just recently about the projects short term goals as being something to improve the lives of people with brain disabilities or various brain disorders like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.
In the long run
The next step in the Neuralink endeavor will be to directly link the brain of healthy patients to an AI and create a permanent wireless link over a small chip that once inserted into the brain will have a lifespan of years to decades. It will actually ‘preserve and enhance your own brain’ as the billionaire entrepreneur has put it. He also mentioned that the Company is seeking FDA approval for human trials as soon as possible but warned that it could be a lengthy process.
That could prove a major obstacle as Neuralink will use a custom-built robot directed by a neurosurgeon capable of reducing the risks of performing procedures. The robot will drill a hole into the patient’s skull and insert implants for transferring thoughts to control devices. Those implants will in turn connect to a computer and therefore be more easily accessible for software updates via wireless technology.
Will Neuralink work?
The company seems to be well on its way and apparently, tests have been conducted on rats and Musk claims that Neuralink build chips were able to record brain activity. But as we know, there is a big gap from rats to humans.
With Musk investing large sums into the company and with the help of some of the world's leading neuroscientists, this may very well be the next big thing when it comes to science and technology.
A world where the human mind can access an AI and get instant access to any information, over an implanted wireless chip seems very futuristic.
On the other hand, some critics underline the fact that any brain procedure, no matter how small is invasive enough to seriously harm the patient. Others doubt the technology is really here yet. Like Philipp Heiler, physician and founder of Neurofeedback Neuroboost, who told Business Insider: "In the field of brain-machine interfaces, many companies are making a lot of big claims but I don't think BCIs will become accessible to healthy people that quickly."
At the moment non-invasive BCI’s are used for therapeutical purposes. They use electrode caps that influence software by using brainwaves. But the control is still very much imprecise and it’s years behind yielding its intended results. Will Neuralink’s idea change all that?
Neuralink is exactly the kind of fantastic technology-driven project that could come only from Elon Musk. It could spell the first direct connection between a human brain and an AI. But we will have to wait for a while and it could see non-invasive technology developing at such a rate, as to cover most of the relevant applicability without the need for an implant. We will just have to wait and see.
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