Elon Musk says his Neuralink company for brain-interface technology is less than one year from implanting chips into humans’ brains.
The information comes directly from billionaire during live streaming interview with The Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit Monday. He was being asked about the plans for his company in 2022.
‘Neuralink’s working well in monkeys and we’re actually doing just a lot of testing and just confirming that it’s very safe and reliable and the Neuralink device can be removed safely,’ Musk said.
‘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.
‘I think we have a chance of being able to allow someone who cannot walk or use their arms be able to walk again – but not naturally.’
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Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a brain-interface technology company, claims to be less than a year away from implanting chips into human brains. This information was shared by the billionaire during a live-streamed interview on Monday at T he Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit
Neuralink demonstrated its brain chip to a monkey on April 9, 2021. This allowed it to play Pong with its only mind.
It recorded the brain activity of the animals while they played and used that information to help predict their movements.
‘Basically, the monkey looked normal, yet it is playing a video game telepathically, which I think is quite profound,’ Musk said during Monday’s livestream.
Neuralink’s system is comprised of a computer chip attached to tiny flexible threads that are stitched into the brain by a ‘sewing-machine-like’ robot.
Neuralink demonstrated its brain chip embedded in a monkey on April 9, 2021. This allowed it to play Pong with its only mind. ‘Basically, the monkey looked normal, yet it is playing a video game telepathically, which I think is quite profound,’ Musk said Monday
Musk posted a Monday tweet reiterating the timeline for 2022
The brain sends signals to the device, and these are translated into motor control commands.
Musk stated that Neuralink has been proven safe for the brain, and it can easily be removed. FDA approval is the only obstacle to human trials of the technology.
‘Our standards for implanting the device are higher than what the FDA approves, just like our standards for safety are much higher than what the US government requires.’
Musk shared a tweet on Monday re-iterating the 2022 timeline, stating that Neuralink’s progress will accelerate once the devices is ‘in humans next year.’
However, the billionaire has promised to start human trials before – in 2019, he was eyeing testing at the end of 2020.
Musk also has the reputation of building up anticipation for his company’s technologies, just to under deliver and disappoint.
Musk was the first to demonstrate Neuralink in pigs before it could be seen in a monkey’s brain.
The company’s first demonstration took place on August 28, 2020, an event Musk hyped up by saying Neuralink will ‘show neurons firing in real-time.’
This was the demonstration that took place live, but the viewers were not pleased when they saw that the neurons belonged to Gertrude the pig and not to a person.
However, Musk appeared to be very confident on the 2022 timeline and Neuralink’s ability to help paraplegics walk again while speaking on Monday.
‘It is a super big deal, and I don’t want to raise hopes unreasonably, but I am convinced it can be done,’ he said.
Along with helping people walk again, Musk has also said Neuralink’s chip could help cure addiction and depression.
In a tweet posted July 2020, the billionaire answered a tweet from a users asking if the implant could ‘re-train part of the brain’ linked to the ailments.
Neuralink’s system is comprised of a computer chip attached to tiny flexible threads that are stitched into the brain by a ‘sewing-machine-like’ robot. It detects electrical signals from the brain and converts these into motor commands.
Pranay Pathole, a Twitter user, wrote: ‘Can Neuralink be used to re-train the part of the brain which is responsible for causing addiction or depression?’
‘It’d be great if neuralink can be used for something like curing addiction/depression.’
‘For sure. This is both great & terrifying,’ Musk wrote in the response.
In May 2020, Musk spoke on Joe Rogan’s podcast to discuss how Neuralink is set to have a version of its brain implant ready ‘within a year.’
Musk described that robots remove a portion of the skull and then insert electrodes in the brain. The device is then inserted into the hole with only minor scarring.
Musk demonstrated Neuralink in pigs before it was possible to see in the brains of monkeys. People tuning in disappointed that the neurons came from Gertrude, not a human.
The technology can also be developed into a complete brain interface within 25 years. This would allow for’symbiosis’ between AI and humans.
Musk claimed that ‘you wouldn’t have to talk’ and that the technology would allow for a’symbiosis between humans, AI, and other technologies.
Musk stated, “I believe this is one way to like AI getting better and better,”
“We are somewhat left behind.
“So what’s the best way to go with me on this ride?”
“If you don’t think they are strong enough, then join them.”
Musk said to Rogan, “We’re already cyborgs in some sense,”